Purple Smoke Tree

Our Purple Smoke Tree at the St.Helens Station is in bloom. This tree was donated by the St. Heelns Garden Club a few years ago.

The actual name for this plant is the Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'.

Cotinus gets its common names, smoke bush or smoke tree, from its panicles of spent flowers that appear like puffs of smoke around the plant. It is easy to see why Great Plant Picks chose this shrub for their 2005 list. As summer draws near, the leaves turn purple, almost black, a nice contrast to the red veins and edging of the leaf margins. ‘Royal Purple’ has leaves which change color throughout the seasons, starting out in spring sporting its new fresh attire of maroon-red. In fall, its fashion statement appears in shades of scarlet.