Cotinus coggygria. They were often planted in older yards, especially, in St. Paul/Minneapolis. A shrub or small tree.

This one is wild

Ah.... I wondered because the bark didn't seem a perfect match, although the leaves are dead on from what I can tell from the blurry pic. It always helps a lot if your not stingy with the information. I don't think Cotinus would ever sprout in the wild here, but maybe a remnant from an old homestead? Do the leaves have a point on the end? Cotinus leaves do not. Cotinus leaf edges are smooth and not serrated or toothed. Can't tell from the pic. What do you say?

I will post another pic today.

How about American Smoke Tree (Cotinus obovatus) ?
http://www.chicagobotanic.org/...
http://www.izelplants.com/coti...

Definitely not Cotinus. C. obovatus is not native anywhere in Minnesota, although it does do well if it is planted. But it is rarely planted. I have one in my yard. (My yard is mostly oddities. ) It has the best and longest fall color of anything that can be grown up here, turning from dark maroon to red to pink-red to orange to yellow-orange before leaves drop. Super drought resistant, too.


I'm stumped for a positive ID.

Rick, happy to see that beautiful smoke tree. I planted one in my yard last year. It is still quite small, but hopefully it will grow to be like yours.
Reid, the leaves look a bit similar to certain types of magnolia, but I don't think you would find those growing wild anywhere.

Jeanie, if yours is C. obavatus and not C. coggygria, you have very good taste! Not that coggygria is bad, just that the fall color is not so good. Don't be surprised if you don't get the expected good fall color for the first 2-5 years, it'll come around in time.

It is C. obavatus -- I purchased it from the Friend's School Plant Sale year before last. I have never seen it for sale anywhere else, and have only seen one other in someone's yard. It was very small when planted but is already significantly taller than I am and it bloomed a little bit this summer. Here is a photo from about a month ago. I am getting some red tinges to the leaves, but nothing like yours yet.

I know the man behind "everything Friends School plant sale" and he often uses me as a source for possible ideas for new plant materials to offer at his sale. In the next year or two, he will likely have Styrax americanus available, grown from seed from the tree/shrub in my yard.

Aren't you lucky! I volunteer every year so I can go to the presale. I built the ticket booth in torrential rain at the last one. They have an enormous selection of plants, many of which are not available elsewhere. I got a small Korean fir, Horstman's Silberlocke, at the sale this year. And I am all over the native plant varieties they have. I look forward to it every year!