Considered a small tree or a large shrub. Rounded bluish to dark green leaves that turn a spectacular mix of yellow,orange and amber to red and burgundy in fall. Huge pale green clusters of flowerheads with silken hairs, up to 12″ across, form the appearance of “smoke” in late spring. Bark is an attractive gray-brown and scaly when mature. Our native Smoketree is much better and easier to grow than its Asian cousins that are more often seen in the trade.

Left: Kelly Redford planting Cotinus obovatus at Southern Boone County Public Library in 2017, photo by Bill Ruppert. Right: the same tree in 2020, photo by Carol Davit.