smooth sumac
Rhus glabra
USDA zones3 to 9
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size9 to 15 feet tall9 to 15 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- Yellowish-green
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam, clay, chalk
- Soil pH
- Acid, alkaline, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) is a shrub for pollinator gardens, hedges, winter interest, and naturalized areas. It is hardy to USDA zone 3, or down to -40°F (-40°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist soil of most types. Only female plants make flowers and bright-red berries, and the berries last through winter. Rabbits usually look elsewhere for a meal. You can cut a colony to the ground in mid-winter to renew it.
Pairs well with Witch hazel, Hairy aster, White oak, and Sedge.
Native range
Northeastern United States to southern Canada.