Quercus

Smooth Sumac

Rhus glabra

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

57CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Rhus

  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Citheronia regalisRegal Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta longaLong-Winged Dagger, Darkish Dagger
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Antepione thisoariaVariable Antepione
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips georgianaFireworm, Georgia Leafroller
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia quercifolianaYellow-Winged Oak Leafroller Moth, Lined Oak Leafroller
Show all 57
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Caloptilia belfragellaDogwood Caloptilia
  • Caloptilia rhoifoliellaSumac Leafblotch Miner Moth, Sumac Caloptilia
  • Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
  • Cameraria guttifinitellaPoison Ivy Leafminer
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Chloropteryx tepperariaAngled-Winged Emerald
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Cleora sublunariaDouble-Lined Gray
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Datana perspicuaSpotted Dantana
  • Derrima stellataPink Star
  • Dichorda iridariaShowy Emerald
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Holcocera chalcofrontellaSumac Holcocera
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
  • Marathyssa basalisLight Marathyssa
  • Marathyssa inficitaDark Marathyssa
  • Marathyssa pulcherrimusBeautiful Eutelia
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Moodna ostrinellaDarker Moodna
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nemoria bifilataWhite-Barred Emerald
  • Nemoria rubrifrontariaRed-Fronted Emerald
  • Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
  • Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
  • Paectes abrostolellaBarren Paectes
  • Paectes oculatrixEyed Paectes
  • Paectes pygmaeaPygmy Paectes
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
  • Pseudochelaria walsinghamiWalsingham's Moth
  • Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
  • Sciota subfuscellaStriped Sumac Leafroller
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Telphusa longifasciellaY-Backed Telphusa
  • Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Paralobesia rhoifructana
  • Stigmella intermedia
  • Stigmella rhoifoliella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
52BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Rhus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
32BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Rhus

  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
Show all 32
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Ixoreus naeviusVaried Thrush
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Mimus polyglottosNorthern Mockingbird
  • Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
  • Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
  • Patagioenas fasciataBand-tailed Pigeon
  • Pheucticus melanocephalusBlack-headed Grosbeak
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Sialia currucoidesMountain Bluebird
  • Sialia mexicanaWestern Bluebird
  • Sturnus vulgarisEuropean Starling
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireo
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo huttoniHutton's Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
  • Pogonomyrmex badius

Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.

Beetles 1
  • Mordella melaena

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 28
  • Anthrax sinuosa
  • Archytas analis
  • Archytas aterrima
  • Baccha fuscipennis
  • Belvosia bifasciata
  • Bombylius atriceps
  • Eristalis flavipes
  • Eristalis tenax
  • Helicobia 4-setosa
  • Limnophora narona
Show all 28
  • Lucilia sylvarum
  • Mallota posticata
  • Morellia micans
  • Orthoneura nitida
  • Peleteria robusta
  • Physocephala tibialis
  • Sarcophaga hunteri
  • Sarcophaga sinuata
  • Siphona geniculata
  • Spallanzania hesperidarum
  • Sphaerophoria cylindrica
  • Stomoxys calcitrans
  • Stratiomyia apicula
  • Stratiomyia meigenii
  • Syrphus americanus
  • Syrphus ribesii
  • Zodion fulvifrons
  • Zodion nanellum

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 1
  • Thecla calanus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 16
  • Bicyrtes ventralis
  • Cerceris compar
  • Cerceris fumipennis
  • Cerceris insolita
  • Isodontia apicalis
  • Leionotus arvensis
  • Mimesa cressonii
  • Monobia 4-dens
  • Philanthus punctatus
  • Polistes pallipes
Show all 16
  • Pompiloides marginatus
  • Priononyx thomae
  • Sphex procera
  • Sphex vulgaris
  • Vipio robertsonii
  • Zethus spinipes

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Anacardiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Green or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Smooth Sumac

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS5
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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