Cotinus coggygria / Smoke shrub

Origin: Southern Europe, Asia.

Botanical characteristics: It is a small tree or bushy shrub. It has oval leaves with long bright green petioles. in autumn they turn yellow, orange or red. Flowers bloom from early summer to autumn. They are showy panicles that turn into feathery infructescenses that are green at first, then tawny and finally grey.

Agronomic and environmental characteristics: It can be found in northern Italy in thickets and rocks. It prefers well-drained dry rocky and calcareous soils in full sun.

Use: It is used in road embankments, vacant areas, ruins and hillsides or in gardens as a single plant or in groups and mixed hedges.