Staghorn Sumac
While on my walk yesterday I came across this shrub that I have passed oh so many times without it registering on my conscious mind. I stopped and realized that I did not know what it was. The flower struck me as very pretty and I resolved to find out what the shrub was called.
After some sleuthing on the internet I identified it as a staghorn sumac or in Latin Rhus typhina. My reading led me to find that the seeds from the flowers end up as bird food but not til later in the winter. Apparently, they don't taste very good and birds eat them as a last resort when food supplies are dwindling.
I also found out that the flowers are used in some parts to make a tea colloquially known as "mac tea".
Is mac tea medicinal?
It has been used as such. Theorized benefits are: it is an antifungal, an anti-inflammatory,an antimalarial,an antimicrobial, an antimutagenic, a blood thinner, prevents tumors, an antiviral, and prevents hardening of arteries but whether there is scientific evidence I cannot say.