Smooth Sumac vs Canada Anemone - TreeTime.ca

Smooth Sumac vs Canada Anemone

Rhus glabra

Anemonastrum canadense (Anemone canadensis)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Smooth Sumac
Canada Anemone

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.

Canada Anemone is a native perennial wildflower known for its white, buttercup-like flowers. Blooming from mid-spring to early summer, it attracts a variety of pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Its deep green foliage, characterized by deeply cut leaves with sharply toothed edges, adds texture and visual interest to the landscape even when the plant is not in bloom.

Canada Anemone grows naturally in moist meadows, forest edges, and riparian zones. Spreading rapidly through underground rhizomes, it forms large colonies that can help stabilize soil. It is well-suited to naturalization and restoration projects, including revegetating difficult, wet sites. Also suitable for rain gardens and pollinator gardens, but extra care and maintenance may be required to control its spread in smaller urban yards.

Smooth Sumac Quick Facts

Canada Anemone Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: dry, normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: spreading, colony forming
Spreading: rhizomes - high
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: all plants parts toxic if ingested, can cause skin irritation
Foliage: long, thin
Fall colour: scarlet red
Flowers: white, cup-shaped
Bloom time: mid spring to early summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: BC, SK, MB, ON
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, NT, NU, PE
Other Names: american meadow anemone, meadow anemone, roundleaf anemone, roundleaf thimbleweed