Sumac is a shrub or small tree with distinctive cone-shaped clusters of fuzzy red berries and feathery leaves that turn brilliant shades of red and orange in autumn. About 35 different species of sumac grow across North America, Europe, and Asia, thriving in rocky soil where other plants struggle.

In Middle Eastern cuisine, dried sumac berries are ground into a tart, lemony spice that adds bright flavor to rice, meat, and salads. The staghorn sumac, common across eastern North America, gets its name from the fuzzy texture of its branches, which look like deer antlers covered in velvet.

Native Americans made a refreshing drink by soaking the berries in cold water. The tannins in sumac bark were also used for centuries to tan leather and make dyes.

One important caution: poison sumac is a completely different plant that grows in swamps and has white berries instead of red ones.