The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Cotinus

(smoke tree), a genus of deciduous shrub (2–5 m tall) and small trees (up to 12 m tall) of the family Anacardia-ceae. The gray leaves are simple, alternate, and entire. The tiny yellowish white or greenish flowers are bisexual and staminate. The loose terminal panicles contain many underdeveloped flowers on long flower stalks, covered wih long, spreading reddish or greenish hairs. In the fall the flower stalks grow bushy and give the plant an ornamental appearance.

There are two species: Cotinus americanus, which grows in North America, and C. coggigria, which grows in southern Europe, southern Asia (from Asia Minor to China), and the USSR (the Caucasus and south of the European section). C. coggigria is found among shrubs on dry, often stony and chalky slopes and in pine and oak forests. It is cultivated as an ornamental and for the tannins and related products in the leaves, which are used in the chemical and textile industries. The leaves are used for tanning leather. The greenish yellow wood of the shrubs is used to make various articles. The plants yield the dye fisetin, which is used to dye wool, silk, wood, and leather yellow and orange.

T. G. LEONOVA

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References in periodicals archive

Some of the best low pollen trees are the females of dioecious species such as ash, poplar, willow, cedar, juniper, cottonwood, mulberry, osage orange, xylosma, yew, box elder, podocarpus, fringe tree, holly, pepper tree, smoke tree, coffee tree, sassafras and red maple.

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Chartreuse New Zealand flax and smoke tree (Cotinus 'Golden Spirit') add a yellow glow at either end, while pink-flowered rock-rose 'Victor Reiter' and wispy restio (Cannomois virgata) soften the other plants' spiky forms.

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Round, deep plum leaves cover this multi-stemmed smoke tree through summer and into autumn, then turn reddish before dropping in winter.

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Cradle Stakes: 1 D Gibson, Tinkerbell 2 J Dun, Smoke Tree Texas Tart; 3 C Arnold, Iorsa Harvest Moon.

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Tough plants such as wispy leucadendron and 'Royal Purple" smoke tree soften the wall behind it, while tufts of fairy lily (Zephyranthes candida) grow in front.

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Trees, shrubs, and vines Zones 7-9, 14-17: For vivid autumn color in your garden, now's the time to buy and plant deciduous trees such as birch, Chinese pistache, Chinese tallow, crape myrtle, dogwood, Ginkgo biloba, Japanese maples, liquidambar, persimmon, and 'Raywood' ash; colorful shrubs including deciduous azaleas, barberry, oakleaf hydrangea, smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria), and viburnum; and vines such as grape, Parthenocissus, and wisteria.

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Look for unblemished specimens with beautiful shapes or variegated colors; we love the foliage of oak, sycamore, and smoke tree (pictured above, from top, as well as Japanese maple, Chinese pistache, and ginkgo.

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Now a new L-shaped lap pool and elevated dining area are surrounded by an elegant tapestry of tough plants like silvery artemisia, chartreuse euphorbias, bronze cordyline, junipers, lavender, red kangaroo paws, ornamental grasses, Phormium 'Dusky Chief', and smoke tree. Stairs link the upper and lower gardens; large glazed pots filled with succulents and other easy plants dress the patios.

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Then she considered seasonal color, favoring a sunrise-to-sunset theme that blends reds, oranges, and purples (cannas, crocosmia, Persicaria 'Red Dragon', salvia, smoke tree, and coneflowers), as well as sea blues (catmint, Geranium 'Rozanne', lavender, Verbena bonariensis).

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'Firebird' penstemon with purple Cotinus (smoke tree) works well too.

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Follow Monika Hellwegen's lead and use 'Royal Purple' smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) as an accent plant among green grasses, shrubs, and trees.

Smoke screen

Also look for colorful shrubs--deciduous azaleas, barberry, oakleaf hydrangea, smoke tree, and Viburnum; and vines such as Parthenocissus.

What to do in your garden in November