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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Shrub > Species: Rhus typhina | Staghorn Sumac
 

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BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

SPECIES: Rhus typhina | Staghorn Sumac
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : Staghorn sumac is a native, deciduous tall shrub or small tree growing up to 40 feet (13.7 m) in height [3,16]. The trunk is usually short, dividing frequently to form ascending branches [6]. Younger branches, petioles, and leaf-rachis are densely and softly hirsute [16]. Each leaf is composed of 9 to 29 leaflets that are lanceolate to narrowly oblong, 2 to 4.7 inches (5-12 cm) long [12,16]. Leaves are only produced on new branch segments; old branches do not bear leaves [7]. The fruit is a drupe 0.08 to 0.2 inch (2-5 mm) broad, covered with long, spreading, red hairs, in dense, cone-shaped clusters [8,9,12]. The bark is thin and nearly smooth, but sometimes peels off in layers [4]. RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : Phanerophyte Geophyte REGENERATION PROCESSES : Sexual reproduction: Staghorn sumac generally produces at least some seed every year [3]. Over the 4 years of a phenology study in West Virginia, there were no staghorn sumac crop failures. The author rated staghorn sumac as one of the most consistent seed bearers [31]. Colonies that produce seed do so in abundance [26]. Seeds exhibit dormancy, probably as a result of hard, impermeable seedcoats [3]. Staghorn sumac seeds were present (intact) in the buried seedbank of an oldfield site in Virginia [37]. However, staghorn sumac probably invades new areas via bird-dispersed seed rather than from the seedbank [1,15]. Germination of staghorn sumac seeds is enhanced by acid scarification or hot water treatment [3]. In a greenhouse study on the effects of the amount and kinds of litter on seed germination, it was reported that the amount, type, or relative composition of litter (needlelike vs. lamellar leaves) did not significantly affect the number of staghorn sumac seedlings that emerged [32]. Vegetative reproduction: Staghorn sumac forms large, dense colonies via root sprouts [6,40]. This appears to be the mode of reproduction that results in the largest number of stems; the colonies usually originate, however, from a single seed [27,29]. Staghorn sumac is dioecious, and large, single-sexed clumps of stems can form [26]. Within female clumps within a staghorn sumac population there was a greater incidence of dead and vegetative trunks than within male clumps (the clumps were assumed to be clones) [7]. Female trunks, however, grow at the same rate as male trunks. Female trunks within a clone may draw on the resources of other, nonfruiting trunks to which they are linked by underground connections [7]. Root sprout production in staghorn sumac is apparently stimulated by top-damage; large numbers of sprouts emerged from staghorn sumac colonies that were top-damaged by frost in Kentucky [27]. SITE CHARACTERISTICS : Staghorn sumac occurs on dry, rocky or gravelly soils, in old fields, clearings, roadsides, forest edges, and open woods [6,33,40,44]. Staghorn sumac is found at elevations ranging from 100 to 2,000 feet (30-610 m) in the Adirondack Mountains, New York [44], and at elevations up to 4,900 feet (1500 m) in the Appalachians [8]. SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : Obligate Initial Community Species Staghorn sumac is not tolerant of shade. In Massachusetts its occurrence in woodlands is associated with irregular open canopies and/or sites in or adjacent to light gaps [2]. It is a common invader of recently abandoned fields [15,24]. Staghorn sumac clone interiors can reduce light intensity up to 90 percent. This creates a situation where new staghorn sumac stems from root sprouts are unlikely to thrive, and where ground-layer herbs are also inhibited. Only shade-tolerant species are able to colonize dense staghorn sumac thickets [27]. In Michigan a staghorn sumac colony came to dominate two oldfield sites that had thick ground-layer perennials including quackgrass (Elytrigia repens). As staghorn sumac stems matured and the canopy closed, ground-layer species decreased. At this point (7-10 years after abandonment) numerous tree species began to invade the site. Of the 13 species observed, 9 tended to establish under staghorn sumac cover and overall hardwood seedling density was highest under staghorn sumac cover. It was hypothesized by the authors that staghorn sumac facilitates succession by reducing the amount of ground cover, thus allowing tree seedlings to establish [42]. On roadbank sites in northern Kentucky, staghorn sumac reduced the growth of crownvetch (Coronilla varis) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea). These sites were subsequently invaded by Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii), but not other tree species. The authors acknowledge that succession on sites as highly disturbed as roadside embankments is not likely to be a good model for oldfield or other types of secondary succession [28]. SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : Staghorn sumac flowers from May to July, depending on latitude [8,16]. The fruits are usually ripe by September and persist on the tree through the winter [6,17,31,44].

Related categories for Species: Rhus typhina | Staghorn Sumac

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