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Michaux's Sumac

Rhus michauxii

Found in sandhills. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

81
Keystone

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 2 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

Federally endangered. Excluded from routine garden suggestions. Consult conservation guidance before obtaining or planting this species. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June
Fruiting season
August to September

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 1 Florida county.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

52CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Rhus

  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Citheronia regalisRegal Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta longaLong-Winged Dagger, Darkish Dagger
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Antepione thisoariaVariable Antepione
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips georgianaFireworm, Georgia Leafroller
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
Show all 52
  • Caloptilia belfragellaDogwood Caloptilia
  • Caloptilia rhoifoliellaSumac Leafblotch Miner Moth, Sumac Caloptilia
  • Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Celastrina neglectaSummer Azure
  • Chloropteryx tepperariaAngled-Winged Emerald
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Datana perspicuaSpotted Dantana
  • Datana robustaRobust Datana
  • Derrima stellataPink Star
  • Dichorda iridariaShowy Emerald
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Holcocera chalcofrontellaSumac Holcocera
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Marathyssa basalisLight Marathyssa
  • Marathyssa inficitaDark Marathyssa
  • Marathyssa pulcherrimusBeautiful Eutelia
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nemoria bifilataWhite-Barred Emerald
  • Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
  • Paectes abrostolellaBarren Paectes
  • Paectes oculatrixEyed Paectes
  • Paectes pygmaeaPygmy Paectes
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
  • Protambulyx strigilisStreaked Sphinx
  • Pseudochelaria walsinghamiWalsingham's Moth
  • Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
  • Sciota subfuscellaStriped Sumac Leafroller
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Telphusa longifasciellaY-Backed Telphusa
  • Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Epidromia pannosa
  • Episimus augmentana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
52BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Rhus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
32BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Rhus

  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
Show all 32
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Mimus polyglottosNorthern Mockingbird
  • Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
  • Patagioenas fasciataBand-tailed Pigeon
  • Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Sialia currucoidesMountain Bluebird
  • Sialia mexicanaWestern Bluebird
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireo
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo huttoniHutton's Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Anacardiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–7b
Flower color
Yellow or green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
  • Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Hardiness · “Zones 5a–7b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “Up to about 2 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Florida rankSX
Global rankG2G3
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusEndangered (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Conservation source Global rank source Federal status source: US Fish and Wildlife Service

In your garden

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Sources