14 Smoke Tree Varieties: Purple, Green and Gold

The best way to choose a smoke tree is by leaf color. Purple-leaved varieties such as ‘Royal Purple’, ‘Velvet Cloak’ and ‘Grace’ are the most popular. Green-leaved ones such as ‘Young Lady’ and ‘Daydream’ make the most “smoke”. Golden Spirit has bright yellow leaves. The native American smoketree has the best fall color of any of them. Most smoke trees grow 10 to 15 feet tall and wide, and compact varieties like Winecraft Black stay around 5 feet.

The common smoke tree, or smokebush (Cotinus coggygria), is a deciduous shrub or small tree native from southern Europe across Asia to central China. It gets its name from the flower clusters. The flowers themselves are tiny and yellowish, but in early summer the stalks of the spent flowers grow long, fine hairs. The clusters turn into puffy, pink, purple or tan plumes that cover the plant like smoke and last for weeks. Smoke trees are hardy in zones 4 or 5 to 8, tolerate heat, drought and poor soil, and are rarely bothered by deer.

• Purple-Leaved Smoke Trees
• Green-Leaved Smoke Trees
• Gold-Leaved Smoke Trees
• American Smoketree and Hybrids
• How to Grow a Smoke Tree

Variety	Botanical name	Leaves	Height	Zones
‘Royal Purple’	Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’	Deep purple, red in fall	10–15 ft	5–8
‘Velvet Cloak’	Cotinus coggygria ‘Velvet Cloak’	Dark purple, red-purple in fall	10–15 ft	5–8
‘Grace’	Cotinus coggygria × C. obovatus	Wine-purple, bright red in fall	15–20 ft	5–8
‘Nordine’	Cotinus coggygria ‘Nordine’	Plum-purple, orange-red in fall	10–15 ft	4–8
‘Notcutt’s Variety’	Cotinus coggygria ‘Notcutt’s Variety’	Maroon-purple, red in fall	10–15 ft	5–8
Dusky Maiden	Cotinus coggygria ‘Londus’	Deep burgundy, red in fall	5–7 ft	5–8
Winecraft Black	Cotinus coggygria Winecraft Black®	Purple-black	5–6 ft	5–8
‘Young Lady’	Cotinus coggygria ‘Young Lady’	Blue-green, orange in fall	6–10 ft	5–8
‘Daydream’	Cotinus coggygria ‘Daydream’	Green, yellow-orange in fall	10–15 ft	5–8
Golden Spirit	Cotinus coggygria ‘Ancot’	Bright yellow, orange and red in fall	8–10 ft	5–8
Winecraft Gold	Cotinus coggygria Winecraft Gold®	Golden yellow	4–6 ft	5–8
American Smoketree	Cotinus obovatus	Blue-green, orange-red in fall	20–30 ft	4–8
Cotton Candy	Cotinus obovatus ‘Northstar’	Blue-green, orange-red in fall	15–20 ft	4–8
‘Flame’	Cotinus coggygria × C. obovatus	Green, brilliant orange-red in fall	15–20 ft	5–8

Purple-Leaved Smoke Trees

‘Royal Purple’ (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’)

‘Royal Purple’ is the classic purple smoke tree and the one most garden centers carry. The rounded leaves come out red-purple in spring and darken to a deep purple that holds through summer, then turn red and orange in fall. The plumes are purplish pink. It grows 10 to 15 feet tall and wide if left alone, and it is often cut back hard to keep it smaller, with bigger leaves.

‘Velvet Cloak’ (Cotinus coggygria ‘Velvet Cloak’)

‘Velvet Cloak’ has some of the darkest purple leaves of any smoke tree, and it is known for holding that color through the heat of summer instead of fading to green. In fall the leaves turn reddish purple. The plumes are pinkish purple. It is similar in size to ‘Royal Purple’ and one of the parents of ‘Grace’.

‘Grace’ (Cotinus coggygria × C. obovatus)

‘Grace’ is a hybrid between ‘Velvet Cloak’ and the American smoketree, raised at Hillier Nurseries in England. It is bigger and faster-growing than the purple smoke trees, reaching 15 to 20 feet, with larger, oval, wine-purple leaves that turn a brilliant, translucent red in fall. It has huge, loose plumes of purple-pink smoke in summer, and it is one of the most award-winning varieties.

‘Nordine’ (Cotinus coggygria ‘Nordine’)

‘Nordine’ is one of the hardiest purple smoke trees and the one to try in zone 4. Its leaves are plum-purple in summer, with a slightly more muted color than ‘Royal Purple’, and turn orange and red in fall. It has pinkish plumes and grows 10 to 15 feet tall.

