smooth sumac
smooth sumac Lexical Profile
• noun
North American A deciduous native North American shrub or small tree of the cashew family, distinguished by its smooth, hairless stems, long pinnate leaves that turn bright red in autumn, and dense clusters of deep red, fuzzy berries.
"We planted a grove of smooth sumac along the embankment to control soil erosion and enjoy its brilliant scarlet foliage in the fall."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with the closely related staghorn sumac, which has fuzzy, velvet-like branches, as well as with the highly toxic poison sumac, which is easily distinguished by its white berries rather than red.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The name combines the Old English 'smōth' (free from roughness) and 'sumac', which derives via Middle English and Old French from the Arabic 'summāq'. The common name describes its characteristic hairless stems.