Twigs are stout and vigorous. Flowers are greenish and bloom in July or August. Fruit is scarlet and ripens in August or September. Buds are not hairy. Twigs are not as stout and vigorous as the smooth sumac.
Twigs are often minutely pubescent.
Rachis is winged. Leaflets have a few teeth, or are nearly entire, and glossy green. Flowers are greenish and flower in June or July. Fruits are crimson and ripen in September or October. Plant is poisonous to the touch, and grows only in bogs or wet soil.