Winged Sumac is distinguished by the distinctive winged rachis — a flat, leafy flange running between leaflets along the central leaf stem. Native to eastern and central North America, it forms shrubby thickets 5–15 feet tall with brilliant scarlet fall color. The small, red-hairy fruits provide important late-season and winter food for wildlife. It thrives in dry, open, often sandy soils where few competitors can establish.
Habitat
Found on dry rocky or sandy hillsides, open woodlands, forest edges, and old fields.
Diet
Berries consumed by bluebirds, mockingbirds, and flickers; hosts numerous native moth and butterfly caterpillars.
How common
Common
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