Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' 32cm / 18L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Cutleaf Smooth Sumac (Scarlet Sumac)

Rhus glabra 'Laciniata'

£92.29 £107.99 SAVE 14%
Very hardySun-lovingLoved by pollinators
Pot size
32cm / 18L £92.29

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Description

The Rhus glabra 'Laciniata', better known as the Cutleaf Smooth Sumac or fern-leaved sumach, is one of the most theatrical foliage plants you can grow for a British exotic border. Each large leaf is cut into fine, feathery leaflets that give the whole plant a soft, ferny silhouette through spring and summer, before igniting into brilliant shades of scarlet, orange and red as autumn arrives. Upright cones of yellow-green summer flowers are followed on female plants by fuzzy crimson seed heads that cling on well into winter.

This is a fully hardy deciduous shrub, rated RHS H6, so it takes hard UK winters in its stride down to around -20C. It loses its leaves and rests over the colder months, then reshoots freely in spring. The real showpiece is the autumn fire, which is why it is such a favourite for adding a dramatic seasonal moment to exotic borders and gravel schemes.

One important thing to know: like all smooth sumacs, this plant suckers freely from the roots and will throw up new shoots around it. Grow it in a large container or install a root barrier at planting, then pull off unwanted suckers while they are young, and it stays a well behaved feature. Water regularly through the first one to two summers to establish it, after which it becomes impressively drought tolerant and thrives in a dry or gravel garden.

Its architectural, spreading habit makes it a natural for architectural planting, while the nectar-rich summer flowers and bird-friendly autumn fruit earn it a place in pollinator friendly gardens. For more standout, garden-ready specimens see our full range of hardy exotics, and read our guide on what to expect from hardy exotics as the seasons turn. Every plant we supply is nursery-grown, carefully selected for a strong root system, and packed with care to arrive in superb condition.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Cutleaf Smooth Sumac (Scarlet Sumac)

Plant me in full sun and the coldest UK winters do not worry me.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Cutleaf Smooth Sumac (Scarlet Sumac)

Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' needs full sun or partial shade and well-drained soil. It is very hardy, standing the coldest UK winters outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Dry & Gravel Gardens Exotic Borders Wildlife & Pollinators

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H6 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −20°C

fully hardy in the UK, deciduous, no winter protection needed.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingExposedSheltered

full sun for the boldest autumn colour, though it tolerates light or partial shade.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandWell-drainedMoist but well-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

very adaptable across chalk, clay, loam and sand, at any pH, as long as drainage is good.

Watering

Water regularly through the first one to two growing seasons to settle the roots, after which it becomes notably drought tolerant. Note that it suckers freely from the roots, so grow it in a large pot or install a root barrier at planting and pull off unwanted suckers while they are young. Read moreShow less

Water regularly through the first one to two growing seasons to settle the roots, after which it becomes notably drought tolerant. Note that it suckers freely from the roots, so grow it in a large pot or install a root barrier at planting and pull off unwanted suckers while they are young.

Mature size

Height2.5-4 m
Spread2.5-4 m

Reaches full size in 10-20 years

Growth habit

Suckering

Flowering

Jul-Aug · Green

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Minimal pruning needed. If wanted, cut back hard in late winter to rejuvenate and encourage fresh, larger foliage. It suckers freely from the roots, so grow it in a large pot or with a root barrier and remove unwanted suckers as they appear.

Toxicity

The milky sap can irritate skin and eyes on contact, so wear gloves when pruning. The raw fruit and foliage are not for eating. Keep cuttings and sap away from pets.

Native range

E. North America

Family

Anacardiaceae

Also known as

Rhus glabra 'Laciniata'

Genus

Rhus
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' prefer sun or shade?

It grows best in full sun, which draws out the strongest scarlet and orange autumn colour, but it will also cope with light or partial shade. Give it an open position and it rewards you with that fiery seasonal display. Browse more of our hardy exotics for similar easy care choices.

Does Cutleaf Smooth Sumac sucker, and is it invasive in the UK?

Yes. Like all smooth sumacs it suckers freely from the roots and can send up new shoots a metre or more from the parent plant. It is not classed as invasive in the UK, but to keep it in check grow it in a large container or install a root barrier at planting, then simply pull or dig off any unwanted suckers while they are young. Grown this way it stays a well behaved feature plant. See our plants for pots for more container friendly ideas.

How big does Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' get?

Expect a large deciduous shrub or small multi stemmed tree reaching roughly 2.5 to 4 m tall with a similar or wider spread over ten to twenty years, and suckering can widen the clump further. Its open, spreading, architectural habit suits the back of an exotic border.

How fast does smooth sumac grow?

It has a moderate to fast growth rate, often putting on around 30 to 60 cm a year in good conditions, so it fills a space quickly for such a striking plant. Keep it well watered through its first couple of summers to get it established.

Is Rhus glabra 'Laciniata' fully hardy?

Yes. It is rated RHS H6, meaning it is fully hardy across the UK and shrugs off hard winter frosts down to around -20C. Being deciduous it naturally loses its leaves in autumn and reshoots in spring. Read our guide on what to expect from hardy exotics through the seasons.

What soil and position suit Cutleaf Smooth Sumac?

It is wonderfully unfussy, thriving in chalk, clay, loam or sandy soils across the full pH range as long as drainage is good. It even tolerates poor, dry ground once established, which makes it a great choice for a dry or gravel garden. Its summer flowers draw in bees and the autumn fruit feeds birds, so it earns its place in pollinator friendly planting too.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
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Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

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Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

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All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

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Rhus glabra 'Laciniata'
£92.29 £107.99