Cotinus obovatus , American Smoketree , is sometimes inaccurately describe as have large , showy pinkish flush . In fact , Smoketree gets its common name from thebillowy hairsattached to stretch stalks on the washed-out flower bunch . These hairsturn a smoky - pink to purplish - pink in summertime , covering the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with flossy , blurred , gage - similar puffs . berry occur on pinkish stems and then dry to modest benighted seeds . give folio are silklike pink , turn blue - to - dark green . Fall leave are excellently colored , turning vibrant shades of red , orangish , chickenhearted and purple . C. obovatusis attributed with bear one of the best fall color displays of any of our North American primitive trees . The colour can last up to a month . Its knotty limb structure and interesting Pisces the Fishes - scaled bark design add to winter interest , giving it a truthful four - time of year video display . Extract from its cryptical orange - yellow heartwood was used to make yellow and orange dyes , particularly around the time of the Civil War . The tree diagram was harvested for dye almost to the level of elimination .

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C. obovatusis an unsloped , humble tree or multi - trunked bush , count on how it ’s pruned . It has a matured height of 15 - 30 ft . and should survive for at least 60 years . It is described ashardy and adaptableto many inauspicious soil conditions . It develop in effect in full sun and alkaline grunge but can tolerate partial shade , slightly acid soil , and pack together soil . It does not answer well to too rich soil , over - tearing , or over - fertilizing . It is drought tolerant , disease - immune , and is highly resistant of urban pollution which allows it to fly high in internal metropolis environments .

NATIVE U.S. AREAS

This North American native Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is found in the rocky , raft filth of northerly Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Kentucky , Missouri , Oklahoma , Tennessee and some persona of key Texas . In cultivation , the coinage has proven to be moth-eaten hardy in the north and thrives in a far peachy range of stipulation than those in which it of course occurs . It grow in USDA Plant Hardiness zona 4 - 8 .

To read more about Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree native to the easterly U.S. , or native to Virginia , see the following reference :

key out Trees of the East : An All - Season Guide to Eastern North America , 2nd edition(Williams , Michael D. , 2017 )

Common Native Trees of Virginia Identification Guide ( Virginia Department of Forestry , 2016 )

NATIVE AND NON - aboriginal SPECIES

It should not be confused with the non - aboriginal Common Smoketree ( Cotinus coggygria ) , which is aboriginal from southern Europe to central China . The non - native species was introduced into America as early on as 1656 and was commonly usable in nurseries by 1790 . It has many descriptive name admit smokebush , European smoketree , cloud tree diagram , wig tree , mist tree , and Jupiter ’s whiskers . The Eurasian smoketree and its cultivars are sell in many nurseries and is much more usually notice in home landscape than is the American species , which must often be special - ordered from nurseries .

What are thedifferences between the native and non - native trees?Both Tree look very similar , although the Eurasian species has more or less larger blossom and glossy plumes . It is also smaller , rise to about 15 ’ in height . It grows in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 5 - 8 , making it a little less cold-blooded - hardy than American species . American smoketree is dioecian ( male and distaff generative parts are stand on separate plants ) , with the male industrial plant show a better dope exhibit . The Eurasiatic specie is monoicous ( both distaff and male generative component part come out on the same tree ) , with no deviation in smoke display between the male and female plants .

IS THE NON - NATIVE SPECIES INVASIVE ?

The most favorable attributeC. obovatusis that it is a North American native . I found little software documentation of invasiveness forC. coggygria .   An entropy service provided by the faculty and volunteer at theLady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centerstated that the Eurasion species does n’t appear on any invasive lists , and in all likelihood does n’t sit a material threat to the surroundings . A publication ( reviewed 2014 ) by theUniversity of Florida IFAS Extensiondescribed the Eurasian metal money as show little incursive potential . However , thePurdue ExtensionincludedC. coggygriaon a list of Invasive Plant Species in Hardwood Tree plantations , but there was no supporting data to explain cellular inclusion on the leaning .

ANACARDIACEAE FAMILY

Smoketree is a member of the familyAnacardiaceae , commonly known as thecashew familyor sumac crime syndicate . This family of flowering plants includes about 83 genera with about 860 known species . In some cases , member of the family Anacardiaceae produceurushiol , an irritant . Urushiol - get contact is the medical name give to allergic rashes produced by various plants , include toxicant ivy , toxicant oak , and poison sumac , as well as other plants in the sept Anacardiaceae ( mango , Rengas tree , Burmese lacquer tree , India marking nut Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , and the racing shell of the cashew nut ) . Smoketree panicle ( a much - branchedinflorescence ) and leaves are good to touch , but the urushiol in the sap may make irritation . Be sure to wear gloves when pruning .

C.OBOVATUSCULTIVARS

Although there are many cultivar deal at nurseries forC. coggygria , I found mention of two cultivars forC. obovatus :

C.obovatus‘Cotton Candy ’

This is a beautiful small tree or large shrubthat grows to 18 ’ tall and 15 ’ wide . It is extremely gaudy , with its fascinating pinkish feather in summer and red - orange fall colors . This tree does best in full sun to partial shade . It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations . The warty dark-brown - grey barque add an interesting dimension to the landscape . It grow at a medium charge per unit , and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for at least 60 year .

Cotinus ‘ Grace ’

produce in 1978 , Cotinus ‘ Grace’is a hybrid betweenC. obovatusandC. coggygria‘Velvet Cloak ’ . Although each efflorescence is inconspicuous , the flower cluster borne on long panicle appear fuzzy and sluttish , like quilt of smoke . Grace has extremely large pink panicles , 14 inches long by 11 inches wide . Its yield is inconspicuous , but the hairy peak panicle in former summer are very showy . In spring , leaves emerge light red , darkening through the summertime to dark red . In fall , foliage turns a mosaic of red , orange , and atomic number 79 . With a matured tallness of 15 - 20 ’ , it can be used as either a pocket-size Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or big shrub and total interest throughout the class .

