Sumac Identification Guide in the US (Genus Rhus)

Hi all! Thanks for watching. Click the timestamps below to take you to your desired species:
0:18 - Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina, Rhus hirta)
1:46 - Michaeux's Sumac (Rhus michauxii)
3:15 - Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra)
4:21 - Northern Sumac / Staghorn x Smooth Sumac (Rhus x borealis, Rhus typhina x Rhus glabra)
5:38 - Sumac lookalikes - Eastern Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
6:38 - Shining / Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum / copallina)
7:37 - Prairie Flameleaf Sumac (Rhus lanceolata)
8:54 - Little Leaf Sumac (Rhus microphylla) 5-9 leaflets
9:25 - Fragrant Sumac / Skunkbush - (Rhus aromatica / Rhus trilobata)
10:35 - Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata)
11:32 - Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia)
12:13 - Lemonade Berry x Sugar Bush Hybrid (Rhus integrifolia x ovata)
13:18 - Evergreen Sumac (Rhus virens)
14:19 - Practice on identifying Sumacs on iNaturalist
Here is the video on how to tell the difference between Staghorn and Smooth Sumac - • Staghorn vs Smooth Sum...
Here's a great guide on how to identify Rhus x borealis or Staghorn x Smooth Sumac - michiganflora.net/species.asp...
The hybrid can seemingly fall into 1 of 4 categories:
1. Some short hair on stem and branches. Not as abundant or as long as pure R. typhina.
2. Very smooth branches and stem, but fruit exhibits strong pubescence.
3. Some short hair on fruit, ranging pubescence on branches and stem
4. Smooth fruit but dense pubescence on branches and stem.
Dichotomous Key using leaf appearance US Sumac Identification:
1a. Simple, alternate leaves. Found on West Coast or Arizona (go to 2)
1b. Compound leaves (go to 3)
2a. Leaf folded along the mid-rib. Taco-shaped leaves or similar. Entire margins. Occurs on West Coast or Arizona = Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata)
2b. Leaf shape mostly flat, not folded. Sharp, holly-like teeth along leaf margins. Occurs only on West Coast = Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia)
2c. Consistent taco-shaped or curved leaves with many teeth along leaf margins. Occurs in sympatric zones on West Coast = Lemonade Berry x Sugar Bush Hybrid - (Rhus integrifolia x ovata)
3a. Trifoliate compound leaves. Middle leaflet generally the largest. = Fragrant sumac / Skunkbush (Rhus aromatica / Rhus trilobata)
3b. More than 3 leaflets in the leaf (go to 4)
4a. 5-9 leaflets (go to 5)
4b. Mature leaves have greater than 9 leaflets (go to 6)
5a. Leaflets very small in size - 6-9 mm long, 2-5 mm wide. Leaves are winged. = Little Leaf Sumac (Rhus microphylla)
5b. Leaves are dark green, shiny in appearance. Leaves are not winged. Leaflets larger in size (1 inch). = Evergreen Sumac (Rhus virens)
6a. Leaflets are entire / smooth along margins (go to 7)
6b. Leaflets are serrated (go to 8)
7a. Leaflets are usually shiny, have large wings on rachis and are wide. Leaflets number anywhere from 9 to 21. Found in Eastern US from Texas through Missouri and up the east coast to Massachusetts. Twigs slightly pubescent = Shining Sumac / Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum)
7b. Leaflets lanceolate, curved and much more narrow. Found in the prairies of Texas with small populations in west Texas and New Mexico.
8a. Branches, fruit, stem and inflorescence ALL exhibit dense pubescence (go to 9)
8b. Branches, fruit, stem and inflorescence are smooth, exhibit no pubescence at all. Leaf petiole is typically pink. 9-31 leaflets. = Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra)
8c. Pubescence not found on all features simultaneously. Hairs are sporadic, short and vary. See above links for more details = Northern Sumac (Rhus x Borealis, Rhus typhina x glabra).
9a. Leaflets number 9-31 and are generally longer and narrow. Commonly found in the Northern US and Canada, but can reach some southern states. = Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina)
9b. Only found in small regions of North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina with reports of populations down to Florida. Rare species. Leaflets number anywhere from 7-13. Teeth protrude further out. Leaflets are more rounded, shorter and not as narrow. = Michaux's Sumac (Rhus michauxii)

[@scottiehildebrandt3255]

Extremely high quality, thank you so much for putting this together.

