Illustration
Staghorn Sumac
Rhus typhina
Also called velvet sumac and vinegar tree
Staghorn Sumac blooms from June through July.
Months here are Northern Hemisphere months; in the Southern Hemisphere, shift them by six months.
Growing Staghorn Sumac
Plant it in full sun. It prefers low water. It is hardy in USDA zones 4–8. Expect it to reach about 20 ft tall and 20 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 3 years (a house reading).
No toxicity note is on file for Staghorn Sumac. That is not a clearance: check its safety for people and pets before planting.
What was checked
Mature height and spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant, with what the sources could not settle written down; years to mature size rests on a recorded house rule where no publisher states one, and is marked so; its common name and alternate names have not been checked yet. Each fact above carries its own mark. The planting, spacing and size sections are derived from these checked facts by a fixed rule, not checked separately, and the plant type is the library's own classification.
When to plant Staghorn Sumac
Plant Staghorn Sumac in early spring as soon as the soil is workable, or in early fall at least six weeks before your first frost, so roots establish in cool weather. In zone 6, the middle of its hardy zones 4 to 8, spring means March to May and fall means August or September. Once settled, it blooms from June to July.
Month-by-month timing for your zone is on the planting calendar; if you garden near zone 6, the middle of this plant's hardy range, start with zone 6 in March. Derived from the plant's category, zones and bloom months plus typical zone frost dates, not checked separately.
How big does Staghorn Sumac get?
20 fttall5 ft 7 inan adult20 ftwideSee Staghorn Sumac in a garden plan: the planner shows it in 3D beside everything else you add, growing toward this size over the years.
How far apart to plant Staghorn Sumac
Derived from the mature spread above by a fixed rule, not checked separately: spacing is the spread, center to center.
Give Staghorn Sumac about 20 ft of clear ground in every direction, measured from its center. It is one plant with room around it, not a row, and a raised bed is too small for it.
Add Staghorn Sumac to a garden plan and the planner draws it at its full width, so you see the spacing before you buy.
Where these facts come from
Staghorn Sumac's height, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases, pests and toxicity were checked against 10 published sources on September 23, 2026. Each one is linked below with every fact it carried, which can include a fact this page still marks as not yet checked, because a source carrying a value is not the same as the value being held to the standard. Facts not in that list, and the planting, spacing and size sections, are not covered by these sources.
- Missouri Botanical GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, diseases and pests
- NC State ExtensionGardener Plant Toolboxheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil, pests and toxicity
- The Morton Arboretumheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, soil and diseases
- Chicago Botanic GardenPlant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, pests and toxicity
- Plant Addictsheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil and diseases
- plantdatabase.uconn.eduUniversity of Connecticut Plant Databaseheight, spread, hardiness zones, sun, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- plantfinder.nativeplanttrust.orgNative Plant Trust Garden Plant Finderheight, spread, hardiness zones, water, bloom months and color, trait tags, pests and toxicity
- RHSRoyal Horticultural Society (RHS) Plant Profileheight, spread, sun, water, bloom months and color, soil, diseases and pests
- trees.umn.eduUniversity of Minnesota Urban Forestry Outreach & Research (UFOR Nurse...height, spread and hardiness zones
- ndsu.eduNorth Dakota State University Extensionhardiness zones
How the checking works, and what each standard covers, is on the verified plants page.
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Design a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.