Winged Sumac, Flameleaf Sumac, or Shining Sumac
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size of 15-30' tall and wide. Usually forms large spreading colonies. Compact and densely branched in youth, becoming more open, irregular-obovoid and picturesque as it matures, with crooked, ascending, spreading branches. Fast growth rate when development occurs from suckers, slow to medium growth on old wood. Individual plants have a relatively short lifespan, 15-25 years, rarely surviving 50 years. A long-lived root system perpetuates the colony.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Naïve to eastern United States, from Maine to Ontario and Minnesota, south to Florida and Texas. Native throughout Kentucky. Cultivated since 1688.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers are dioecious, greenish-yellow, 4-8" long, 3-4" wide panicles, July-August. Fruits are in showy, 8" clusters, pubescent, crimson-red drupes, ripening September to October. Native Americans made a lemonade-like drink by soaking the fruit, straining out the hairs, and sweetening it. The berries were also used to make a red dye.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Alternate, compound, pinnate, 6-12" (to 16") long, with 9-21 leaflets, each 1.75-4" long, with mostly entire leaf margins, dark green, glabrous and lustrous above, often pubescent beneath, with a pubescent, winged rachis, thus the common name. Rich red, crimson, scarlet and maroon fall color. Bark is smooth with conspicuous dot-like lenticels, silvery-gray and scaly at maturity.

Culture and Care

Grows in any soil except wet, from pH 6.1 to 7.0. Tolerates clay and drought. Suckering, colonizing shrub, showing some invasive qualities in the South. Zones 4-9. Needs full sun. Does not tolerate shade, flooding, or soil compaction. No serious disease or insect problems, although occasionally gets Verticillium wilt, leaf spots, rusts, aphids and mites.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Good wildlife value. 3-season interest: Spring, Summer, and Fall. Not recommended for small gardens. May spread excessively on smaller properties. This is one of the best sumacs. One of the national co-champion "Largest Winged Sumac" is in Bullitt, Kentucky. "Copallinum" means gummy or resinous.

Suggested Uses

Best used on larger properties, not in small gardens. Good for tough, difficult sites such as dry, rocky soils and slopes. Makes a good plant for large areas and in naturalistic plantings.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA