Cotinus

Cotinus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Smoke Tree
Smoketree with "Smokey" look.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Anacardiaceae
Genus:	Cotinus Adans.
Species
Cotinus coggygria Cotinus obovatus

Smoketree or Smoke bush (Cotinus /koʊˈtaɪnəs/)^[1] is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs (Rhus).

Contents

 [hide] 

• 1 Characteristics
• 2 Growth
• 3 Cultivation and uses
• 4 Gallery
• 5 References
• 6 External links

Characteristics[edit]

They are large shrubs or small trees, native to the warm temperate northern hemisphere. The leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple oval shape, 3–13 cm long. The flowers are clustered in a large open terminal panicles 15–30 cm long with a fluffy grayish-buff appearance resembling a cloud of smoke over the plant, from which the name derives. The fruit is a small drupe with a single seed. Often classified in Rhus in the past, they are distinguished by the leaves being simple (not pinnate) and the 'smoke-like' fluffy flower heads.

Growth[edit]

The American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus, syn. Rhus cotinoides) is native to the southeastern United States, from Tennessee south to Alabama and west to eastern Texas. It is a larger plant, frequently becoming a small tree between 3 to 5 meters (10 to 15 feet) tall, with a trunk from 20 to 35 centimeters (8 to 14 inches) in diameter. The leaves are also larger, 6–13 cm long; it also has varied but very bright fall color, usually brighter than the Eurasian species. The foliage is described to be a red wine-like, and the shrub has deep pink flowers in the summer. The flower heads are usually sparser than in C. coggygria.

Cultivation and uses[edit]

The smoke trees, particularly C. coggygria, are popular garden shrubs. Several bronze or purple-leaved cultivars of C. coggygria have been selected, with warm pink inflorescences set against purple-black foliage; the most common in commerce are 'Notcutt's Variety' and 'Royal Purple'. When brought into cultivation together, the two species will form hybrids; some garden cultivars are of this parentage.

Cultivation is best in dry, infertile soils, which keeps the growth habit more compact and also improves the autumn colour; when planted in fertile soil, they become large, coarse and also tend to be short-lived, succumbing to verticillium wilt disease. Both species can be coppiced in early spring, to produce first-year shoots up to 2 m tall with large handsome leaves, but no "smoke".

Gallery[edit]

• 

  American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)

• 

  Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria)

• 

  Smoketree leaf

• 

  Young smoketree in bloom