Purple Leaf Sand Cherry vs Smooth Sumac - TreeTime.ca

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry vs Smooth Sumac

Prunus x cistena

Rhus glabra

ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
no image

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry provides bright reddish-purple leaves that turn bronze-green in the fall. In the spring, tiny flowers with a pinkish white hue bloom. The flowers are small, but the impact comes from the shrub blossoming all at once.

The Purple leaf sand cherry can be susceptible to pests and diseases in more humid areas; a typical life span is approximately 15 years. Not suitable for a privacy hedge on its own but is often alternated with lilacs. Often used as an accent plant that attracts birds and bees.

Smooth Sumac is an excellent shrub for both its ornamental appeal and tolerance of difficult planting sites. You'll love the attractive pyramidal spikes of hairy, red berries that emerge on female plants and the fern-like foliage that covers both male and female varieties.

Ensure you give Smooth Sumac enough space to spread out due to its high suckering nature. While not ideal for small, urban yards, this shrub will make a stunning border along a woodland edge or roadside.

Note:These plants typically reach maturity and make their sex easily known (females producing fruit) in their 3rd or 4th year of growth. Our seedlings are too young to identify their sex.

Purple Leaf Sand Cherry Quick Facts

Smooth Sumac Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: dark red
Fall colour: scarlet red
Flowers: pinkish
Bark: dark red to purple
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: high



Toxicity: the leaves and seed are slightly toxic

Other Names: purpleleaf sandcherry