Winged sumac
Rhus copallinum

Found in mesic (moist) pinelands from the Keys throughout the Eastern and Central U.S. The height is 15 feet or less, yet may reach 30 feet. Very tolerant of drought and small amounts of salt air, yet no flooding.

Sends out suckers far from the parent plant. Best if grown as a colony under slash pine. The plants are dioecious, so plant several if you want the red berries which follow masses of interesting white cones of flowers.

A lemonade flavored drink can be made by washing the red off of the berries, straining and adding sugar. The leaves are a beautiful red in the fall. Very nice when planted near a red maple.

Plant a mass on a hill or to fill up a large bare area along a wall or home. Will rise above saw palmetto or other low shrubs in a pineland, keys or coastal setting. This is a larval food for the red-banded hairstreak.