| General Description | A large shrub or small tree, with deeply dissected leaves and velvety bark. Large clusters of small greenish yellow flowers which turn into the red fruit that persist through the winter months. |
| ID Characteristic | Finely cut compound leaves that are pubescent on abaxialy. The plant has bright yellow/red autumn foliage. It may readily be identified as a Rhus typhina species due to the small to medium cone shaped clusters of small red fruit and the hairy bark that gives the young twigs a velvety feel and look. |
| Shape | Grows about as wide or wider as it is tall. Considered to be a large shrub or a small tree. A large low growing rounded crown. |
| Landscape | Intense orange-red autumn colour on fine textured leaves in the autumn. In the winter it has its velvety bark and red panicled fruit. Typically used as a single specimen or accent plant, which may require some pruning of ground suckers to maintain. I have seen seen it used to great effect on mass, but rarely. |
| Propagation | Since it is a cultivar it can not be grown from seed, so vegetative propagation is the only option. Most commonly root cuttings are taken in the winter, which is easy due to the presence of its suckers. Stem cuttings can also be taken in the summer. In both cases a rooting hormone is best used. Root cuttings collected in the autumn and cut into 50 mm lengths and insert vertically into pots or flats barley covering the top. Water and place in a cold frame until growth appears and then pot individually. |
| Cultivation | Grown in full sun to partial shade it is tolerant of most soil types as long as they are free draining. When grown in full sun the plant will be more shrub like while it will grow into a more upright form when planted in partial shade. Root suckers may be removed to prevent a thicket type formation, or left if a dense planting is required. |
| Pests | Relatively pest free, it may suffer severe dieback in the winter but will bounce back come spring once established. Coral spot and verticillium wilt may be problems. |
| Notable Specimens | Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, Brooklyn, New York.
Missouri Botanical Gardens, St. Louis, Missouri. |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Fine hairs on the branches giving it a velvety feel and look, concealing the lenticels. As the plant matures larger branches become hairless, darkened and rough in texture. The roots and inner bark from this cultivar as well as the species may be used to produce a dye.
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| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | The alternate buds are grey-brown, small and hairy, the leaf scar is not elevated and looks like a 'C'.
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| Leaf Description | Pinnately-compound with 11 -27 leaflets per leaf, leaflets are acuminate with serrate margins. They are quite pubescent when young; including the petiole and rachis but are glaucous abaxialy.
Leaves are 30 -45 cm long and 10 -23 cm wide while the leaflets range from 4-15 cm in length and 2.5 -4 cm in width. Leaves are a medium green during the summer turning to red/yellow/orange in the autumn. |
| Flower Description | Dioecious, small (15 cm) to medium clusters (30 cm) of small greenish yellow flowers borne in hairy, dense panicles. |
| Fruit Description | Similar in shape to the small to medium sized flower clusters. Small and hairy cranberry like fruit which are very tart and can be steeped to make a drink rich in vitamin C. |
| Colour Description | Green in the spring and summer turning into a bright orange/yellow/red in the autumn. The fruit persist into the winter producing red highlights against a snowy backdrop. |
| Texture Description | Due to the dissected leave the plant has a fine texture however in winter because of the compound leaves it looks very coarse. |
