Its foliage of shiny, deeply dissected, fern-like, deep green leaves, 18 in. Occurs in upland prairies, thickets, fence rows, idle fields, borders and openings of woods, disturbed sites, roadsides, and along railroads. This is why picking some from your backyard isn’t recommend. Leaves are alternate, feather-compound, 12–16 inches long, with 15–23 leaflets; central leaf-stem smooth, lacking wings; leaflets with tip pointed, base rounded, margins coarsely toothed; upper surface dark green, shiny; lower surface lighter to conspicuously white, smooth; broken leaves exude a white sticky sap. We protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife of the state. A trilobata leaf develops as three completely separated lobes, while a glabra leaf is compound, one to two feet long, with 11 to 31 pointed leaflets per leaf—these remind me of the leaves of ferns. Leaves can be collected as they fall in the autumn and used as a brown dye or as a mordant. It is extremely drought tolerant and is often found in disturbed areas, open woodlands, prairies, on dry rocky hillsides, and in canyons. In comparison, the leaves of black locust, sycamore maple, European white birch, red gum, and white oak were retained under short days if the temperature did not drop (Kramer, 1936; Wareing, 1954). Smooth sumac definition is - a common North American sumac (Rhus glabra) with glaucous stems and leaves. The leaflets are dark green and smooth above, and pale beneath, except along the midrib. So while sumac fruit is not really a favorite wildlife food, it is an important winter survival food. The stems and twigs of smooth sumac are stout, angular, smooth, with a whitish coating that can be wiped off. Green leaves turn blazing red in fall – they’re truly spectacular. #155205914 - Sumac leaves on a pink textured background. The dark green summer foliage turns an excellent yellow to orange-red-purple combinations in fall. long (45 cm), warms up to brilliant shades of red and orange in fall. Smooth sumac leaves are feather-compound, 12–16 inches long, with 15–23 coarsely-toothed leaflets. Smooth sumac is a thicket-forming shrub or small tree with a spreading crown. Fruits August–September, compact clusters, erect, persistent; fruit round, about 1/8 in diameter, dark red with red velvety hairs, fleshy, 1-seeded; stone smooth, oval. It grows into a large shrub or small tree about 8 to 10 feet tall. C-Value: 1Commonly found growing along roadways, fencerows, prairies and fields throughout North America and Canada. Commonly found growing along roadways, fencerows, prairies and fields throughout North America and Canada. Similar Images . It can become a large shrub or small tree 10-20 feet tall and 10-12 feet wide. The stems and branches are hairless and covered with a whitish waxy coating. Add to Likebox #154795841 - Pisces Full Moon with a silhouette of a Staghorn Sumac tree,.. It is found in most regions of NC. There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. The leaves are located.. Often found growing in dry sandy to gravelly soils. Building the urban forest for 2050. Leaflets all have shallow, toothed edges. From top level menus, use escape to exit the menu. Staghorn Sumac has leaves that have a hairy leaf stem and rachis, the stem that the leaflets are attached to.  The dark green summer foliage turns an excellent yellow to orange-red-purple combinations in fall. Like most other sumacs, it has excellent fall color and spreads by underground rhizomes, but it is less aggressive than smooth sumac. Find local MDC conservation agents, consultants, education specialists, and regional offices. In early autumn, smooth sumac turns brilliant purplish red, heralding the fall color season. Fawn color, bordering on green, is obtained and this can be improved with the judicious use of mordents. Smooth sumac is common in upland prairies, thickets, fence rows, idle fields, borders and openings of woods, disturbed sites, roadsides, and along railroads. Poison sumac grows to be 6 to 20 feet high. A cultivated variety has much-dissected fernlike leaves. There’s a good chance it may be a toxic imitator. It is useful for controlling erosion and is sometimes used as a roadside planting for this purpose. It is a thicket-forming shrub or small tree with a spreading crown. Have tree and plant questions? Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) General Description A large, loose, open-spreading shrub with a flattish crown. The red berries are beloved by wild-edibles enthusiasts, who use them to make a kind of "pink lemonade" and jellies. Rhus copallina is also known as winged sumac because its glossy compound leaves have a wing along the central leaf vein. Its red berries, borne on erect spires above the leaves, are hairy. Female plants produce scarlet, hairy terminal fruits in summer and persistent into winter.Â, "This species is native to the Chicago Region according to Swink and Wilhelm's Plants of the Chicago Region, with updates made according to current research."Â. Similar to Staghorn sumac but shorter. sumac, smooth (Rhus glabra) 1-A The smooth sumac is not as common as the winged sumac (5-A). Leaflets are oblong with toothed margins. The Smooth Sumac and Shining Sumac are smooth both on the twigs and the fruits. These leaflets are a dull green on top with a waxy-white underside. Older stems tend to die back but new stems are always emerging.Spreads by underground suckers forming large colonies.Full sun brings out the best fall color. Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menus and submenus. Tolerant of clay soils. Young stems are stout, smooth and turn wine-red. Use enter to activate. It can also become weedy and is one of the woody plants that can invade and degrade prairies. Most parts of this plant have been used medicinally by Native Americans and in folk medicine. Statewide. Smooth sumac often grows in stands and seems to like sunny banks. The twigs are hairless and emit a milky sap when broken. Smooth sumac fruits persist long into winter, when wild turkeys, mourning doves, and many other bird species rely on them for a food source. The spice we see in brick and mortar specialty stores and online is usually imported and derived from a Mediterranean sumac species, Rhus coriaria. Both Bryce, who is a taxidermist, and I have observed rubs on the trees as the bark is apparently quite aromatic to bucks. The following menu has 3 levels. Spreads by underground suckers forming large colonies. Rabbits and deer eat the leaves and twigs. You might not know it, but sumac-ade (made from either smooth sumac Rhus