19 Different Smoke Tree Varieties

Are you looking for stunning and bold trees and shrubs with magnificent foliage and distinctive flowering to plant in your garden? Well, look no further than different varieties of Smoke Trees. Bold autumn hues and early flower plumes that appear like a cloud of smoke are the two standout elements of all Smoke Tree cultivars. Read on to learn more about them! 

Cotinus coggygria, also known as Smoke Tree or Smoketree, is an upright, loose-spreading, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub or tree native from central China to southern Europe. Typically, Smoke Trees grow up to be 10 to 15 feet tall and wide. These trees get their interesting moniker from the billowy hairs attached to their elongated stalks on the spent flower clusters. These hairs turn purplish or smoky pink and give the entire tree habitat the appearance of being covered in hazy, fluffy, smoke-like puffs. 

Smoke Trees feature bluish-green, purple, red, gray-green, purplish-red foliage that develops wonderfully resplendent fall hues of bold and fiery reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. In fact, many gardeners associate its brilliant purple foliage with all varieties of the cotinus tree, despite the fact that some Smoketree varieties have green leaves. 

If you plan to plant Smoke Trees in your garden, make sure to plant them in a sun-kissed or at least speckled location. They grow wonderfully well in a wide variety of well-drained, medium-moist soils. If you want the trees to bloom, prune them lightly in early spring if needed. However, if you’re not interested in the blossoms, you can prune them heavily to promote new leaf growth. 

So, without any ado, let’s take a look at nineteen Smoke Tree varieties! 

1. Golden Spirit Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘ancot’
  • Flowering in: Late Spring to Mid-Summer
  • Height: 10 ft
cotinus coggygria ancot
Wendy Cutler Cotinus coggygria ‘ancot’

Golden Spirit Smoke Tree is well-known for its unique golden foliage. It’s a small-sized, deciduous, upright, loose-spreading Smoke Tree cultivar that produces tiny yellow flowers. The blossoms are followed by smoky summer panicles. It also features obovate to ovate, yellow leaves that turn burgundy, amber, green, and scarlet in fall. 

2. ‘Grace’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus ‘grace’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 15 ft
Cotinus Grace
Averater Cotinus ‘Grace’

‘Grace’ Smoke Tree is a fast-growing, upright cotinus cultivar that tends to spread with age. It features rounded, rich purple-burgundy or copper-purple leaves that turn brown during summer and then orange-red and rich red in fall. It also produces large, feathery, and beaded deep pink blossoms. If you want this tree to grow upright with large leaves, make sure to prune it regularly. 

3. ‘Nordine’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus ‘nordine’
  • Flowering in: Summer to Fall
  • Height: 15 ft
Cotinus coggygria Nordine
James St. John Cotinus coggygria ‘Nordine’

‘Nordine’ Smoke Tree has striking ruby-red or burgundy-bronze leaves that develop varying degrees of reddish-purple, red, and orange hues in autumn. You can grow this small-sized cotinus cultivar as a border shrub or as a single accent specimen. Just make sure to plant it in full sun or at least partial shade. It grows well in colder climates. 

4. ‘Notcutt’s Variety’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘notcutt’s variety’ 
  • Flowering in: Late Spring to Mid-Summer
  • Height: 15 ft

‘Notcutt’s Variety’ Smoke Tree is a small-sized, upright, bushy Smoke Tree cultivar. It features wine-red or purple-red, oval leaves that turn orange and red in autumn. This tree also produces feathery, pale-pink blossoms that grow in panicles throughout summer. This cultivar was raised at Notcutts Nurseries, Suffolk, in 1915. 

5. ‘Pink Champagne’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘Pink Champagne’
  • Flowering in: Late Spring to Mid-Summer
  • Height: 10 ft

‘Pink Champagne’ Smoke Tree is a small-sized cotinus cultivar with bronze-tinted new leaves that turn pale green and then develop a slight mauve-pink edge. The leaves turn beautiful shades of red and orange during fall. This tree produces an abundance of striking pink flower plumes during summer. 

6. ‘Royal Purple’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘royal purple’
  • Flowering in: Late Spring to Mid-Summer
  • Height: 15 ft
Cotinus coggygria Royal Purple
Leonora (Ellie) Enking Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’

‘Royal Purple’ Smoke Tree is a large, bushy shrub with a profusion of rounded, deep-purple leaves that develop a rich red and purple hue in autumn. It’s a garden favorite due to its striking fall foliage. It features pink-purple flower plumes that have creamy-yellow tips at their peaks. You can grow the ‘Royal Purple’ Smoke Tree as a stunning background shrub. 

7. ‘Velvet Cloak’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘velvet cloak’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 12 ft 
Cotinus coggygria Velvet Cloak
Stan Shebs Cotinus coggygria ‘Velvet Cloak’

‘Velvet Cloak’ Smoke Tree is a purple-leaved cotinus cultivar. This loose-spreading, upright, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub features tiny, yellowish blossoms that grow in branching panicles. It also grows obovate to ovate, deep-purple leaves that develop an orange-red hue in fall. These trees are susceptible to verticillium wilt, rust, and leaf spot. 

8. Old Fashioned Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘old fashioned’ 
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 6-8 ft

Old Fashioned Smoke Tree is a fast-growing cotinus cultivar with large, ovate to obovate leaves that grow with a reddish-pink to purple hue and then turn blue-green with pink veining in summer. The foliage develops fiery red, orange, and purple hues in fall. This tree produces tiny yellow blossoms that form wispy panicles that appear as clouds of smoke. 

