The Main Plant entry for Smoketrees (Cotinus coggygria)

This database entry exists to show plant data and photos that apply generically to all Smoketrees.

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Tree
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Soil pH Preferences: Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5)
Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 5a -28.9 °C (-20 °F) to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 8b
Plant Height: usually 10 to 15 feet
Plant Spread: 10 to 15 feet
Leaves: Good fall color
Deciduous
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Pink
Flower Time: Summer
Suitable Locations: Patio/Ornamental/Small Tree
Uses: Flowering Tree
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant
Drought tolerant
Propagation: Seeds: Self fertile
Pollinators: Various insects
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Dioecious

Image
Common names
  • European Smoketree
  • Eurasian Smoketree
  • Smoketree
  • Smoke Tree
  • Venetian Sumach
  • Dyer's Sumach

Photo Gallery
Location: Sandhills Horticultural Gardens Pinehurst, NC (Visitor center)
Date: May 18, 2023
Smokebush # 225 nn; LHB p. 626, 110-2-1; MBG, "Genus name comes f
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Brussels)
Date: 2018-06-24
Location: Sandhills Horticultural Gardens Pinehurst, NC (Visitor center)
Date: May 18, 2023
Smokebush # 225 nn; LHB p. 626, 110-2-1; MBG, "Genus name comes f
Location: Twisp
Date: June
Location: Twisp
Location: Sandhills Horticultural Gardens Pinehurst, NC (Visitor center)
Date: May 18, 2023
Smokebush # 225 nn; LHB p. 626, 110-2-1; MBG, "Genus name comes f
Location: Twisp
Date: May
Location: FPF Home, Warren County, Kentucky
Date: 2022-06-19
  • Uploaded by FPF
Location: Twisp
Date: May
Location: Twisp
Date: May
Location: Botanical Garden Meise
Date: 2016-04-24
Location: Twisp
Date: June
Location: FPF Home, Warren County, Kentucky
Date: 2022-06-19
  • Uploaded by FPF
Location: Nationale Plantentuin Meise (Botanical Garden near Brussels)
Date: 2018-06-24
Location: East Tennessee 
Date: 2024-08-24
2 year old Smoketree
Location: Downingtown Pennsylvania
Date: 2021-07-06
the flower clusters hairs being tan now, not pink
Location: Downingtown Pennsylvania
Date: 2021-07-06
the rounded leaves
Location: Heathcote Ontario Canada
Date: Fall
Cotinus  coggygria  and Cotinus coggygria"Royal Purple' beautiful
Location: Lake Stevens, WA
Date: 2017-10-21
Uploaded by robertduval14
Location: Downingtown Pennsylvania
Date: 2021-07-06
old shrub tree of the straight species
Location: Downingtown Pennsylvania
Date: 2021-07-06
old shrub-tree in bloom
Location: Tyler Arboretum near Media, Pennsylvania
Date: 2012-06-16
full-grown shrub in bloom
Location: Tyler Arboretum near Media, Pennsylvania
Date: 2012-06-16
flower hair smoke
Comments:
  • Posted by ILPARW (southeast Pennsylvania - Zone 6b) on May 31, 2019 11:03 AM concerning plant:
    This Common Smoketree or Smokebush is native from southern Europe to central China. The leaves are 1.5 to 3.5 inches long and are rounded, bluish-green and then get some fall color of yellow to red to purple, but often not brilliant. The small 5-petal yellowish flowers are inconspicuous, but the fine plant hairs around the flower-fruit clusters make a pink smoke in June that may last pink into July, then turns tan in color. Cool summers are best for longer pink hair display. The fruit is a tiny kidney-shaped drupe (berry-like). The twigs are purplish-brown, very stout, and emit a sweet kind of fragrance when crushed. There is a good number of different cultivars with red-purple foliage the whole growing season that bear purple smoke hairs. I remember seeing a few of the straight species in the Chicago area in the 1980's in average yards, but there were many more of the purple foliaged cultivars as 'Royal Purple' and 'Nordine.' I don't know of the straight species being planted anymore after the 1980's in the Midwest or Eastern USA. I found a really big old specimen of the mother species in a front yard in southeast PA that must have been planted in the 1970's when this woody plant was new on the market.
  • Posted by Mindy03 (Delta KY) on May 3, 2012 7:29 PM concerning plant:
    Honey bees get nectar from this plant.
Plant Events from our members
WebTucker On May 19, 2023 Bloomed
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Discussion Threads about this plant
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Smoke Bush by lalabaster Sep 4, 2020 3:05 PM 3

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