Michaux's Sumac was historically unique to the Inner Coastal Plain and lower Piedmont of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Its natural habitat includes dry, open, rocky, or sandy woodlands over bedrock with high levels of calcium, magnesium, or iron. It can be found growing in disturbed locations such as highway rights-of-way, roadsides, sites that have been damaged by fire, or at the edges of artificially maintained clearings. It will spread by suckers to form colonies. These suckers can reach lengths of up to 20'. Female flowers and male flowers are on separate plants. Due to habitats being fragmented, often the male and female are isolated from each other. This does not allow the plant to reproduce sexually. Pollinators for this particular species have not been noted. Existing populations of this plant are protected and managed to protect their future. It is listed by both Federal and State as an endangered species. It is a host plant for the larvae of the Luna moth ( Actias luna ) . Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Not recommended for home landscapes.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.