9. Purple Supreme Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘purple supreme’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 8-10 ft

Purple Supreme Smoke Tree is a small-sized cultivar that features long-lasting, pinkish-purple, smoke-like airy seed clusters that are complimented by reddish-purple foliage. The deciduous leaves turn scarlet in fall. If you want to accentuate its striking colors plant it with other shrubs. It will grow well in well-drained average soils and full sun. Water the tree deeply and regularly during the growing season and prune heavily to promote large, colorful foliage. 

10. Cotton Candyâ„¢ American Smoketree 

  • Cotinus obovatus ‘northstar’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 6-10 ft 

Cotton Candy™ American Smoketree is a small-sized, deciduous, multi-stemmed tree or shrub that features airy plumes of pink blossoms. It has bluish-green, obovate to elliptical foliage that turns orange and red in fall. This adaptable, low-maintenance, and hardy tree has a warty, gray bark and a rounded habitat. You can grow it as an accent tree or as part of a hedge. 

Related: 8 Plants That Look Like Cotton Candy

11. American Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus obovatus
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 15 ft 
American Smoketree
Jim Linwood American Smoketree

American Smoke Trees are small-sized, deciduous Missouri natives with a rounded habitat. They grow large clusters of minute, yellowish-green blossoms and feature billowy hairs that grow on their stalks and turn pinkish purple or smoky pink in summer. These hairs give the appearance of fluffy, hazy, smoke-like puffs. This tree also features bluish-green, obovate leaves that turn reddish-purple, red, orange, and yellow in fall. You can grow American Smoke Tree as part of a shrub border or a striking standalone accent tree. 

12. ‘Young Lady’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus ‘young lady’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 4 ft
Cotinus coggygria Young Lady
Leonora (Ellie) Enking Cotinus coggygria ‘Young Lady’

‘Young Lady’ Smoke Tree is a compact, shrubby version of the Smoke Tree. It features ornamentally attractive and floriferous blossoms. This is an upright, loose-spreading, deciduous, and multi-stemmed shrub with insignificant yellowish flowers that grow in long, branching panicles. It has medium-green, obovate to ovate leaves that turn red, orange, and yellow in fall. Its stalks are covered with billowy smoky pink hairs that give the appearance of hazy, smoke-like, fluffy puffs. 

13. Cotinus ‘Flame’

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘flame’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 13-26 ft

Cotinus ‘Flame’ is a bushy, deciduous, large shrub with rounded to oval purple-hued leaves that turn bright red and orange in fall. This shrub produces large, feathery pink inflorescences. The plumes develop a smoky, fluffy appearance. It grows exceptionally well in full sun and partial shade and needs well-drained, moist soils to thrive. 

14. Red Beauty Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘red beauty’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 6-13 ft 

Red Beauty Smoke Tree is a small-sized tree with deciduous, rounded green to rich purple, almost uniquely black foliage. It produces purple-red plume-like panicles that appear like poofs of smoke. This tree produces long-lasting, distinctive red to purple-hued blossoms that develop a dark red hue in maturity. Red Beauty Smoke Tree thrives in poor, rocky soils with excellent drainage. 

15. Kanari Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘kanari’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 6-13 ft 

Kanari Smoke Tree is a small-sized, distinctive cotinus variety that features fresh lemon-yellow foliage that develops a pale green hue in maturity. The foliage turns a spectacular shade of purple in fall. This tree features striking, creamy-white flower plumes that turn distinctively beige, making this variety different from any other smoke bush cultivars. 

16. Dusky Maiden/Londus Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘dusky maiden’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 7 ft

Dusky Maiden or Londus Smoke Tree is a small-sized bushy tree. It features minute, waxy-edged, deep burgundy leaves that develop a rich red hue in autumn. This tree was bred at Longstock Park, Hampshire, in 1997. It’s inarguably one of the finest smaller, purple-leaved cultivars of the Cotinus. 

17. Rubrifolius Group Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria rubrifolius group
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 13-26 ft

Rubrifolius Group Smoke Trees are tall-sized, bushy, deciduous shrubs that bear both green and purple, deciduous, rounded leaves that develop a red hue in autumn. These shrubs produce large, feather panicles of tiny, pink-hued blossoms that are hidden in large, fluffy plumes. These cultivars grow well in moist, well-drained soils and exposed or partially sheltered locations. 

18. Smokey Joe = ‘Lisjo’ Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘lisjo’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 3-7 ft 

Smokey Joe or ‘Lisjo’ Smoke Tree is a compact-growing, seedling variety from England. It features abundant striking pink and plum-hued blossoms and green, obovate leaves that develop a bright red or orange hue in autumn. It also grows mall, insignificant pinkish blossoms. You can grow Smokey Joe Trees in planting containers, as group shrubs, or as a single specimen for decorative ornamentation. 

19. Daydream Eurasian Smoke Tree

  • Cotinus coggygria ‘Daydream’
  • Flowering in: Summer
  • Height: 10-15 ft
Daydream Smoketree
Greg5030 ‘Daydream’ Smoketree

Daydream Smoke Tree is a small-sized Smoke Tree cultivar known for its massive, dense, extra fluffy clusters of maroon and shell-pink blossoms. It features gray-green leaves that turn excellent shades of gold and burgundy in fall. This cultivar is susceptible to rust and leaf spots. You can grow it as a single specimen or in a mixed shrub hedge in a sunny area.