What kind of plant is this - deer-horned sumac and why is it called that? This plant is an ornamental tree or shrub about five meters, which is difficult to find in our area.
The shape of its crown is rounded, with hard thick branches, covered, in addition to leaves, with an unusual abundance of "woolen" growth of brown or reddish color. In appearance, the secret of the name of the tree lies - its branches, especially in autumn, when they are devoid of foliage, are very similar to deer horns, which is why sumac is fluffy and has such a strange name. It especially attracts attention in autumn, when the green foliage turns orange. Buds swell in spring, the branches of the tree begin to take on a pinkish hue, and in early summer the entire crown of sumac is covered with rich green leaves, which suddenly turn orange, yellow and red in autumn. The females of this plant also bloom. Toward the end of summer, clusters of its fruits appear on the tree, covered with red fluff, which can be observed for quite a long time. However, the fruits of the plant - cones - should not be tasted, as, alas, they are poisonous, although they are very attractive to us. Therefore, even if you took them in your hands, it is better not to forget to wash your hands after this meeting.
Also, this plant is also called vinegar tree. Why? According to history, staghorn sumac was brought from North America, where the Indians identified one of its curious properties: from its fruits they extracted a seasoning reminiscent of vinegar in taste and specificity, since this representative of the flora contains tannins, which give sumac a sour taste.
The sumac tree is used in landscaping and grows well in small gardens and planters. What is especially pleasant is that it is frost-resistant, it is not very demanding on the soil. Trimming it is not recommended, as this may result in additional offspring.
But how else is deer-horned sumac useful? As we have already mentioned, it is valued for its content of tannins, which are essential for leather processing.
It is worth noting separately that the content of this substance in it is quite high, respectively, sumac is in demand in the technical field. Dyes for silk fabrics are made from this plant, wax from the fruits is used to make quite valuable varnish. It is good to make decorative crafts of various types from sumac wood. Why from this wood? Firstly, it is dense, and secondly, it is multi-colored - it can be either yellow or orange. Also, stag-horned sumac is the owner of another interesting substance - tartaric acid, which is used, respectively, in winemaking.
If you decide to purchase this for your suburban area"horned" plant, then you, of course, will be interested in its price. Despite the fact that the plant is decorative and unusual for our region, you can safely order it in specialized stores. And after that, you will become the proud owner of an exotic bright tree.
