Staghorn sumac

Thus typhina

Overview: This is a large, spreading shrub with crooked, leaning trunks and hairy, velvet-like branches that resemble deer antlers. It produces bright red, cone-shaped clusters of edible berries and striking yellow, orange, and red fall foliage. The fruit stays on the branches through winter making it an excellent emergency source of food for wildlife.

Harvesting: Berries ripen in August and September. The best time to harvest is after a dry spell, so the flavorful, fuzzy red berries don't lose their tang from rain. To check ripeness, test the flavor by rubbing a berry and tasting it; it should be tart and citrusy. Young shoots are edible and can be eaten raw in the late spring and summer - you just need to peel off the outer bark.

Taste and Flavor: The ripe red berries are used to make a tart, lemonade-like drink, called "sumac-ade". Dried sumac berries can be ground into a powder and are used in Middle Eastern cuisine in the spice blend “za'atar”.

Culinary Uses: Indigenous people use the berries in teas, gargles, and infusions for sore throats and cold symptoms; the tannin-rich bark and leaves for tanning hides; and the leaves and fruits for making black ink. You can also use the berries to make sumac lemonade.

Nutritional Value: Staghorn sumac is rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C, and other beneficial compounds like flavonoids, which provide anti-inflammatory and blood-sugar-regulating properties. The dried fruit contains about 20% carbohydrates and 5% protein, with trace amounts of vitamins A, B1, B6, and B12, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

Growing Conditions: Staghorn sumac thrives in full sun to partial shade and requires well-drained soil, as it is adaptable to poor, sandy, or rocky soils but does not tolerate wet conditions. It is drought-tolerant once established and needs regular watering only during its first year or in dry periods.

Cultivation: Proper care involves minimal pruning, with suckers and long shoots being trimmed in the late fall or early spring to control its spreading nature.

Interesting Facts: This sumac attracts pollinators, is the larval host plant for the luna moth and the spring azure butterfly and is a winter food source for songbirds. Sumac is great for erosion control due to its suckering roots. So many birds use this a a preferred food source- ruffed grouse, ring-necked pheasant, eastern phoebe, common crow, northern mockingbird, gray catbird, American robin, wood thrush, hermit thrush, and eastern bluebird among others.

Allergies and Precautions: Staghorn sumac is non-poisonous and safe to handle, but a person can have an allergic reaction due to its relation to cashews and mangoes.