Winged sumac
Rhus copallinum · Anacardiaceae
Glossy, dark green, ferny leaves with a winged midrib turn the deepest scarlet of any native shrub in autumn; dull red fruit clusters last all winter.
- Size
- 11½ ft tall, 11½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late July to late August
- Pets
- No toxicity recorded
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around winged sumac
The planner designed this bed around winged sumac when this page was made: a 30 × 14 ft (9.1 × 4.3 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 715 that suit those conditions and its dry soil, and says below why winged sumac stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Winged sumac × 1, yellow
- 2 Verbena 'Homestead Purple' × 4, purple
- 3 Common thyme × 26, lavender
- 4 Blue holly × 1, blue-green leaves
- 5 Tatarian aster 'Jindai' × 5, purple
- 6 Switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' × 7, tan
- 7 Eastern bee balm × 3, pink
- 8 Meadow sage × 8, blue
- 9 Lowbush blueberry × 21, white
- 10 Little bluestem × 3, blue-green leaves
- 11 Butterfly weed × 8, orange
- 12 Creeping phlox 'Candy Stripe' × 17, pink
- 13 Anise hyssop × 3, lavender
- 14 Easter lily × 7, white
- 15 Asiatic lily × 6, red
- 16 Hyacinth × 18, blue
Why this plant
- The only plumes. The others are dense clusters, daisies, airy sprays and others. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- A classic partner for little bluestem. Both are on this plan. A pairing gardeners have proved outranks a general rule.
- The only yellow.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 11½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to switchgrass 'Prairie Sky' (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for five weeks. From late July to late August.
- Fills no gap. Every week it is in flower, at least three other kinds are too. It thickens a season that is already full.
Planned as an English border: 25 of the 27 groups (93%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The most in flower at one time is 6 kinds, from late June. Common thyme is planted in six places along the bed, which gives it rhythm.
The planner's own design check: 13 Excellent, 2 Good, 2 Satisfactory. It flags one thing to watch: Easter lily is highly poisonous to cats. Asiatic lily is highly poisonous to cats.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where winged sumac goes in a border
At 11½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
The shining sumac. Plant it where it can form a grove: on a dry bank, at a woodland edge. It is too invasive at the root for a mixed bed.
- Scarlet autumn colour
- Groves on dry banks
- Winter food for birds
What to plant with winged sumac
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Little bluestem: its blue-green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (3 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Indian grass: fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (6 ft) to stand in front of it.
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': takes over when it finishes, flowering from mid September; fine leaves against its bold ones; low enough (20 in) to stand in front of it.
Questions about winged sumac
Does winged sumac need sun or shade?
Winged sumac grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants dry, sharply drained soil, on the lean side, with no feeding, and little watering once settled. Once settled in, it stands drought.
What zones does winged sumac grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does winged sumac flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late July to late August. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Early August to late August |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late July to late August |
| Zone 6 | Late July to late August |
| Zone 7 | Mid July to mid August |
| Zone 8 | Mid July to mid August |
| Zone 9 | Mid July to early August |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should winged sumac be planted?
8 ft (250 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 11½ ft (350 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 11½ ft (350 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many winged sumac plants do I need?
Usually one. At 8 ft (250 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 8 ft apart: two plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is winged sumac poisonous to dogs and cats?
No toxicity is recorded for dogs, cats, horses or people, according to NC State Extension.
"Not toxic" is not "edible": a pet that eats a lot of any plant can be sick.
Do deer eat winged sumac?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
Will winged sumac spread?
It spreads sideways, by runners or roots; the risk of it taking over is high. Spreads strongly by root suckers into groves. Plant it only where it has room, or where mowing contains it.
What flowers after winged sumac?
Winged sumac is over by late August. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Indian grass: from late August to early October, 6 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Aromatic aster 'October Skies': from mid September to late October, 20 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems (a recorded partner).
- Maximilian sunflower: from early September to mid October, 8 ft tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
What does winged sumac look like in winter?
Winged sumac drops its leaves and stands as bare branches: it is grown for winter food for birds. That is when to see its shape, and to prune it if it needs pruning.
Is winged sumac good for bees and butterflies?
Winged sumac is visited by pollinators, bees, butterflies, moths and songbirds.
It is a host plant: the caterpillars of red-banded hairstreak and luna moth feed on its leaves. A butterfly can only lay its eggs on its host plants, so these do more for it than any nectar flower.
It is native to the United States.
More Rhus
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica
- Fragrant sumac 'Gro-Low' Rhus aromatica 'Gro-Low'
- Staghorn sumac 'Tiger Eyes' Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes'
In these guides
- Plants for slopes and banks
- Pet-safe plants for a sunny border
- Plants for butterflies
- Plants for bees
- Plants that feed garden birds
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 11½ ft (350 cm) tall, 11½ ft (350 cm) wide
- Plant
- 8 ft (250 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late July to late August; feathery plumes; yellow, green
- Leaves
- Bold texture, deciduous; dark green
- Shape
- Vase-shaped, spreading
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Lean, dry and sharply drained
- Water
- Low
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Anacardiaceae
- Comes from
- Central and Eastern USA and parts of Canada
- Attracts
- Pollinators, bees, butterflies, moths, songbirds
- Host plant for
- Red-banded hairstreak, Luna moth
- Stands up to
- Drought, poor soil, erosion
Checked against NC State Extension and VASCAN (plants of Canada). Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.