Rhus glabra

Rhus glabra Common Names smooth sumac Family Sumac Flower Color Red Plant Type Shrub - Tree Native Yes

Smooth sumac leaves become very colorful in the fall. Fall colors can be brought on by water stress during the summer.

In the Treasure Valley of Oregon and Idaho and the surrounding sage brush steppe, there is insufficient rainfall under natural conditions for smooth sumac. Consequently the shrub can be found growing naturally on hillsides where water accumulates from snow or runoff. Smooth sumac also can colonize uncultivated areas around buildings or along irrigation or drainage ditches where more water is available than to 8-12 inches per year that is usually received.