Plants: perennial shrub or small tree usually 4'-15' tall and 2"-4" in diameter; young parts all with dense, soft hairs but no dots
Leaves: alternate, pinnately-divided into 9-29 toothed leaflets with pale undersides, main axis without wings
Flowers: blooms June-July
Fruits: red, long-haired, partially-flattened berry
Habitat: sunny; dry
Conservation Status: Native - potentially invasive
Like R. glabra, this species has greatly benefited from the suppression of fire and creation of open areas and no doubt increased its range in the state since European settlement. Rhus typhina is more common in the northern half of the state with scattered populations in the south. However, it is quite common in the southern counties bordering Lake Michigan and in the central part of the Driftless Area
Rhus typhina and R. glabra hybridize frequently to form R. ×pulvinata Greene which is quite common in the state. The hybrids are highly variable and are usually easily recognizable when mature fruit is present. They will usually exhibit the stem character of one parent and the fruit pubescence of the other or combine the fruit pubescence of both parents.
