Winged Sumac, Rhus copallinum
November 2024 Plant of the Month
Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society
Photos and Text by Betsy Washington

*The fiery fall color and velvety seedheads make a dramatic fall show*

Winged Sumac is a beautiful large deciduous shrub that shines throughout the year but is especially vibrant when it ignites into a fiery crescendo in fall. Typically growing from 7 – 15’ tall, this sumac often spreads into large colonies by root suckers. As fall turns into November and leaves begin to fall, the jewel tones of Sumacs dazzle against bare deciduous tree trunks and evergreen pines. Winged Sumac is sometimes called Flameleaf Sumac because of its fiery and long-lasting fall color. But even in summer this multi-stemmed deciduous shrub is striking with its lustrous pinnately compound leaves with 9 – 12 lance-shaped leaflets arranged alternately on either side of a midrib that is distinctively and broadly winged between the leaflets, giving rise to its common name, Winged Sumac and making it easy to identify. The handsome leaves are noticeably glossy, as though polished and lacquered, leading to a second common name - Shining Sumac. Winged Sumac is appealing throughout the year. In mid-summer tiny, 5 – petaled greenish-yellow flowers open in dense 6 – 8” long panicles creating a lovely spectacle and attracting a variety of pollinators including bees, wasps, and butterflies that create a ‘buzzing’ sensation. In fall, the brilliant red fall foliage often holds well into November. Sumacs are dioecious meaning that female and male flowers are borne on separate plants. Both sexes are needed to produce the fruit. While male plants have somewhat showier flower panicles, female shrubs continue the show with dense drooping clusters of velvety, ruby-red fruit (technically drupes) that persist through much of the winter adding color to a monotone winter landscape.

Winged Sumacs have high wildlife value with reports of at least 98 species of migrating and over-wintering birds that rely on the nutritious drupes including Bluebirds, Hermit Thrushes, Robins, Cardinals, Wild Turkeys, and Bobwhites. Mammals including deer and opossums also feed on the fruit. Adding to its great value, Winged Sumac is also host to the Red-banded Hairstreak Butterfly’s caterpillars and caterpillars of the gorgeous Luna Moth and Regal Moth whose caterpillar you may know as the Hickory Horned Devil! Some sources report that it hosts over 50 species of moths whose caterpillars rely on its foliage. White-tailed deer and rabbits may browse the bark and twigs in the depths of winter when other food is scarce.

Winged Sumac is extremely adaptable and occurs throughout most of the Eastern United States in early successional landscapes such as old fields, along roadsides and edges of successional forests, in dry, rocky woodlands, and even in maritime dune and sandhill woodlands. It occurs in nearly every county in Virginia at lower elevations and is especially common on the Coastal Plain. Spreading by root suckers, it can form colonies, an adaptation to the fires that once were common in many of its habitats. These fires would stimulate the Sumac to send up a profusion of new shoots from the root collar. In today’s landscape, where fires are prohibited, cutting the stems back or injuring the bark signals the plant to produce new suckers. As with many suckering shrubs, avoid cutting back the stems if you wish to encourage it to remain as a single large clump. Winged Sumac grows best in well drained to dry fertile soils in full sun but is quite adaptable and tolerates poor, dry soils, both clay and rocky soils, part shade, and is extremely drought tolerant. This tough shrub is also tolerant of the allelopathic chemicals released by black walnuts that deters so many other plants. The vigorous, colonizing tendencies of Winged Sumac preclude its use in small gardens; however, it is an excellent choice for naturalizing large areas where it can spread into architectural colonies bringing both ornamental and habitat value to the landscape. It is also a great choice for pollinator and wildlife gardens and provides excellent erosion control on slopes and banks or along sunny shorelines. It is tough enough to thrive in those challenging dry, barren sites where many other plants fail to thrive. It will often grow as a discreet clumping shrub unless the stems are cut or bark is injured, which signals the plant to produce suckers from the roots and spread. Winged Sumac is especially effective in the natural regenerative landscaping as is done along Delaware’s highways (thank you Rick Darke), reducing maintenance costs and creating stunning ornamental landscapes along the roadways (see Enhancing Delaware’s Highways). Delaware combines colonies of Winged Sumac with sweeps of Salt Bush (sometimes called Groundsel Bush) with profuse silvery seedheads, Goldenrods, and native grasses, creating gorgeous and low cost/low maintenance landscapes - all while providing rich ecological benefits. This same combination would create a splendid shoreline planting, well suited to a slope or bank above our coastal rivers and streams.

The edible drupes of Winged Sumac are high in Vitamin C, antioxidants, fiber and essential minerals, making it nutritious for wildlife including humans. The drupes also have antifungal and antibacterial properties that have given it a long history of medicinal uses. The bark and drupes have been used to treat dysentery, infections, and to treat wounds, burns, and blisters. The drupes also have a strong “lemony” flavor and have long been ground and used as a spice and flavoring in marinades and salad dressings by Indigenous tribes as well as early colonists and even in modern cuisines. A popular “sumac-ade” was made by the Cherokee by soaking the drupes in water to make teas or a lemonade-like drink sweetened with honey that is still popular today. The bark has been used for dyeing and the smoke from burning twigs is still used today to calm honeybees so that they can be safely handled.

No matter how you use and enjoy this adaptable and fascinating plant, it provides outstanding beauty and rich ecological value to both cultivated and natural landscapes throughout the Southeast and in the Coastal Plain of Virginia.

Plant of the Month November 2024: Winged Sumac