Cotinus
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
| Smoke tree | |
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| Smoketree with "Smokey" look. | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Anacardiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Anacardioideae |
| Genus: | Cotinus Mill.[1] |
| Species | |
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Cotinus (/koʊˈtaɪnəs/[2]), the smoketree or smoke bush, is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs (Rhus).
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 Oklahoma and eastern Texas. It is a larger plant, frequently becoming a small tree between 3 and 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. They 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]
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American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus) -
Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria) -
Smoketree leaf -
Young smoketree in bloom -
.jpg)
References[edit]
- ^ "Cotinus Mill. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
- ^ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
External links[edit]
- Tree Guide - Smoke Tree
- Tree Topics - Smoke Tree
- Smoke Tree
- Cotinus obovatus images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu
| Authority control databases: National |
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