I would say Sumac, but the owners of the tree strongly insisted that it is not. They said it is a Monkey tree. I couldn't find on the Net anything called Monkey tree. Please clarify.
Sure looks like Staghorn Sumac, Rhus hirta, which is common here in the Eastern/Midwest USA. I can even make out the hairy branches in the last picture, which is characteristic of the species. According to the USDA, however, Rhus hirta is not native to the Pacific Northwest. If it is, it's probably a transplant, but it may also be another species of Rhus native to your area. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHTY
I would say Rhus typhina, Staghorn Sumac, as well, based on the toothed leaves and fuzzy branches. The closest I can get to monkey-anything would be that some people call the leaf scars on Ailanthus altissima "monkey-face" (from a US Gov't factsheet). But that tree's leaflets aren't toothed and the stems aren't fuzzy. Eventually, searching for monkey tree brought up monkey nut and heartnut. Heartnut is Juglans ailantifolia, Japanese walnut. The flowers would be on drooping stalks. I also see a site selling "Tropical Monkey Nut", with no description whatever (but with a drawing that could be convincing), but that's Second Life Marketplace - isn't that a fictional place? There's Samanea saman, Monkey Pod tree, also with pinnately compound leaves, but the leaflet shape is different and the flowers are very different.
Thanks everybody. So it is Rhus typhina syn. R. hirta. I didn't know which species, but I was pretty sure it is a Sumac. The owners insistence that it is not confused me, though.
Monkey puzzle, monkey puzzler, puzzle monkey, monkey tree, monkey-tail tree, Chilean pine and Chile pine have all been used. I have heard people here call it monkey tree multiple times.
