Burning Bush vs Smooth Sumac - TreeTime.ca

Burning Bush vs Smooth Sumac

Rhus glabra

Euonymus alatus

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Smooth Sumac
Burning Bush

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.

Burning Bush is a unique shrub whose leaves turn firey red in the fall. You can plant it in rows to make a hedge or on its own. Burning Bush requires little maintenance and thrives in just about any kind of soil, which makes it a good choice for inexperienced growers. Plant it in full sun to get its best fall color.

Select Cultivar: Dwarf Burning Bush is a smaller variety of Burning Bush. This shrub has a compact form and only reaches 4-5ft tall and 4-5ft wide.

Note: Burning Bush is considered an invasive species in eastern North America. Please plant the right tree in the right place.

Smooth Sumac Quick Facts

Burning Bush Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 4a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: long
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: long, thin
Fall colour: scarlet red
Fall colour: fiery red
Flowers: yellow-green
Berries: reddish purple
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: BC, SK, MB, ON
Other Names: winged burning bush, winged euonymus, winged spindle