Staghorn Sumac - Identification, Edible and Medicinal Uses and How to Make Sumac Lemonade
Published 2022-09-04
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Staghorn Sumac - Rhus typhina
Staghorn Sumac is a deciduous shrub or tree native to eastern North America that has become established in many other places in Canada and the United States. It is edible and the berries are sometimes used to make a lemon flavored drink, and staghorn sumac also has medicinal uses. There is another sumac in BC which is similar, smooth sumac - Rhus glabra. As far as I can tell, they can be used interchangeably.
Staghorn sumac is often groan as a landscape plant, as well as other varieties of sumac such as smooth sumac - Rhus glabra, partly due to the way the leaves change in the fall to yellow and red colours. The berries also persist long into winter and can be a source of winter forage for birds. The use of staghorn sumac as a landscape plant has led to it escaping in some areas and becoming established throughout North America.
Identification of Staghorn Sumac
Staghorn sumac is a deciduous shrub or small tree. The sumac tree can grow up to 6 m tall. The branches exude a milky sap when broken, and the leaves are pinnately divided into 11-31 leaflets. Each leaflet is lance-shaped, 5 to 12 cm long with toothed edges. The leaves change to yellow and red in the autumn.
The fruit of staghorn sumac grow in pyramid shaped clusters at the end of branches that are densely hairy. There are also velvety hairs on the branches near the ends. Further up the branch, the hairs no longer persist.
Staghorn Sumac is Edible
You can eat the fruit of staghorn sumac which I think tastes great! It tastes lemony and sweet in my opinion, and it can be a great thirst quencher if you are out walking. The fruits can also be soaked in water to make a cold infusion which tastes like lemonade and is high in vitamin C.
Staghorn Sumac Has Medicinal Uses
The cold infusion from staghorn sumac fruit has been used to help treat bladder infections. The roots and leaves are astringent and have been used to make a tea to soothe sore throats, mouth sores, skin problems and diarrhea. The leaves have also been used to make a poultice for rashes including for poison ivy.
A Warning about Staghorn Sumac
People who are allergic to poison ivy, mango and cashews should avoid staghorn sumac because they are related. Also some sources say that boiling the fruit can cause toxins to be released and only a cold infusion should be made.
Another Use for Staghorn Sumac
Some indigenous groups have smoked the dried leaves of staghorn sumac similar to tabacco.
How to Make Staghorn Sumac Lemonade/Sumac-ade
You don't really need a sumac recipe to make this drink. It's sumac and water! I made staghorn sumac lemonade by taking the fruiting clusters, picking off any dirt and debris I could find and inspecting for bugs and putting it in cold water. In the video I only waited for about twenty minutes before I tried it, and it was already tasting somewhat lemony. After the video I refilled it with water and put it back in the fridge and left it for over 24 hours. The flavour was much stronger at that point. I didn't add any sweetener, but some people might want to sweeten it. I also strained in in a French press to get the small hairs out which can be irritating. My sumac recipe for lemonade is very general. Some people keep the clusters intact, some squeeze them and you might leave it in water for more or less time. Just try it to see how you like it!
Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
Hoag, Donald. Trees and Shrubs for the Northern Plains. Colwell Press. 1981.
Kloos, Scott. Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc. 2017
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018
Warnock, Caleb. 437 Edible Wild Plants of the Rocky Mountain West. Familius LLC. 2018.
Wiles, Briana. Mountain States Medicinal Plants. Timber Press Inc. 2018.
All Comments (21)
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CORRECTION! I misspoke when I said heating the infusion will release toxins. What I should have said is something like, "One source I found said boiling the berries can release toxins." Several other sources that I consulted describe heating and/or boiling the berries and safely consuming them. Overall it's my opinion that it's safe to heat the berries, but please consult multiple sources and make your own decision about what is right for you!
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Mixed with oregano and sesame seeds it makes a spice mix called zaatar that's commonly used in the Levant
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Your videos are so much more engaging than any book
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Can't wait to try this next year. We have this plant growing in our garden here in Germany since my mom bought the house, but I never considered it to be edible or even healthy before. This makes me appreciate this plant now even more, and I will be happily rake the fallen leafes this autumn😂
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Haven't noticed that plant in NS, but I will keep an eye out now!
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oh, hi there!! I have relatives in Ontario that have sumac. I know they don’t do anything with it. Im going to try to this sumacade next time I go there. Cheers
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I have sumac growing like crazy. I chop it and feed it to my poultry, the geese and chickens love it, the turkeys just love to peck at it. The goats will eat the leaves, branches and chew off the bark. Nobody likes the berries. I found that the green shoots tastes very sugary sweet and I eat those when I find them but I never found anything saying to eat those in any of my edible plant books, and my library is extensive. The leftover wood I have made garden cages and bean tepees out of. It coppices. I also let some grow thick and then cut them for trying to make a low whistle. They can split while drying so the one's who crack I used for garden structures. The roots I dig up I have not used. I am sure they could be used for basketry, right? Just about everything can be used in basketry if not toxic.
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interesting video. was just talking about whether sumac grows in BC or not. Guess this answers that question!
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Cant wait to try this! Have lots of sumac in my yard!
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I found some in my yard I Google lens shot it and found your video! I just rinsed my sumac, but I don’t have a French press, but cool video!❤
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Just to share some of what I do for the drink. I do use got water. But I also run the berries through a processor so what I end up steeping is mostly just the seeds and you get the red skin off which I strain and sift and then add some other seasonings (salt, oregano, garlic salt) for a tasty meat rub.
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Have you ever tried eating the shoots? The young shoots can be peeled and eaten raw or prepared similarly to asparagus! 😊😊 I planned to forage a bunch but I went out today to check the trees I planned to harvest and they're GONE 😳😂🤣 The city dug the whole area up to make huge drainage ditches 🤦♀️🤣 going to have to find a new source now 😭 lol
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awesome video!
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I agree. It tastes pinky.
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I wish I could leave a picture. I have seen it before but had took it up when I found a whole city block full of it ! I'm in North Idaho about 2 hours from the Canadian border.
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How do you use existing longhorn sumac to grow new?
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Very interesting, but I won’t be trying it because of my allergies!
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I’ve always heard the other type of sumac as we called it in Missouri was poisonous, dear eat it and love it. Nice video I just watched your Burdock Video I had one to come up which after watching your video believe it a Great Burdock. Why is it you can’t use the root after you get seeds pods in the second year?
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Could you please explain a little more about what you said regarding sumac releasing toxins if heated? I've never heard that before. I tried doing an internet search for this information and couldn't find anything about toxins. I usually make "sumac-aid" as a sun tea which definitely gets warm.
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They plant them because its feeds birds