‘Notcutt’s Variety’ (Cotinus coggygria ‘Notcutt’s Variety’)

‘Notcutt’s Variety’ is an older English selection named for the Notcutts nursery in Suffolk. It has deep maroon-purple leaves and purplish-pink plumes. It looks very much like ‘Royal Purple’, and the two are often confused in the trade.

Dusky Maiden (Cotinus coggygria ‘Londus’)

Dusky Maiden is a compact, bushy English variety that stays about 5 to 7 feet tall and wide, half the size of ‘Royal Purple’. It has small, rounded, deep burgundy leaves and pink plumes, and it fits in a mixed border without needing hard pruning.

Winecraft Black (Cotinus coggygria Winecraft Black®)

Winecraft Black is a compact smoke tree bred at North Carolina State University. It grows only 5 to 6 feet tall and wide, with small, round, nearly black-purple leaves that keep their color in hot summers. It flowers lightly. Grow it as a medium shrub in a border or a large container.

Green-Leaved Smoke Trees

Green-leaved smoke trees tend to flower more heavily than the purple ones, and their plumes stand out better against the foliage.

‘Young Lady’ (Cotinus coggygria ‘Young Lady’)

‘Young Lady’ is known for blooming heavily from a very young age, even as a small plant in a pot. It has blue-green leaves and masses of pale pink plumes that cover the plant in early summer. It is smaller than the species, usually 6 to 10 feet tall, and turns orange and red in fall.

‘Daydream’ (Cotinus coggygria ‘Daydream’)

‘Daydream’ is a dense, compact green-leaved smoke tree grown for its thick, fluffy plumes, which open pinkish and fade to tan. It flowers heavily and reliably, and it makes a full, rounded shrub 10 to 15 feet tall. The leaves turn yellow and orange in fall.

Gold-Leaved Smoke Trees

Golden Spirit (Cotinus coggygria ‘Ancot’)

Golden Spirit has bright golden-yellow leaves that light up a shady corner or a dark background. In fall they turn orange, coral and red. It flowers lightly, with greenish plumes, so it is grown for its leaves. It grows 8 to 10 feet tall, sometimes more. The leaves can scorch in hot afternoon sun, so give it a little afternoon shade in the South.

Winecraft Gold (Cotinus coggygria Winecraft Gold®)

Winecraft Gold is the golden partner of Winecraft Black, a compact smoke tree that stays 4 to 6 feet tall and wide. The small, round leaves are golden yellow all season and hold up better in summer heat than Golden Spirit’s. It rarely needs pruning.

American Smoketree and Hybrids

American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus)

American smoketree is a rare native of the south-central U.S., found on limestone bluffs and rocky hills from Tennessee and Alabama to Missouri, Oklahoma and the Texas Hill Country. It is larger than the European species, a small tree 20 to 30 feet tall, with bigger, blue-green leaves. Its plumes are smaller and less showy, but its fall color is famous: brilliant orange, red and purple, and often said to be the best of any native tree. It is very drought tolerant once established.

Cotton Candy (Cotinus obovatus ‘Northstar’)

Cotton Candy is a selection of American smoketree picked for its heavy flowering. It makes large, pink plumes that the wild species rarely produces, while keeping the native tree’s orange and red fall color. It is a good choice if you want the smoke of the European species with native hardiness.

‘Flame’ (Cotinus coggygria × C. obovatus)

‘Flame’ is a hybrid between the common and American smoke trees, grown for its fall color. The leaves are green all summer and turn a vivid orange-red in autumn, one of the brightest fall colors of any shrub. It has pink plumes in summer and grows into a large shrub or small tree, 15 to 20 feet tall.

How to Grow a Smoke Tree

• Sun. Plant in full sun for the best leaf color and the most flowers. Purple varieties turn greenish in shade, and gold ones need some afternoon shade in hot climates.
• Soil. Any well-drained soil works, including poor, rocky or alkaline soil. Wet, heavy soil is the main thing that kills smoke trees, through root rot and verticillium wilt.
• Water. Water regularly the first year. After that, smoke trees are very drought tolerant.
• Pruning for flowers. Smoke trees flower on last year’s wood. If you want smoke, prune lightly in late winter, only to remove dead or crossing branches.
• Pruning for leaves. For bigger, more colorful leaves on a smaller plant, cut the stems back to 1 to 2 feet from the ground in late winter (coppicing). You lose the flowers that year, but the new shoots grow 4 to 6 feet with oversized leaves.
• Smoke varies. Some plants make much more smoke than others, even within a variety. Buy a plant in bloom if the plumes are what you want.