The American smoke tree, scientifically known as Cotinus obovatus, is a deciduous and rounded tree native to Texas. It grows up to 20-30 feet tall and can also be a large, upright shrub. Despite its name, the smoke tree is not named after its tiny, insignificant, yellowish-green flowers that bloom in June. Rather, it gets its name from the billowy hairs that turn a smoky pink to purplish pink in summer, which are attached to elongated stalks on the spent flower clusters, thus covering the tree with fluffy, hazy, smoke-like puffs. The species name suggests that the bluish-green leaves are obovate. During the fall, the foliage turns various colors such as yellow, red, orange, and reddish-purple, producing some of the best fall colors of any native American trees and shru
