Cotinus

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Sapindales

Familia: Anacardiaceae
Subfamilia: Anacardioideae
Genus: Cotinus
Species: C. carranzae – C. chiangii – C. coggygria – C. kanaka – C. nanus – C. obovatus – C. szechuanensis
Source(s) of checklist:

Hassler, M. 2018. Cotinus. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Aug. 07. Reference page.

Name

Cotinus Mill.

Type species: Cotinus coggygria Scop.

References

Miller, P. , The Gardeners Dictionary...Abridged...fourth edition vol. 1. 1754.

Links

Hassler, M. 2018. Cotinus. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2018. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Aug. 07. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Cotinus. Published online. Accessed: Aug. 07 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Cotinus in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Aug. 07.
Tropicos.org 2018. Cotinus. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Aug. 07.

Vernacular names
беларуская: Скумпія
English: Smoketree
suomi: Peruukkipensaat

Cotinus (/koʊˈtaɪnəs/[2]), the smoketree or smoke bush, is a genus of seven species of flowering plants in the family Anacardiaceae, closely related to the sumacs (Rhus).

Characteristics

They are large shrubs or small trees, native to the warm temperate northern hemisphere. The leaves are deciduous, alternate, simple oval shape, 3–13 cm long. The flowers are clustered in a large open terminal panicles 15–30 cm long with a fluffy grayish-buff appearance resembling a cloud of smoke over the plant, from which the name derives. The fruit is a small drupe with a single seed. Often classified in Rhus in the past, they are distinguished by the leaves being simple (not pinnate) and the 'smoke-like' fluffy flower heads.
Growth

The American smoketree (Cotinus obovatus, syn. Rhus cotinoides) is native to the southeastern United States, from Tennessee south to Alabama and west to Oklahoma and eastern Texas. It is a larger plant, frequently becoming a small tree between 3 and 5 meters (10 to 15 feet) tall, with a trunk from 20 to 35 centimeters (8 to 14 inches) in diameter. The leaves are also larger, 6–13 cm long; it also has varied but very bright fall color, usually brighter than the Eurasian species. The foliage is described to be a red wine-like, and the shrub has deep pink flowers in the summer. The flower heads are usually sparser than in C. coggygria.
Cultivation and uses

The smoke trees, particularly C. coggygria, are popular garden shrubs. Several bronze or purple-leaved cultivars of C. coggygria have been selected, with warm pink inflorescences set against purple-black foliage; the most common in commerce are 'Notcutt's Variety' and 'Royal Purple'. When brought into cultivation together, the two species will form hybrids; some garden cultivars are of this parentage.

Cultivation is best in dry, infertile soils, which keeps the growth habit more compact and also improves the autumn colour; when planted in fertile soil, they become large, coarse and also tend to be short-lived, succumbing to verticillium wilt disease. They can be coppiced in early spring, to produce first-year shoots up to 2 m tall with large handsome leaves, but no "smoke".

References

"Cotinus Mill. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607