Virginia Tech Dendrology

Michaux's sumac Anacardiaceae Rhus michauxii Sarg. symbol: RHMI11
Leaf: Alternate, pinnately compound, 12 to 18 inches long, 9 to 13 ovate to lanceolate leaflets per leaf, each 2 to 4 inches long with a serrated margin, dark green above, paler and finely hairy below; rachis hairy and may be winged near the leaf tip.
Flower: Species is dioecious; small, with pale yellow petals, borne in a dense upright 6 inch clusters, appearing in mid-summer.
Fruit: A small (1/8 inch) reddish, round, finely hairy drupe borne in dense upright cluster; ripening in early fall.
Twig: Stout and hairy; buds are small, rounded and covered with light brown hairs, nearly encircled by the leaf scar.
Bark: Brown-gray and smooth, with numerous lenticels.
Form: A suckering shrub up to 3 feet with a short or multi-stemmed trunk.
Looks like: staghorn sumac - poison sumac

Additional Range Information: Rhus michauxii is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information