SMOOTH SUMAC Rhus glabra L.
THE smooth sumac is usually a tall shrub but occasionally it develops as a tree 20 to 25 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 6 to 10 inches. A few large spreading branches form a broad, flat, open head. The twigs are smooth and glabrous and have a thick, light brown pith with small round winter buds.
SMOOTH SUMAC
Twig, one-half natural size. Leaf and fruit, one-fourth natural size.
The compound leaves are 6 to 18 inches long, composed of 9 to 27 leaflets with sharply notched margins. They are dark green above, whitish beneath, changing to red, purple and yellow early in the autumn.
The flowers are small and green, produced in dense terminal panicles. The fruit is a small globose berry, covered with crimson hairs and has a pleasant acid taste. The conspicuous deep red panicles of fruit remain unchanged on the tree during the winter.
The wood is light and of a golden yellow color. Either as a tree, or as a shrub, the smooth sumac is excellent for ornamental planting, being particularly desirable on terraces or hillsides, where mass effects are desired. It transplants very readily and spreads freely.
The staghorn sumac, Rhus typhina L., is a slightly taller tree, as it reaches a height of 20 to 35 feet, and a stem diameter of 8 to 12 inches. The twigs and leaves are similar to those of the smooth sumac but are conspicuously hairy. Its occurrence is limited to the northern part of the State.