Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Sapindales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Cotinus obovatus
FAMILY
Anacardiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cotinus obovatus
FAMILY
Anacardiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cotinus obovatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cotinus americanus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) -
Cotinus obovata
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 13
Cotinus obovatus
COMMON NAME:
American Smoketree
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Manual of the Trees of North America (Exclusive of Mexico) (Sargent, 1905) mtna_i_690
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_coam11_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / US Forest Service pnd_coob2_001_lhd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_cotinus_obovatus_14
April
Bark grayish-brown, thin, broken into oblong scales, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_cotinus_obovatus_7
April
)
Sam Pratt sbp_1706
May Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
Leaves obovate, blunt-tipped or notched, dark green above, pubescent below, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
Sam Pratt sbp_dscf3730
May Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
)
Sam Pratt sbp_dscf3733
May Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm201014_7683
October Spartanburg County SC
In cultivation
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (2/10/25):
Cotinus obovatus
FAMILY
Anacardiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Cotinus obovatus
FAMILY
Anacardiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Cotinus obovatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Cotinus americanus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
-
Cotinus obovata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 13
Cotinus obovatus
392
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: Glades, exposed bluffs, and dry upland woodlands over calcareous soils and rock outcrops, per Weakley's Flora
Native to Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Greenish-white
5-parted calyx
5 petals
5 stamens
Usually unisexual, often sterile
Flowers in terminal clusters
FRUIT:
Greenish
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p163
- Identifying Trees: An All-Season Guide to Eastern North America (Williams, 2007) p362
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p096
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p014
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p085
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p063
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p253
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p30
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p114
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".