glabra, or staghorn sumac Rhus typhina) is in fact a tasty herbal relic and beverage straight from the Iowa area of ancient times, as well as the rest of the heart of the Midwest. in Illinois, Smooth Sumac can be distinguished by the absence of hairs on its stems and leaf rachises, the absence of winged leaf rachises, and the number of leaflets on its compound leaves. Smooth sumac (R. glabra) is scattered statewide. The leaves are similar looking to the Staghorn Sumac, and especially the Smooth Sumac at first glance - they are compound leaves. In North America, the smooth sumac (R. glabra) and the staghorn sumac (R. typhina) are sometimes used to make a beverage termed "sumac-ade", "Indian lemonade", or "rhus juice". A variety known as Staghorn Sumac has smooth branches likened to the velvet on a deer’s antlers – thus the name Staghorn. Use up and down arrow keys to explore within a submenu. Pinnate and compound, Smooth Sumac leaves are large, fern-like constructions with smooth green or purple stems supporting pairs of shiny, dark green, lance-shaped leaflets and a single terminal leaflet. Explore this online platform for Chicago-area residents to share their favorite stories about trees. There are other varieties, which I … Use up and down arrow keys to explore within a submenu. Mature bark is thin, gray and develops fissures. Poison sumac is a close relative of poison ivy and poison oak, but it looks very different. Dioecious. Smooth sumac (R. glabra) is a sparse ly branched shrub not more than 15 feet tall. Leaves turn red in fall. The berries, roots, inner bark, and leaves of smooth and staghorn sumac were used to make dyes of various colors. Tolerant of black walnut toxicity and aerial salt spray. Leaves and Buds Bud Arrangement - Alternate. In contrast, Staghorn Sumac (Rhus hirta) has brownish hairs on its stems and leaf rachises, Winged Sumac (Rhus copallina) has winged rachises on its leaves, and Fragrant Sumac … Winged sumac (Rhus copallinum) is a third related species that occurs in roughly the same range as smooth sumac and is identifiable by the “wings” or ridges along the stalks that produce leaves. The Poison Sumac has white, green or grey colored berries. You’ll see a large grouping of these shrubs growing in one spot. Three species of sumac are widespread in the South. They are compact clusters of dark red fruits with velvety hairs. The First Nation civilization and major economic center known as Cahokia, an extensive city and network of commerce among many ancient peoples in the Midwest, had quite the reach and influence all along the Mississippi River – including the Upper Mississippi area … The Morton Arboretum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that relies on the generosity of members and donors. Stop by, email, or call. To be safe, DO NOT touch a Sumac unless you see the red berry clusters like in the included picture below. Sumac is a shrub or small tree, native to most of North America, although it is considered a nuisance in some places. Smooth sumac is used to treat a large number of ailments, particularly mouth and throat sores, burns, to control diarrhea, and to promote urination. Similar species: There are four species of sumacs in Missouri. The fruit is persistent on the shrub into winter. A large, colony-forming, native shrub best used in mass plantings. The one above is called shining or winged sumac (Rhus copallinum), named for its glossy, compound leaves and the wings on the stems of the leaves. Smooth sumac is a thicket-forming shrub or small tree with a spreading crown. Its strong architectural form and elegant silhouette are revealed in winter, after the leaves are gone. The new bark on the branches is relatively smooth. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Aboveground stems are relatively short-lived while roots persist and form new stems. A good choice for difficult sites, mass plantings, screening and highways plantings. Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) is a native, deciduous shrub. Our communities. Smooth Sumac has none of the hair on the leaves. Herb: Smooth Sumach Latin name: Rhus glabra Family: Anacardiaceae (Cashew Family, Sumac Family) Medicinal use of Smooth Sumach: Smooth sumach was employed medicinally by various native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints. The Ojibwa took a decoction of fragrant sumac root to stop diarrhea. Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menus and submenus. In early autumn, smooth sumac turns brilliant purplish red, heralding the fall color season. The leaves of the three species differ slightly as well. Finely ground leaves and stems provide the dyeing and tanning agent sumac. This native but sometimes aggressive shrub occurs in clumps or colonies and spreads by seeds and rootstocks. Cankers, leaf spots, powdery mildew, verticillium wilt and rusts. A good choice for difficult sites, mass plantings, screening and highways plantings. It decorates our roadsides. Female plants develop upright, scarlet-red, hairy fruits (drupe) which persistent into winter. Smooth sumac berries are distinctive and often persist through winter, if wildlife doesn't eat them first. • The leaves of the plant were smoked for asthma. Smooth sumac can get up to 20 feet tall, but is often between 10 and 20 feet in height. You can get a rash from allowing your skin to brush up against poison sumac, even in winter. Bark is grayish-brown, roughened with raised pores; smooth on young plants; older trunks with shallow grooves. Leaves turn red in fall. Female plants produce scarlet, hairy terminal fruits in summer and persistent into winter. Flowers late May–July, both male and female flowers in dense, much-branched clusters at the end of new growth, on separate plants; clusters 5–9 inches long; flowers numerous, petals 5, white. The leaflets, which are arranged along the stem in pairs (figure 5), are oblong with sharply pointed tips and smooth or somewhat wavy edges. The upper branches of … Leaves of tulip poplar and smooth sumac were shed early when exposed to short days. Fall Color is a stunning yellow to orange-red-purple combinations. Smooth sumac can be a shrub or small tree growing up to 3 meters in height. Poison sumac leaves have seven to fifteen leaflets that are commonly 2 to 4 inches long and 3⁄4 to 2 inches wide. Smooth sumac is native to and occurs nearly throughout the United States and into southern Canada; it is most common in the eastern United States. Found in moist but not wet conditions. Similar Images . 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