Cotinus coggygria 'NCCO1'

Summary

South Coast Research & Extension Center (South Coast REC/SCREC) is located in Irvine California, this site has a sandy loam soil and plants are irrigated with reclaimed water. UC Davis is located in Davis, California, this site has a silty clay loam soil and plants are irrigated with potable water. More information about the field sites is located in the Nuts & Bolts section.

Winecraft Black® is a medium to large-sized shrub with roundish reniform leaves which emerge a rich wine-red color before turning a dark black-purple with a silvery sheen. The common moniker smokebush is ascribed to Cotinus due to the flowering: the individual florets are small and unremarkable, while the many pedicels and rachises result in showy panicles with a hazy or smoky appearance. Winecraft Black flowered from late April/early May to early/mid-June in Davis and Irvine. Overall, the plants were more floriferous in Irvine, with a floral score of at least 1 recorded during June for 20 of 21 plants, whereas in Davis this only occurred for 9 of 24 plants. The foliage color and overall form of this plant were non-uniform, and we believe this is a shrub that would benefit from pruning to shape and perhaps more time to grow to its full potential. Unfortunately, this non-uniformity did impact ratings, especially later in the season as leaves dropped from bare lower branches as the plants grew.

In Davis, differences in the relative plant growth index (RPGI) were observed during the deficit season between the high and medium treatments compared to the low treatment. In Irvine, a similar situation occurred, the medium and low-water treatments yielded significantly less growth than the high treatment. Thrips damage negatively impacted foliage quality on all treatments in Davis by mid-August, though from a distance this damage wasn’t as noticeable. In Irvine, pest resistance was statistically better on the less frequently irrigated treatments. Vigor scores began to decline after August as plants stopped pushing new growth in September at both sites, which is expected for plants that are winter deciduous. At both sites, no difference in Overall Appearance ratings was observed between treatments. For this reason, researchers recommend irrigating Cotinus Winecraft Black on low in WUCOLS regions 2 and 3. However, if a larger plant is desired in region 2, Winecraft Black could be irrigated on medium water.

Growth and Quality Data

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