The Staghorn Sumac is a 15-30 ft., colony-forming, deciduous shrub with crooked, leaning trunks, picturesque branches and velvety twigs.

Large, yellow-green leaves become extremely colourful in early fall. On female plants, yellow-green flowers are followed by fuzzy, bright red berries in erect, pyramidal clusters which persist throughout wintertime. 

Staghorn Sumac reaches tree size more often than related species and commonly forms thickets. In winter, the bare, widely forking, thick, hairy twigs resemble deer antlers "in velvet," hence the alternate common name.