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Cotinus obovatus

Common name:	Chittamwood	Family:	Anacardiaceae
Author:	Raf.	Botanical references:	11, 43, 200
Synonyms:	Rhus cotinoides (Nutt.), Cotinus americanus (Nutt.)
Known Hazards:	Skin contact with this plant can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[200]. Though related to several poisonous species, this species is definitely not poisonous[65].
Range:	South-eastern N. America - Tennessee to Alabama and Texas.
Habitat:	Calcareous rocky woods and bluffs[43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	American Smoketree [DEN1,B,P], Smoke Tree [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	obovatus = obovate (inversely egg shaped); ovatus = oval;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Sapindales. Sumac family

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 10m by 8m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen in September. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Dye; Wood.

An orange or yellow dye is obtained from the wood[46, 61, 82, 169]. This was extensvely used in America at the time of the Civil War, but is little used commercially at present[274].
Wood - light, soft, rather coarse grained, very durable in the soil[82, 149, 229]. It weighs about 40lb per cubic foot[235]. Trees are too small and rare for commercial exploitation, but the wood is used locally for fence posts[82, 149, 229].

Cultivation details

Tolerates most soils[202]. Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[200], doing better in a soil that is not very rich[11]. Tolerates light shade[188].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[202], though die-back often occurs at the tips of shoots during the winter[202].
Plants are slow to establish but are then quite fast growing when young though they slow down with age[202]. Plants respond well to coppicing[229].
Hybridizes with C. coggygria[182].
A very ornamental plant[1]. The young leaves have an aromatic fragrance when bruised[245].
This species is in danger of extinction in the wild due to its being cut down for use in making a dye, this occurred especially during the N. American civil war[Notes on a board at Kew].
Plants flower on wood that is at least 3 years old[202]. Any pruning is best done in the spring[202]. Seed production is normally poor because many of the flower clusters are sterile[229].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[78, 113, 200]. It should germinate in the spring. Slightly immature or 'green' seed, harvested when it has fully developed but before it dries on the plant, gives the best results[113]. Warm stratify stored seed for 2 - 3 months at 15°c, then cold stratify for 2 - 3 months[164]. Germination can be very slow, often taking 12 months or more at 15°c[164]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed has a long viability and should store for several years[113].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[113].
Trench layering in spring[200].

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The young leaves have an aromatic fragrance when bruised[245].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Cotinus americanus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Rhus cotinoides (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Anacardiaceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[149] Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987 ISBN 0-292-78958-3
Fairly readable, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

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