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Staghorn Sumac (Bundle of 3) | Spring 2027
$84.99
Reliable shipping
Flexible returns
Ripening
Will it finish before your first hard freeze?
Check it on the Ripening Map (opens in a new tab)At a glance: Staghorn Sumac is a sumac shrub rated hardy to zone 3 in our ratings (winters to -40°F), and dioecious, with separate male and female plants.
| Hardy to | Zone 3 to 9. A bare number means the whole of zone 3, colder half included (winters to -40°F). Find your zone with our cold hardiness calculator. |
|---|---|
| Pollination | Dioecious - Needs Male and Female. Bloom group 4 of 7 (mid), early summer here. Sumac plants are male or female, and only females make the red berry clusters, so plant all three unsexed seedlings to raise the odds of a male nearby. Its early summer flowers are a strong bee plant, but it is not an orchard pollenizer. Bloom group is our estimate from the variety's origin and relatives. Pollination Charts. |
| Good for | Ornamental value (8/10), cooking and roasting (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10), jams and jellies (6/10), windbreaks and hedgerows (6/10). Scores are our own 1 to 10 ratings; 8 and up makes our Best Of lists. |
| Deer | Sometimes damaged by deer. |
| What you get | Bare root, 2-3 ft. Shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring, roots wrapped in moist sawdust. Guaranteed to bud out. |
Overview
When a friend from Jordan asked me why we weren’t growing sumac—considering how excellent of a spice it makes—I had no good reason. After learning that it’s hardy to Zone 2 and fairly easy to grow, we acquiesced and started growing it.
A Striking, Hardy Shrub
The colony-forming smooth sumac is a 10–20 ft. shrub with short, crooked, leaning trunks and picturesque branches. Its deciduous leaves become extremely colorful in early fall, and female plants produce yellow-green flowers followed by bright-red, hairy berries with excellent culinary value.
So Many Uses
The fruit of sumac can be used as a spice rub for venison, beef, chicken, and more. It can also be soaked and washed in cold water, strained, sweetened, and made into a pink "lemonade"—sometimes called "Indian lemonade." The drink extract can even be used to make jelly. The shoots can be peeled and eaten raw.
The leaves and berries of staghorn sumac have historically been mixed with tobacco and other herbs and smoked by Native American tribes—a practice that still continues to a small degree today. Some beekeepers even use dried sumac bobs as fuel for their smokers.
Cold-Hardy and Easy to Grow
Hardy to Zone 2. Plants are currently 2–3 feet tall.
Questions we get about Staghorn Sumac
How cold hardy is Staghorn Sumac?
We rate Staghorn Sumac hardy to zone 3, which means winters down to about -40°F. Our ratings come from real winters at our two Montana sites and from trusted growers across the North, not from a catalog average.
What is Staghorn Sumac good for?
Our top use scores for Staghorn Sumac are ornamental value (8/10), cooking and roasting (7/10), juice and sweet cider (7/10), jams and jellies (6/10). Anything scored 8 or higher makes our Best Of lists.
Will deer eat Staghorn Sumac?
Sometimes. Deer browse Staghorn Sumac now and then, so protect young plants where deer pressure is high.
What arrives, and when does Staghorn Sumac ship?
A dormant bare-root plant, roots wrapped in moist sawdust with a vapor barrier, shipped or picked up in Missoula in spring. Sizes offered: 2-3 ft. We guarantee our plants bud out. Stone fruits can be slow, so if one still has not budded out by August 15, write to us and we credit you for the following spring.