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Season: Late Summer to Early Fall

Urban, Rural or Both: Both, Rural mainly

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) and the Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra). The berry clusters are beautiful to look at, and actually make a nice drink. Like anything you have never had before, make sure you have very little at first to make sure you aren't allergic. It doesn't matter which one - the Staghorn or Smooth Sumac, as they are the same from an eating perspective.

Make sure you know what a Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) looks like. The leaves are similar looking to the Staghorn Sumac, and especially the Smooth Sumac at first glance - they are compound leaves. To be safe, DO NOT touch a Sumac unless you see the red berry clusters like in the included picture below. The Poison Sumac has white, green or grey colored berries. The Poison Sumac likes very damp or wet land. The Staghorn and Smooth Sumac likes well drained hilly areas, though they are often by water - just not in standing water or soaked land. Don't bother with anything that looks like a Sumac if it is damp or wet in the area until you see the red berry clusters.

Harvesting: In the late summer to early fall the clusters of berries will be bright red and ready to pick. Cut below the cluster with a sharp knife, pruners or sharp, strong scissors and take inside to use.

Using: When the Staghorn and Smooth Sumac berry clusters are ripe, pick two or three clusters off the plant, take home and remove the outer, healthy looking berries into a bowl, pour warm, but not boiling water over them. Rub the berries around with your hands, then let soak for about half an hour. Take the mix and pour into a clean coffee filter over a pot, or through a clean and well rinsed tea towel. Put the pinkish red drink in a fridge to cool, or over ice to have right away. Keeps for a day or two without a problem. This drink cuts thirst better than almost anything else.

If you find the mix you made too sharp, just dilute with cold water.

Recipe search on the web here (Google search) and here (Bing search).

Staghorn Sumac

Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina):

Growing this plant in your home garden:

For detailed instructions on growing, go to my Wild Foods Home Garden website Sumac page.

Description:

• Plant Size: 5 meters (16 feet) tall
• Duration: Perennial Shrub
• Leaf Shape: Odd Pinnate compound leaves with 9-31 leaflets
• Leaf Phyllotaxis (Leaf Arrangement) on branch: Alternate
• Leaf Size: Each leaflet is 6-11 cm (2 1/3 to 4 1/3 inches) long
• Leaf Margin: Serrated (saw toothed edge)
• Leaf Notes: In the fall, the leaves turn a beautiful red, orange and sometimes yellow
• Flowers: Soft white to yellowish-green in dense clusters on the ends of branches
• Fruit: Dense clusters of small, fuzzy red berries (drupes) on the ends of the branches
• Bark: Light grey and brown with orange-tan horizontal lenticels (checking)
• Habitat: Dry soils, edges of woods, abandoned land, waste areas, very often on the sides of hills forming clonal colonies from spreading by the roots. Can tolerate very poor, dry soils. Often found on sandy soils by rivers, but rarely where the soil is always wet.

• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

Smooth Sumac

Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra):

Growing this plant in your home garden:

For detailed instructions on growing, go to my Wild Foods Home Garden website Sumac page.

Description:

• Plant Size: Can reach 5 meters (16 feet) but usually no more than 3 meters (10 feet) tall
• Duration: Perennial Shrub
• Leaf Shape: Odd Pinnate compound with 9-31 leaflets
• Leaf Phyllotaxis (Leaf Arrangement) on branch: Alternate
• Leaf Size: The compound leaf is up to 50 cm (20 inches) long, each leaflet is 5-11 cm (2 to 4 1/3 inches) long. Lower side of leaf is whitish, while upper side is green.
• Leaf Margin: Serrated (saw toothed edge)
• Leaf Notes: The stems of the compound leaves are a purplish red color. Leaves turn a very beautiful scarlet red in the fall
• Flowers: Small green dense clusters (panicle) on the ends of branches and are upright - not drooping. Up to 25 cm (10 inches) long
• Fruit: Red, orange-red fruit that is almost smooth - not very fuzzy like the Staghorn Sumac
• Bark: Smooth, grey to brown.
• Habitat: Dry to moist areas, tolerates a very wide variety of soils including fairly high alkalinity compared to other Sumacs. Will form clonal colonies.

• Pictures on the web here (Google images) and here (Bing images).
• USDA distribution map and plant profile here.
• The Biota of North America Program (BONAP) distribution map here. BONAP map color key here.

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