Cotinus obovatus

Cotinus obovatus
Habit of C. obovatus at Aarhus Botanical Gardens
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Anacardiaceae
Genus:	Cotinus
Species:	C. obovatus
Binomial name
Cotinus obovatus
Natural range of Cotinus obovatus

Cotinus obovatus syn. C. americanus, the American smoketree,^[1] chittamwood or American smokewood, is a rare species of flowering plant in the genus Cotinus of the family Anacardiaceae, native to the southeastern USA. It is a deciduous, conical shrub growing to 10 m (33 ft) tall by 8 m (26 ft) broad, with oval leaves up to 12 cm (5 in) long. It produces panicles of pink-grey flowers in summer, and its foliage turns a brilliant scarlet in autumn; considered by many to be the most intense fall color of any tree. The smokey effect derives from the clusters of hairs on the spent flower stalks.^[2] It is cultivated in gardens and parks in temperate regions.^[3][4]

The Latin specific epithet obovatus means "in the shape of an inverted egg", and refers to the broadly oval shape of the leaves. The heartwood is a bright yellow. The species may be facing extinction in the wild.

References

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