American Smoketree

Once abundant in the Southeast, the native American Smoketree (Cotinus obovatus), was detrimentally harvested in large quantities to extract dye during the Civil War Era. The heartwood of the smoketree is a vibrant yellow-orange color that was used in soldiers' uniforms and sashes. Today, it is rare to see a native smoketree in the wild, even on our 300-acre property. One of our only specimens resides on the eastern side of our Upper Pond.