SafePlants

Smoke Bush: A Cloud of Color in Your Garden

The Smoke Bush, with its wispy blooms and vibrant foliage, offers year-round visual interest. Whether you call it Smoke Bush, Smoke Tree, Cotinus, Cloud Tree, or Wig Tree, this plant is sure to make a statement in any garden.

Considerations for Pets

• This plant is often grown as a shrub or small tree in home gardens.

Considerations for Children

• This plant is often grown as a shrub or small tree in home gardens.

Scientific Classification

• Scientific Name: Cotinus coggygria
• Common Names: Smoke Bush, Smoke Tree, Eurasian Smoketree, American Smoke Bush, Cloud Tree, Wig Tree
• Family: Anacardiaceae (Sumac family)
• Genus: Cotinus

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Cotinus is a genus of two species within the Anacardiaceae family, closely related to sumacs (Rhus).

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to southern Europe and central China.
• Hardy to zone 5, and possibly warmer parts of zone 4.

Ecological Role

• Invasive Risk: Rated "HIGH RISK" for invasiveness in Hawaii and Pacific Islands, with a score of "7" by the Weed Risk Assessment for Hawaii and Pacific Islands.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Deciduous shrub or small tree, often multi-stemmed. Can be trained into a single-trunk tree with pruning.
• Typically grows to a height and spread of around 15 feet.
• Shape: Upright and spreading.
• Leaves: Simple, obovate leaves that often display excellent fall color, turning scarlet in autumn. Some cultivars have dark red-purple oval leaves that turn scarlet in autumn. Youngest leaves can be an eager rose color while mature leaves are a matte burgundy with pink veins.
• Flowers: Insignificant flowers borne in large, plumy panicles in summer. As the flowers fade, they turn silver-white, creating a "smoky" appearance.
• Fruit: Small and inconspicuous, but the stalks of the fruit clusters are covered with hairs.

Quirky Facts

• The common name "Smoke Bush" comes from the plume-like seed clusters that appear after the flowers fade, giving the appearance of smoke.

Cultivars

• 'Royal Purple': A bushy shrub reaching up to 5m, known for its magnificent dark red-purple leaves that turn scarlet in autumn.
• Other notable cultivars include 'Grace' and 'Flame'.

Garden Uses

• Excellent as a specimen plant for shrub borders or as an accent tree.
• Purple Smoke Bush is often used as a garden specimen due to its purple-pink plumes and purple leaves.

Care Tips

• Prefers a sunny location.
• Highly drought tolerant.
• After pruning, apply a generous 5-7cm (2-3in) mulch of well-rotted garden compost or manure.