Plant · P-961

Sumac Smooth

Rhus glabra

Smooth sumac is a fast-growing native North American shrub that colonizes ground by root suckers, forming dense thickets topped with feathery compound leaves that turn brilliant red in fall. Its cone-shaped clusters of fuzzy red berries persist through winter, feeding birds, and can be soaked in water to make a tart, lemonade-like drink. It tolerates poor, dry, rocky soil in full sun to part shade, and a spreading colony is easily rejuvenated by cutting it to the ground.