Leaves/Needles:
- deep wine/royal purple
- often turn to light red purple in autumn
- oblong, spoon-shapes, alternate
- edge slightly wavy or smooth
-long petided leaves that turn grey with age

Cones/Flowers/Fruit:
- flowers grow late May, early June
-fruits grow from June- September 
- plume, small , egg-shaped, fleshy
- sterile flowers, thin, long, become clothed fuzzy hair (purple) called smoke 
-long,  loose branching clusters of small breenish flowers

Bark:
-slender stalks
- covered with tiny hairs
- yellow, odorous
 

Habitat:
- best under stress, poor, rocky soil
- must have fast drainage
-resistant to oak root fungus
- Europe to central China
-infrequet watering to avoid root rot

Uses:
- ornamental, cultavated as garden trees
- in landscaping
 

Other Interesting Facts:
- modern name of old favourite Rhus cotinus
- cousin, American Smoke tree (C. obovatus)
- in America popular so long, old-fashioned
- common name in 16 century, wig tree because of  "hair-like" flowers
- smoke, fruit found on female only, male no smoke