Field Guide: Trees and Shrubs

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Smooth Sumac
You found Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra).
It is a tall shrub or small tree (7). The leaves are alternate and pinnately compound. This fast growing tree does not tolerate shade and forms dense thickets. The leaves are bright orange, red or purple in the autumn (1). The fruit of the Smooth sumac is a collection of cone-shaped drupes that are dark red (2). The two sumacs, Staghorn and Smooth, can be identified by the presence or absence of hairs on the twigs and leafstalks. This plant is found throughout Minnesota.