Is Staghorn Sumac deer resistant?
Rhus typhina
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Staghorn Sumac
Velvety young stems give it the name, and the scarlet autumn colour is among the most intense of any native plant. It suckers into a colony relentlessly, which is superb on a rough bank and impossible in a border. The red seed cones stand all winter and make a lemony drink.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Sharp, gritty. Will rot in wet soil
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 118 to 177 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- High
Similar to Staghorn Sumac
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Alternate-Leaved DogwoodCornus alternifoliaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
- American PersimmonDiospyros virginianaZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- AppleMalus sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Atlantic White CedarChamaecyparis thyoidesZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Atlas CedarCedrus atlanticaZones 6–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting Staghorn Sumac
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Staghorn Sumac grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvanianative
- New Jerseynative
- New Yorknative
- Connecticutnative
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginianative
- Marylandnative
- Michigannative
- Wisconsinnative
- Ohionative
- Indiananative
- Illinoisnative
- Minnesotanative
- Missourinative
- North Carolinanative
- Tennesseenative
- Georgianative
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshirenative
- Vermontnative
- Mainenative
- Rhode Islandnative
- Delawarenative
- West Virginianative
- Kentuckynative
- South Carolinanative
- Florida
- Alabamanative
- Mississippinative
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansasnative
- Nebraska
- Iowanative
- North Dakota
- South Dakotanative
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utahnative
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbianative
- Hawaii
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 32 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list Staghorn Sumac belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Staghorn Sumac
- Is Staghorn Sumac deer resistant?
- Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Staghorn Sumac grow in?
- Staghorn Sumac is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Staghorn Sumac grow in shade?
- No. Staghorn Sumac wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Staghorn Sumac get?
- Mature height is roughly 96–300 in. Growth rate is fast.