Smooth sumac
Rhus glabra
Soak the red berry clusters in cold water for a tart pink lemonade.
Hardiness: zones 2 to 9
Light: full sun
Size: about 12 ft tall, 12 ft wide
Harvest: August to September
From: North America
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.
Good for: food, pollinators, wildlife.
Native to: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest & Great Lakes, Great Plains & Texas, Rockies & Great Basin, Desert Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Eastern Canada, Western Canada. Hardy in zones 2 to 9.
The story
Sumac's red berry clusters were steeped into a tart drink across the continent, from the Cherokee to the Lakota; the Ojibwe called it sumac lemonade long before settlers did. Middle Eastern cooks dry a related species into the spice on za'atar.
Planting
Full sun, any dry, poor, drained soil; it colonizes roadsides and old fields. Plant one; it suckers into a colony, so site it where that is welcome.
Growing
No care; mow around it to limit spread. Cut back hard any time for a shorter, denser stand. Autumn colour is scarlet.
Harvest and use
Pick the fuzzy red cones in late summer when they taste sour on the tongue, before rain washes them; steep in cold water, strain through cloth, sweeten. Dry and grind for spice.
What to watch for
Aggressive suckering; never confuse with poison sumac, which has white berries and grows in swamps.
See if Smooth sumac fits your yard
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More native and wild plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home