Question
We have a few vinegar trees in the backyard. For the 3 years I’ve been here, the trees, the tallest of which is about 4.5 to 6 m (15-20 ft) tall, have been bearing “fruit” that die before turning red into cones. What’s going on?
The fruits of staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) are dense, cone-shaped clusters called drupes, about 10 to 20 cm long (4-8 inches). They consist of small, dark-red to purple-red berries, covered with short, velvety hairs, giving them a downy appearance. These fruits are arranged in upright spikes at the top of branches and often remain on the tree throughout the winter, adding a decorative touch to snowy landscapes. They have a tangy, lemony flavor due to the presence of organic acids. They are edible and can be used to prepare refreshing drinks, such as “sumac lemonade”, or as a spice after drying and grinding. In addition to their culinary uses, these fruits are an important source of food for birds and other wildlife during the cold months.
Answer
I think you’ve simply got a male tree! Unlike most other trees, the staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) is dioecious: male and female flowers grow on different plants. So male flowers appear, bloom… and dry up, never bearing fruit. On another plant, it’s the female flowers that appear, bloom… and turn into the conical mass of red fruit we know. In the wild, male vinegar plants are generally much rarer than females, but we must assume that they do their job well, as the females inevitably bear fruit every year.
But if males are so rare, why do you only have male plants at home? It’s because, in addition to multiplying by seed, vinegar plants suckle easily. Although it may seem odd to a human, a male plant will suckle just as easily as a female. The staghorn sumacs in your yard are probably all clones of a single male vinegar plant that once grew there.
If you want to see fruit, get a female plant from a nursery where only females are sold, judged to be more attractive than males because of their fruit.
Keep Your Males!
Pollination of staghorn sumacs, mainly by wind (anemophilous pollination), is essential for the female flowers to produce fruit. Although insects can sometimes contribute to this process, pollen from the male flowers must reach the female flowers to enable fertilization. Without a male tree nearby to provide pollen, even a healthy female tree will remain sterile and fail to develop the characteristic red fruit. If you wish to plant a female vinegar tree and obtain fruit, it is important to ensure that a male tree is present nearby to guarantee effective pollination.
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil in September 2005.
Rhus integrifolia, which is native here, is known as the lemonade berry because of its flavor. However, the fruit clusters are quite small, and likely mildly flavored relative to the staghorn sumac that is more familiar in other regions. Rhus ovata, sugar bush, is also native here. A third species that I can not identify is also either native here, or naturalized.