Get to know this plant.
Identification clue 1
Rounded smooth-edged leaves
Identification clue 2
Airy smoke-like flower stalks
Identification clue 3
Small dry fruits
Read the leaves
Simple rounded or oval leaves attach alternately. Purple foliage is common in several selections and does not prove Royal Purple.
More growing details
Read the bark
Gray-brown bark becomes scaly with age.
Fruit & seed
The smoky plumes consist mainly of elongated hairy flower stalks; small dry fruits are scattered within them.
Winter character
Fine alternate twigs need leaves or flower remains for stronger identification.
Origin & place
An introduced garden species or horticultural hybrid; study it as part of WNC landscapes rather than assume it belongs to the native mountain flora.
Compare with American smoketree
Related species overlap; compare leaf size and shape plus flowering structures with a key, and verify cultivar provenance.
WNC Notes
Bold small-tree specimen for sunny drained sites; can be coppiced for foliage or limbed up.
Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
10–15
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
10–15
BLOOM SEASON
Late spring–summer
BLOOM COLOR
Catkins
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Yellow-brown
Wet-Soil Tolerance
High–high
Drought Tolerance
Low