Smooth Sumac

Media
Illustration of smooth sumac leaves, flowers, fruits.
Safety Concerns
Name
Edible
Scientific Name
Rhus glabra
Family
Anacardiaceae (cashews)
Description

Smooth sumac is a thicket-forming shrub or small tree with a spreading crown.

Leaves are alternate, feather-compound, 12–16 inches long, with 15–23 leaflets; central leaf-stem smooth, lacking wings; leaflets with tip pointed, base rounded, margins coarsely toothed; upper surface dark green, shiny; lower surface lighter to conspicuously white, smooth; broken leaves exude a white sticky sap. Leaves turn red in fall.

Bark is grayish-brown, roughened with raised pores; smooth on young plants; older trunks with shallow grooves.

Twigs are stout, angular, smooth, with a whitish coating that can be wiped off.

Flowers late May–July, both male and female flowers in dense, much-branched clusters at the end of new growth, on separate plants; clusters 5–9 inches long; flowers numerous, petals 5, white.

Fruits August–September, compact clusters, erect, persistent; fruit round, about ⅛ inch in diameter, dark red with red velvety hairs, fleshy, 1-seeded; stone smooth, oval.

Similar species: There are four species of sumacs in Missouri.

Size

Height: to 20 feet.

Where To Find
image of Smooth Sumac distribution map

Statewide. Smooth sumac is native to and occurs nearly throughout the United States and into southern Canada; it is most common in the eastern United States.

Occurs in upland prairies, thickets, fence rows, idle fields, borders and openings of woods, disturbed sites, roadsides, and along railroads. Grows in colonies resulting from stems sprouting from roots. This native but sometimes aggressive shrub occurs in clumps or colonies and spreads by seeds and rootstocks. It sprouts easily and grows rapidly. Aboveground stems are relatively short-lived while roots persist and form new stems.

Most parts of this plant have been used medicinally by Native Americans and in folk medicine. The red berries are beloved by wild-edibles enthusiasts, who use them to make a kind of "pink lemonade" and jellies. In early autumn, smooth sumac turns brilliant purplish red, heralding the fall color season. They decorate our roadsides.

Dozens of types of birds eat the fruit. Rabbits and deer eat the leaves and twigs. Smooth sumac is an energetic colonizer of disturbed landscapes, as along highways, stabilizing raw soil. It can also become weedy and is one of the woody plants that can invade and degrade prairies.

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Similar Species
About Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines in Missouri
There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. “Wood” is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature — whether they are “woody” or not. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground.