Rhus glabra L.
smooth sumac
Anacardiaceae (Sumac family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
smooth sumac
Anacardiaceae (Sumac family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Deciduous shrub up to 3 m tall; bark smooth; branches glabrous or sparsely hairy near the flowers, exuding milky juice when cut.
Leaves:
Leaflets 7-29, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, saw-toothed, 5-12 cm long, turning golden to scarlet in fall.
Flowers:
Inflorescence in large, dense, compound, pyramid-shaped panicles; petals 1-2 mm long, abruptly sharp-pointed, yellowish.
Fruits:
Berrylike drupes, 4-5 mm long, reddish, hairy, somewhat flattened.
Notes:
Often used as an ornamental due to its bright fall colors.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Yellow
Blooming Period:
Mid Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Rhus glabra
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
495 | 283 | 1000 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
34 | 0 | 100 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
207 | 80 | 340 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
2 | 0 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
65 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BG | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BG(28), ICH(1), IDF(10), PP(26) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Dry to mesic open streambanks and forest openings and margins in the montane zone; infrequent in SC and SE BC; E to PQ and S to FL, TX and MX.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Rhus borealis Greene
Rhus calophylla Greene
Rhus glabra var. cismontana (Greene) Cockerell
Rhus glabra var. laciniata Carrière
Rhus glabra var. occidentalis Torr.