coggygria – from the Greek word kokkugia, meaning smoke tree (smoke refers to appearance of hairy fruit stalks that turn a smoky pink to purplish pink in summer)

Native range: S. Europe to C. China & Himalayas

Leaves:

• alternate
• simple
• entire oval to orbicular
• 1.5–3.5” long
• apex rounded, slight point, or sometimes emarginate
• well-marked with secondary veins running in parallel from mid-vein

Flowers:

• inflorescence – large, loose, terminal multi-branched (panicles) often with purplish hairs, flowers appears like “smoke”
• 5 petals, yellowish
• 5 sepals
• 5 stamens
• 2 styles
• flowers small (1/3” across)

Fruit:

• small kidney shaped drupe that resemble flattened peppercorn
• structure of inflorescence remains after seeds drop

Other characteristics:

• shrub to 15 ft. & as wide
• multi-stemmed
• ~ wider than tall
• cultivars – many purple leaved cultivars, some green, red stays most colorful in sunny locations, has good red fall color

Relevant info:

• heartwood used for orange-yellow dye for silk and wool for centuries
• tannins in leaves and bark were used to treat animal hides
• aromatic oil has been extracted from leaves and flowers
• traditionally been used in folk medicine
• has been written about for more than 2,000 years (before C.E.)
• the name Linneaus gave to this plant in 1753 was Rhus cotinus
  • when the genus was divided to better reflect evolutionary relationships, the species name became the name of a new genus with two species (though C. coggygria populations in China are considered by some taxonomists to constitute several other species)
• the other species in this genus, C. obovatus, is native to SE U.S. (from Texas to Kentucky) and is found on rocky limestone hills and mountain canyons to 1000 m. elevation
• several cultivars are hybrids of this native species and C. coggygria

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native from southern Europe to central China
• found in hill forests, hill and mountain thickets
• 700–2400 m.
• soils range from well-drained and sandy to heavy clays
• pollinated by short-tongued bees and flies
• seed dispersal – small, somewhat flattened seeds are dispersed by wind
• vegetative regeneration/reproduction:
  • re-sprouts from base
  • spreads by layering
• herbivore/microbial defense – tissues contain numerous compounds (such as tannins, terpenes, and flavonoids) that prevent infection or deter consumption
• drought resistant – seedlings respond to continuous drought stress by altering their root morphology (i.e., increasing root tip number, root fork number, root surface area, and average root diameter), which likely enable more effective uptake of water in limited supply