smooth sumac

noun

1. a shrub or small tree, Rhus glabra, of the cashew family, native to North America, having pinnate leaves and green flowers in a dense terminal cluster.

Word History and Origins

Origin of smooth sumac¹

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

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.

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From the smooth sumac they reap a harvest in midsummer, and in March they get a good grist of pollen from the skunk-cabbage.

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A bullet struck a rock two feet below where Racey lay on his stomach, his rifle-barrel poked out between two shrubs of smooth sumac—another bored the hole of a gray stub at his back.

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An exquisite cut-leaved variety of the smooth sumac adorns many fine lawns.

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The twigs and leaves are similar to those of the smooth sumac but are conspicuously hairy.

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