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Species
Rhus typhina L., 1756
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More info on this topic.
This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):
FRES10 White - red - jack pine
FRES13 Loblolly - shortleaf pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
FRES15 Oak - hickory
FRES18 Maple - beech - birch
FRES19 Aspen - birch
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
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Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rhus+typhina |
R. hirta (L.) Sudw. [16]
Mostly short-tongued bees, wasps, and flies visit the flowers for nectar or pollen. Little Carpenter Bees (Ceratina spp.) create tunnel nests in the pith of Rhus spp. (Sumacs), causing little damage. Various insects and their larvae feed on Sumacs, including Blepharida rhois (Currant Flea Beetle) and Poecilocapsus lineatus (Four-Lined Plant Bug). The caterpillars of many species of moths are known to feed on the foliage and others parts of Staghorn Sumac and other Sumacs (see Moth Table). Also, the caterpillars of two butterflies species, Calycopis cecrops (Red-Banded Hairstreak) and Celastrina argiolus (Spring/Summer Azure), feed on Sumacs. The fruits of Sumacs are eaten occasionally by upland gamebirds and migrating songbirds during the fall and winter (see Bird Table). These fruits are regarded primarily as emergency food by birds and will be eaten only when little else is available. The foliage, branches, and twigs of Sumacs are often browsed by the Cottontail Rabbit and White-Tailed Deer; the woody material is particularly important as a source of food during the winter. In general, the ecological value of Sumacs to wildlife is fairly high.
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Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/stag_sumac.htm |
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Rhus+typhina |
In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / saprobe
perithecium of Diaporthe rhois is saprobic on dead branch of Rhus typhina
Foodplant / parasite
fruitbody of Ganoderma applanatum parasitises live trunk of Rhus typhina
Other: minor host/prey
Foodplant / saprobe
more or less gregarious, immersed, then shortly erumpent pycnidium of Phomopsis coelomycetous anamorph of Phomopsis rhois is saprobic on dead peduncle of Rhus typhina
Remarks: season: 12-4
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Rights holder/Author | BioImages, BioImages - the Virtual Fieldguide (UK) |
Source | http://www.bioimages.org.uk/html/Rhus_typhina.htm |
Staghorn sumac is sometimes a troublesome invader of cleared sites. It
was reported as abundant in clearcuts, but was not present in the
understory of intact pine (Pinus spp.) plantations in the Great Lakes
States. It was also absent from the germinable seedbank of the intact
plantations [1].
More info for the terms: frequency, shrub, succession, tree
Staghorn sumac may sprout immediately after fire. Skutch [46] observed
a staghorn sumac shoot 4.3 inches (11 cm) long within 20 days of a
wildfire in a spruce (Picea spp.)-hardwood stand in Maine.
In Michigan staghorn sumac had its highest frequency indices in
postfire years 3 and 51 of a longitudinal study. Bigtooth aspen
(Populus grandidentata) was the early dominant tree species, and was
eventually replaced by red maple (Acer rubrum) and eastern white pine
(Pinus strobus). Northern red oak (Quercus rubra) and paper birch
(Betula papyrifera) also increased in the later years of the study [36].
Marks [29] observed abundant staghorn sumac seedlings in northern New
York on sites where logging slash piles had been burned. He noted that
the sites had not contained any adult staghorn sumac stems prior to
harvest, but that staghorn sumac seed sources did exist within 0.37 mile
(0.6 km) of the burns. Staghorn sumac had been present early in
oldfield succession, but had apparently died out. Staghorn sumac
seedlings were restricted to the burned areas, most of them concentrated
on the edges; the centers of the slash piles had experienced extreme
heat. According to Marks, staghorn sumac germination appeared to have
been either directly triggered by the fire or by the fire's effect on
the site [29]. Given the impermeability of the seedcoat, coupled with
the fact that heat treatments will enhance germination, it seems
possible that staghorn sumac seeds were scarified by the fire. High
heat in the centers of slash piles probably killed seeds.
In central New York staghorn sumac was a dominant shrub in an
Acer-Betula-Aster community that established after heavy logging
followed by a severe fire [43].
The preference is full to partial sun, mesic to dry conditions, and a loam, clay-loam, or rocky soil. Range & Habitat
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/stag_sumac.htm |
This is the tallest Sumac species in Illinois. It is less common than Rhus glabra (Smooth Sumac). Staghorn Sumac is easy to identify in the field because its young branches are covered with dense brown hairs. These hairs have the appearance of "velvet" on a deer's antlers, hence the common name. Other Sumacs have young branches that are less hairy or hairless (usually the latter). Like Smooth Sumac, Staghorn Sumac has central leaf stalks without wings, and both Sumacs have leaflets that are serrated along the margins and pale white on their undersides. However, the central leaf stalks of Staghorn Sumac have scattered brown hairs and its bright red drupes are much hairier than those of Smooth Sumac. Another scientific name of Staghorn Sumac is Rhus typhina.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/stag_sumac.htm |