Cotinus coggygria
Common name: 
Common Smoketree
Smokebush
Pronunciation: 
ko-TI-nus ko-GIG-ri-a
Family: 
Anacardiaceae
Genus: 
Cotinus
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous shrub/tree, 10-15 ft (3-4.5 m), spreading, loose, wide as high.  Leaves alternate, simple, oval to obovate, 4-9 cm long, glabrous, margin entire, parallel veins, bluish green; sometimes foliage yellow, red-purple in fall.  Showy pubescent pedicels and peduncles of flowers provide the "smoke" appearance.
  • Sun; tough, adaptable to widely divergent soils and pH ranges, drought resistant.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 5   Native to southern Europe to central China and Himalayas.
  • The selections include:
    • 'Daydream'  -  green foliage, pinkish flower clusters, slow growing.
    • Golden Spirit™ ('Ancot', PP 13,082) - summer color gold to lime green which turn to shades of orange and red in fall, apparently does not flower. Reportedly does not scorch in full sun unless under stress.
    • 'Nordine Red'  ('Nordine') -  bronze-red leaves, holds its color through the summer, reportedly hardier than other purple-leaf selections.
    • 'Notcutts Variety'  -  purple-leaved, clusters purple-pink
    • 'Pink Champagne'  -  green leafed selection with a slight burgundy margin, pink inflorescences, upright habit.
    • 'Purpureus'  (syn. var. purpureus)  -  green leaves, inflorescences purplish-pink, 10-15 ft tall and similar wide.
    • 'Red Beauty'  -  red-purple leaves.
    • 'Royal Purple' -  common purple selection.
    • 'Rubrifolius'  -  purple-leaved, but some green, flowers tinted red.
    • 'Smoky Joe'  -  green-leaved, relatively compact.
    • 'Velvet Cloak'  -   purple-leaved, does not turn green in summer, vivid red-purple fall color, purplish flower clusters, to 10-15 tall slightly less in width.
  • Some hybrid selections of C. coggygria and C. obovatus:
    • 'Flame'  -  vigorous, pink clusters, orange-red fall foliage color.
    • 'Grace'  -  large clusters, about 12 inches long and wide, purplish pink, wine-red leaves turn purple-scarlet in fall.
  • Article on Smoketrees: Bruce Macdonald, American Nurseryman 200(3):34-36,38(2004) Aug. 1.
  • Cotinus: from kotinos, Greek name for the olive.   coggygria: from kokkugia, the Greek name
Click image to enlarge
  • flower clusters, summer

    flower clusters, summer

  • plant habit, summer

    plant habit, summer

  • leaves and flower clusters, late summer

    leaves and flower clusters, late summer

  • leaves and remnant flower stalks

    leaves and remnant flower stalks

  • plant habit, fall

    plant habit, fall

  • leaves, fall

    leaves, fall

  • trunk, bark

    trunk, bark