Smooth Sumac
Arbor Walk #157, TreeKeeper ID #6419
Smooth Sumac is one of the most widespread of all of the sumac species (genus: Rhus). Similar to certain members of the genus, Smooth Sumac berries have been used by some as a tart flavor akin to lemon that can be used to create tea or lemonade. The plant itself is a large shrub or small tree, never reaching above 20 feet but apt to spread via underground roots. In fact, Smooth Sumac can often spread extremely aggressively into non-wooded areas like prairies, where it can contribute to woody encroachment that harms perennial grasses and wildflowers in the grasslands. However, this also makes it a useful native plant to quickly recolonize land that has been degraded by invasive species.
| Common Name(s) | Smooth Sumac |
|---|---|
| Latin Name | Rhus glabra |
| Indigenous Name(s) | |
| Cultivar/Variety | |
| Commercial Name |
Global Distribution
Map coming soon
GPS Coordinates
N/A
Percent Concrete
N/A
Distance to Buildings
| Year | Close Building #1 | Close Building #2 | Close Building #3 |
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Distance to Other Species
| Year | Close Species #1 | Close Species # 2 | Close Species # 3 |
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Standard Measurements
| Year | Height (m) | DBH (cm) | Crown Diameter N-S (m) | Crown Diameter E-W (m) | Average Crown Diameter (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nests and Pests
| Year | Description |
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Leaf Identification
Smooth sumac leaves are pinnately compound, with usually 15 to 23 leaflets arranged oppositely except for a terminal leaflet. The leaflets are narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, toothed, and culminate in a long acute tip. The leaf will exceed one foot in length by maturity.
Twig and Bud Identification
The twig is reddish brown with a glaucous coating. Leaves are arranged alternately on the twig, which is not zigzag at the nodes. Buds are small, pubescent, and entirely covered by the leaf petiole until dehiscence.
Bark Identification
Smooth Sumac bark is gray-brown and generally smooth aside from the many warty lenticels. Shallow grooves or fissures develop with maturity.
Fruit Identification
Smooth Sumac fruits are single-seeded drupes that are red, spherical, and velvety in texture. They develop in large clusters that ripen in early to mid-autumn. Because Smooth Sumac is dioecious, only female individuals can fruit.
Flower Identification
Smooth Sumac is dioecious, meaning that male and female plants have different flowers. The pistillate (female) flowers are five-petalled, greenish-yellow, and in large clusters that will eventually become the clusters of fruit. The staminate (male) flowers are similar in shape though larger in cluster size, and with stamens instead of a pistil.
ID Tips
- Only a few midwestern species of Rhus have leaves with more than three leaflets–only Staghorn Sumac and Winged Sumac do as well, unlike species like Fragrant Sumac or Poison Ivy (which is in genus Toxicodendron).
- Unlike Winged Sumac, Smooth Sumac and Staghorn Sumac do not have winged leafstalks (having flat leafy projections from the rachis).
- Staghorn has fuzzier fruits than Smooth Sumac, velvety haired young branches, and hairs on leaf rachises. As its name suggests, Smooth Sumac has smooth leafstalks and branches.
- Unlike the invasive Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) that has similar shaped leaves, the leaflets on Smooth Sumac leaflets are sessile (leaflets attached to the rachis directly without a stalk).
