smooth sumac

American  

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.

---

Etymology

Origin of smooth sumac

An Americanism dating back to 1805–15

Example Sentences

THE smooth sumac is usually a tall shrub but occasionally it develops as a tree 20 to 25 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 6 to 10 inches.

From Forest Trees of Illinois How to Know Them by Fuller George D.

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

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

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

From A Year in the Fields by Burroughs, John

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.

From Forest Trees of Illinois How to Know Them by Fuller George D.

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

From Forest Trees of Illinois How to Know Them by Fuller George D.