About Cotinus coggygria Scop.
Cotinus coggygria Scop. is a multi-branched deciduous shrub that typically reaches 5 to 7 meters (16 to 23 feet) in height. It has an open, spreading, irregular growth habit, and only rarely develops into a small tree. Its leaves are 3 to 8 centimeters (1 1/4 to 3 1/4 inches) long, shaped like rounded ovals. They are green with a waxy, glaucous sheen. In autumn, the foliage turns a striking array of colors, ranging from peach and yellow to scarlet. The plant produces numerous flowers arranged in large inflorescences that measure 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) long. Individual flowers are 5 to 10 millimeters (1/4 to 3/8 in) in diameter, with five pale yellow petals. Most flowers in each inflorescence abort, and elongate into yellowish-pink to pinkish-purple feathery plumes. When viewed as a mass, these plumes have a wispy, smoke-like appearance, which gives the species its common name "smoke tree". These plumes surround the small, 2–3 mm (1⁄16–1⁄8 in) drupaceous fruits that develop on the plant. This species is native to a large geographic range, stretching from southern Europe east through central Asia and the Himalayas to northern China.
