Tree of the Month June 2010
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Eurasian Smoke Tree
(Cotinus coggygria)
When its panicles of wispy cream-colored flowers bloom in early summer, this tree looks like it is enveloped in dramatic puffs of pink smoke. Find June's Tree of the Month, Eurasian Smoke Tree in the Plants of Acid Soil.
The striking smoke effect comes not from the flowers, which are small and yellowish-green, but from long pinkish filaments on the stems of the bloom clusters. The early-summer flowering of this tree is its standout feature, but it also provides a fairly showy (sometime excellent) display of bright fall color with foliage ranging from yellow or orange to reddish-purple. Its black, multiple trunk gives it winter appeal, making it a tree with nearly year-round interest.
This tree goes by many different names—smoke tree, smoke bush, cloud tree, wig tree, mist tree, Jupiter's beard—all of which allude to the wispy floral plumes that give it a furry, hazy, even blurry appearance. Although not native to the United States (it grows naturally from southern Europe through central China), this tree came to America by 1656 and was widely available by 1790, making it a familiar part of the U.S. landscape for most of this country's history.
Mature height: 15 feet high and wide
Rate of growth: Medium
Visit this shrub in all seasons to see its changing features!
"Smoke" from Eurasian Smoke Tree
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