Your help is appreciated. We depend on donations to help keep this site free and up to date for you. Can you please help us?

Donate

Native Plant Trust: Go Botany Discover thousands of New England plants

Questions and Answers: 2020

Question: I treasure a smoke shrub that was planted about 20 years ago, and recently noticed another similar but much smaller …

  • Question

    I treasure a smoke shrub that was planted about 20 years ago, and recently noticed another similar but much smaller one about a hundred yards away in a wild part of the garden.leaves identical as far as I can observe, but are alternate on the twigs, whereas the original 10ft shrub has clusters of 5 0r 6 opposing leaves on short branches. Please explain. Deep River, Ontario.

    Answer

    Dear JohnWHiborn, goof afternoon. I can't assist you with your question without seeing images. If we are discussing the same plant--Cotinus coggygria (smoke tree, a member of the Anacardiaceae), this is a species with alternate leaves. Why you would have one with opposite leaves I can't answer without an image to identify the cause. Sorry I cannot assist you.