Smoketree/Smoke bush - Cotinus

coggygria

Habitat

• native to southern Europe to central China

Habit and Form

• a large, deciduous shrub

• can be trained as a small tree

• grows 12' to 15' tall with an equal spread

• multistemmed or single stemmed

• branching is upright and spreading

• sometimes becoming a bit open and loose

Summer Foliage

• alternate, simple, leaves with entire margins

• leaves are 1.5" to 3.5" long

• oval to obovate shape

• leaf tip rounded or notched

• veins are parallel coming off the midrib

• long petioles, up to 1.5" long

• leaf color is bluish-green

Flowers

• actual flowers are small and yellow-green

• flowering occurs in June

• the flowers are held in 6" to 8" long and wide panicles

• the showiness of the bloom results from plumy hairs on the sterile flowers

• the panicles change colors as their age during the months of June, July, august and September

• at their peak, the panicles are a "smokey" pink and can cover a plant

Fruit

• small and not ornamentally important

Bark

• stems are smooth purple or brown and are covered with a waxy bloom

• older stems develop a bark broken up into small, thin blocks

• older bark is light gray

Healing effects:

Drug:

The drug is given by the ripe, unharmed, healthy and dried true leaves.

Agents:

The leaf drug is very rich in flavonoids, organic acids and volatile oil too.

Effects:

It is proven useful as inflammation reducing, sterilizing, and constricting drug.

Its use is suggested in case of gastro-enteritis, stomach- and gut bleeding, but it used external as mouth swiller against gingivitis and sore throat.

Its brew is used against haemorrhoids while sitting bath.

The alcoholic extraction of the leaves is a local astringent.

There aren’t any known side-effects.

Usage:

Tea: Pour 2,5 decilitres of boiling water to 2 teaspoon of grinded leaves, then after 10 minutes pour off the brew. (Suggested in case of gastro-enteritis)

Swiller: Suggested in case of gingivitis and sore throat.

Sitting bath: Suggested in case of bleeding haemorrhoids.

Interesting facts about the smoke tree:

Industrial cropping and yellow painting substance are retrieved from the plants. Its tree was a beloved dyer in the handicraft of our country; folk artists use it nowadays too. The ‘Cotinus’ mouth-was given its name from the Latin word of the smoke tree.

Sponsors:

Ministry of National Resources

University of Szeged

KEFAG Zrt.

Future of Europe Association