[@Andrew_the_Arborist]

Glad it was helpful! :)

[@grandwonder5858]

Dude, you need to do one showing us how to identify Poison Sumac! That's the one that got me bad a few years ago when I went fishing! It sent me to the doctor as it completely shut both of my eyes! I scoured all over KZbin, but have yet to find a video that show close-up shots of Poison Sumac. So, if you can please do a video on Poison Sumac! I would appreciate it very much!

[@canislupusminecraft2670]

I live in East Tennessee and I just found some smooth sumac in my yard. I already identified it by looking at inaturalist, but this video helped me make sure I identified it correctly.

[@Hj61S827]

Literally the only video result covering Rhus microphylla, I just found on my land in the extreme SE corner of Az. Google image search identified the budding flowers, thanks

[@brianpowell5082]

I very much enjoyed this video on Sumacs! Very informative and interesting! I live in S.W. California, and I am familiar with Rhus ovata, Rhus integrifolia, and Rhus aromatica, the former 2 evergreen, leathery leaved sumacs, and the latter, a brilliant red-scarlet fall color! I see Rhus aromatica as being synonymous with Rhus trilobata in most of the texts and field guides I have, and consider them more or less the same!! I do see Rhus ovata x integrifolia quite often in coastal sage scrub and chaparral at lower elevations. And there is another evergreen sumac relative called Laurel Sumac (Malosma laurina), which used to be classified as Rhus laurina decades ago. It also has "taco leaves", but the leaf blades are thinner, lighter green, and narrower, and the often large shrub gives off a pungent aroma. I have been very lucky to see Rhus ovata, Rhus integrifolia, and Malsoma laurina in the same area which really highlights their similarities and differences! Great video!!!

[@Andrew_the_Arborist]

Very cool, thanks a lot for your comment! I haven't seen most of the west coast species, since I'm on the east coast, so I appreciate your input. I am unfamiliar with Laurel sumac but after a quick Google search, they definitely have a lot of similarities!

[@brianpowell5082]

@@Andrew_the_Arborist I grew up with Laurel Sumac, Lemonade Sumac, and Sugar Sumac, so I have a deep appreciation and love for them. I have lived in New Jersey and have seen Staghorn Sumac, and have seen Smooth Sumac in Arkansas, and they form such big thickets especially in disturbed areas and forest edges. My sumacs out west usually form dense shrubs in the coastal sage scrub and chaparral habitats, and sometimes as understory shrubs in oak woodlands.

[@renatara9026]

Yes, I was also hoping to find information here about poison sumac. Also which one are edible or not. This information is missing from this video. Maybe you can make another one when you talk about these subjects Thank you.

[@NickLong217]

Hi, nice video! I was wondering how Poison Sumac plays into all of this. I've read that it used to be classified in the rhus genus, but has since been reclassified.

[@Andrew_the_Arborist]

Thanks, Nick! I don't know too much about Poison Sumac other than that it's in the same genus as poison ivy and oak. I can see why it was classified in the genus Rhus at first, though!

[@brianpowell5082]

Poison Sumac, Poison Oak, and Poison Ivy have been reassigned into Toxicodendron, likely due to their urushiol content in its sap which is lacking in Rhus (some people are still sensitive to Rhus sap and may have somewhat allergic reactions too). Another sumac in s.w. California, Laurel Sumac used to be Rhus laurina, but is now Malosma laurina

[@andrewkrahn2629]

there's at least one more non-native sumac in the US: at least in Phoenix they use an African sumac from South Africa as a landscaping tree. It has some of the densest, most interlocked wood I've ever encountered.

[@happyhappy7785]

Vandan pranam namskar thank you

[@johncordey2769]

Just bought fisetin which made from Rhus Sylvestris...is this safe? Very little information on the internet.

[@iC0NB0Y]

I'm not very familiar with Rhus sylvestris, unfortunately. Apparently it's a synonym for Toxicodendron sylvestre, which is the same genus as the poison ivies and oaks.

[@angelabaiers5055]

I have a tree of Heaven that has been horrible to get rid of...now I have two more of them! in different areas of my yard. How do I remove them effectively? I cut them down. They are growing back.

[@Andrew_the_Arborist]

How large are they? They are very prolific root-suckerers, so they will sprout up new shoots from the roots if you cut them down. Keep cutting the shoots and eventually the roots will be exhausted and the plant will die. You can also inject the cut stump with herbicides to kill the plant / roots!

[@jamaly77]

You are not allowed to handle (sell, plant, etc.) staghorn sumac in Switzerland. One of only a dozen plants.

[@g-pain5062]

What's up?