Shining sumac | Rhus copallina | The Morton Arboretum

Shining sumac is a very adaptable, large, colony-forming shrub to small tree used in groups in the shrub border, as a large bank cover, or in naturalizing areas. The shining dark green foliage turns a flaming red to red-purple in the fall. In addition, female plants produce terminal clusters of greenish-yellow flowers that mature into clusters of small, red hairy fruits in September and October. An excellent plant for poor dry soils.

This species is native to the Chicago Region according to Wilhelm and Rericha’s Flora of the Chicago Region.

Family (English) Cashew, Sumac
Family (botanic) Anacardiaceae
Tree or plant type Tree, Shrub
Foliage Deciduous (seasonally loses leaves)
Native locale Chicago area, Illinois, North America
Size range Large shrub (more than 8 feet), Compact tree (10-15 feet), Small tree (15-25 feet)
Light exposure Full sun (6 hrs direct light daily), Partial sun / shade (4-6 hrs light daily)
Hardiness zones Zone 4, Zone 5 (Northern Illinois), Zone 6 (City of Chicago), Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9
Soil preference Acid soil, Dry soil, Moist, well-drained soil
Drought tolerance Tolerant
Other tolerances Alkaline soil, clay soil, Dry sites, Occasional drought, Road salt
Season of interest early winter, early fall, mid fall, late fall
Flower color and fragrance Yellow
Shape or form Broad, Irregular, Multi-stemmed, Thicket-forming, Upright
Growth rate Fast

Size and Form

This large shrub or small tree can grow 20 to 35 feet high and wide. It produces suckers which can lead to a large thicket of plants.

Native Geographic Location and Habitat

Native to the eastern and central United States, shining sumac is often found in sandy or rocky woodland borders and savannas. C-Value: 3.

Bark Description

Bark is smooth, silvery gray to light brown with raised lenticels. Older stems develop a peeling bark.

Leaf Description

Alternate, compound leaves are pinnate, consisting of 7 to 21 leaflets. The central leaf stalk is winged between each pair of leaflets. The shiny, dark green foliage turns a bright scarlet to crimson red in fall.

Flower Description

Tiny, greenish-yellow flowers bloom in terminal panicles in late spring to early summer. Plants have male and female flowers usually occurring on separate plants (dioecious).

Fruit Description

Pollinated female flowers produce showy fruiting clusters up to 8 inches long. Each cluster contains numerous hairy, berry-like fruit (drupes) which ripen in autumn, gradually turning maroon-brown as they persist through much of the winter. Fruit is attractive to wildlife.

This plant is a cultivar of a species that is native to the Chicago according to Wilhelm and Rericha’s Flora of the Chicago Region. Cultivars are plants produced in cultivation by selective breeding or via vegetative propagation from wild plants identified to have desirable traits.

Prairie Flame™ shining sumac (Rhus copallina var. latifolia ‘Morton’):

This male cultivar is a non-fruiting clone with very dark green, glossy foliage, which turns brilliant red in the fall, and grows 5 to 6 feet high and up to 10 feet wide, with a compact, mounding form. Showy panicles of gold flowers do not produce seeds. A Chicagoland Grows® introduction.