Smooth Sumac

Rhus glabra

Plant Details:

Plant Type: Shrub
Plant Family: Anacardiaceae
Plant Description: This large thicket-forming shrub can spread aggressively and take over large areas if left unchecked. Large compound leaves are made up of lance-shaped leaflets. Fall changes the leaves from green to bright shades of orange and red. Inconspicuous flowers turn into large cone-shaped clusters of dark red, fuzzy fruit. Tolerant of a wide range of soils except overly wet ones.

Maintenance:

Maintenance Type: Shrub - Renewal
Plant Care: Shrub - Renewal (woody multi-stemmed plants that lose their leaves every winter and look best on younger stems, which emerge from the base of the plant): Prune regularly to promote health, provide air circulation, maintain a desirable shape, and to remove dead or damaged branches. Pruning is best done in late winter to early spring for most shrubs. With spring blooming shrubs, prune after the blooms are spent. When pruning, remove 1/3rd of the oldest branches by cutting at the base of the shrub. Monitor for pests, diseases or other ailments on a regular basis.
Special Considerations: This pruning does not need to be done often. It can be done every 2-3 years or as needed. This shrub can also handle being pruned to the base (hard prune) if grown solely for the foliage.

Plant Attributes:

Mature Size: 9-15' tall and wide
Utah Native: Yes
Plant Select: No
Pollinator Friendly: No
Localscapes: Foundation Plant, Perimeter Plant
Foliage Interest: No
Foliage Colors: Dark Green
Bloom Colors: Yellow, Green, Inconspicuous
Bloom Seasons: Early Summer
Bloom Period: Jun - Jun

Growing Conditions:

Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
Light Requirement: Full Sun (6+ hrs sun), Full Shade (0-4 hrs sun), Part Shade (4-6 hrs morning sun), Part Sun (4-6 hrs afternoon sun)
Irrigation Requirement:     Low (1/2" every 10-14 days)
Salt Tolerant: Unknown
Deer Resistant: Unknown

Garden Location:

  • Commercial Concepts
    • JVWCD Building
  • Design Path
    • Design Ideas-West
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Fall
  • Winter