WILDLIFE

American Smoketree is depict as put up good covering and nest for birds and mammals . The modest semen from the female plant are a favorite nutrient of aboriginal finches . The tree pull bees and butterfly stroke but it is not described as being a pollinator attractive feature . Some report claim that it is deer repellent ; others describe it as reasonably deer immune .

DISEASES

The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is generally disease resistant . The most serious problem is Verticillium wilt . The Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree also has some susceptibility to flick spots and rust fungus , but these are not normally serious problems .

HOW TO USE IN THE LANDSCAPE

Long - lasting , summertime “ smoke ” display make this a spectacular accent flora . It can also be massed along a border and used as a hedgerow . Its size of it make it a candidate for plant under public utility company lines . A fibrous , shallow source system makes the tree diagram well - suit for planting next to patios or paseo .

TREES FOR 2050

The Chicago Botanic Garden is undertaking a ten - twelvemonth plan to remove about 400 trees due to the emerald ash borer and to identify suited replacement trees . Candidates should bear on to thrive in a steadily warm up urban environment through 2050 .

Dr. Andrew Bell , curator of woody plants , and his squad psychoanalyze 50 trees in the Garden aggregation and found that 40 would stay to boom under risky - case warm up scenario through mid - century . clime - change modeling designate that some trees — those presently growing at the northern edge of their hardiness — will really do a picayune chip better in slightly warmer conditions around 2020 , but by 2050 , ten of the 50 trees under study—20 percent — will no longer find the metropolitan region a welcoming habitat . Even more startling , the data for 2080 labor that only 11 of the initial trees would continue to do well in Chicago and the upper Midwest .

C. obovatuswas selected for cellular inclusion on theUrban Forest Adaptive Planting Listas a tree diagram that will continue to thrive through 2050 .

SUMMARY

Although currently underused , American Smoketree would come along to be a great improver to family landscapes . It is not unclouded why the non - aboriginal species has become the most widely used and has come to dominate the nursery swop . There are many more cultivar ofC. coggygria , and perhaps the consumer appreciates that choice . It may also be that the non - native version has been commonly available through the nursery trade since 1790 , while the native version was over - harvested around the clock time of the Civil War . In plus , an discernment for the eco - welfare of aboriginal industrial plant selection is a more recent development .

aboriginal plant life organization and tree experts exalt the American native Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree for its hardiness , adaptability , and resistance to disease , plague , and befoulment . In gain , its magnificent nightfall people of color are view as to be the most beautiful of all the native North American trees . Its size and shallow solution make it an easy conniption into many areas of the landscape . It may need some cervid protection since there are varied reports on deer underground . Even though there seems to be little care right now for any problem of invasiveness byC. coggygria , choosing the native variety would seem to be a prudent option . It may require a little supererogatory effort to exceptional - rules of order the native species through a nursery or from an online supplier , butC. obovatuswill reward with year - round exhibit .

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READINGS :

For additional information on trees native to Eastern U.S.:Identifying Trees of the East : An All - Season Guide to Eastern North America , 2nd variation ( Willims , Michael D. , 2017 )

For entropy on Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree native to Virginia : Common Native Trees of Virginia Identification Guide . Virginia Department of Forestry , 2016 .

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Cotinus obovatus , Missouri Botanical Garden , http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / PlantFinder / PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode = h660

Cotinus coggygria , Missouri Botanical Garden , http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org / PlantFinder / PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode = c390

“ Smokebush , Smoketree , ” Virginia Cooperative Extension , https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/2901/2901 - 1068/2901 - 1068.html

“ Considering Cotinus , ” Kim E. Tripp , Arnoldia , 1994 Summer , Harvard Arboretum .

“ Trees for 2050 , ” Chicago Botanic Garden , https://www.chicagobotanic.org / plantinfo / tree_alternatives

Cotinus ‘ blessing ’ , Chicago Botanic Garden , https://www.chicagobotanic.org / plantcollections / plantfinder / cotinus_grace – grace_smoke_tree

Common Smoke Tree ( Cotinus coggygria ) , Memphis Area Master Gardeners , http://mamgmusings.blogspot.com/2012/06 / common - smoketree.html

“ American Smoketree , ” Look Up , Virginia ! Utility - Friendly Treeshttps://www.plantsmap.com/organizations/452/plants/32678

American Smoketree , Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center , https://www.wildflower.org / plant / result.php?id_plant = coob2

American Smoketree , Morton Arboretum , http://www.mortonarb.org / tree - plants / tree - flora - description / american - smoke - tree#destination

Cotton Candy American Smoketree , http://plants.treetopnurserymn.com/12060004 / Plant/10956 / Cotton_Candy_American_Smoketree/

American Smoketree , Grow Native ! Missouri Prairie Foundation , http://grownative.org / plant - chooser / plant / american - smoketree/

Cotinus Coggygria , Arbor Day Foundation , https://www.arborday.org / trees / treeguide / TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=920

American Smoketree , Cotinus obovatus , Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest , https://bernheim.org / learn / trees - plants / bernheim - select - urban - Tree / american - smoketree/

Midwestern Native Shrubs and Trees : gardening alternatives to foreign-born species , ( Adelman , Charlotte and Schwartz , Bernard L. , 2016 )

plant Profile for Cotinus obovatus ( American Smoketree ) , USDA Plants Database , https://plants.usda.gov / core / profile?symbol = coob2