Anacardiaceae
Sumac Family
Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina).
An aggressively weedy but beautiful tree (and nowhere
near as weedy as the “Chinese Sumac” or Tree of
Heaven); its large leaves have a tropical look, and in
the fall they display the most riotously vivid reds
and oranges. The little greenish flowers don’t attract
much attention, but the beautiful fruit clusters can
range from deep mahogany to vivid rose. Sumacs belong
to the same family that gives us Poison Ivy, but also
the tropical cashews and mangoes. For the sake of a
mango we can forgive the family anything.
Rhus glabra
Rhus radicans