Rhus copallinum

winged sumac

Anacardiaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

4-15 (30) ft tall forming clones.

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

orange,red

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms mid-summer. Fruits ripen by fall and persist into winter. Clonal. Life span of single stem likely <20 yrs, clone could be long-lived.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Fall Color, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

This is one of the few shrubs that produces brilliant red fall color in much of Florida.

Considerations:

Good background plant. Likely to form large clumps. Use in large settings or in areas being restored.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Somewhat moist, no flooding ---- to ---- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds, Mammals

Flowers attract pollinators including bees and butterflies.  Bees documented include   Colletes inandibularis, Augochlora pura, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa and Dialictus placidensis (Deyrup et al. 2002).





Host plant for the red-banded hairstreak caterpillar and the Luna moth. 





 

Fruits are eaten by songbirds, jays, and crows; white-tailed deer, opossums, wild turkey, and quail. 





Bark is eaten by rabbits.





 

Native Habitats:

Flatwoods, dry prairie, sandhill, disturbed areas including dry muck.