| General Description | The ‘Royal purple’ smoke bush has dark purple (sometimes red) leaves as well as pink billowy hairs on the stems of the plant during certain seasons and is easy to care for. |
| ID Characteristic | Dark purple leaves, long pink hair surrounding the plant (depending on season), and purplish brown bark |
| Shape | This ornamental smoke bush has a round shape. |
| Landscape | This plant can be used as a hedge, mass planting, and as a specimen. |
| Propagation | The ‘Royal purple’ can either propagated from seeds or cuttings. If one was to do it with seeds, they would need to take some smoke tree seeds and soak them for 12 hours and after that, dry them and soak them for another 12 hours. Then, after the winter season has passed plant the seed in a sunny area with sandy/well-drained soils, pressing them 9cm into the soil a good distance apart. Finally, water gently and keep soil moist. On the other hand, if done by cuttings they would need to take a stem cutting (not new growth) that is about palm length during the summer. The sample should be taken early in the day then, remove the lower leaf’s and strip off a bit of bark off of the bottom part (covering the wound in root hormone afterwards). Lastly, prepare a pot with good-draining growing medium with stakes in each to corner to hold a bag over the plant to keep the medium moist. |
| Cultivation | Royal Purple smoke bush is best suited to full sun in well-drained average medium soil. Good drainage is an important part of the plant’s growth; Soggy and or moist soils will not suffice (use mulch to help with moisture retention). After the plant is settled it will be more resistant to drought. Moreover, the plant can grow in both acidic and alkaline soils. |
| Pests | An insect that causes problems is the Oblique banded leaf roller. The plant is also susceptible to leaf spot and verticillium wilt. Usually occurs in warmer conditions as well as in poorly- drained soils. |
| Notable Specimens | Fanshawe college in London Ontario, Canada. |
| Habitat | Horticultural origin. |
| Bark/Stem Description | Brown bark that turns a lighter brown as the plant gets older. Additionally it young stems are dark-purple and are smooth to the touch. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description | The leaf buds are alternately arranged and are dark purple (sometimes turning reddish). The buds are 1 cm long. |
| Leaf Description | The leaves are obovate and are 8-10 cm, dark purple, and red in the autumn. The leaf has a pinnate venation and an entire leaf margin. |
| Flower Description | Royal Purple hosts 15 cm panicles of small yellow flowers that during the months of June, July, and August have hair-like pink plumes that give it the smoky look from afar. |
| Fruit Description | This plant hosts small drooping kidney shaped fruit that has a length and width smaller than an inch. The fruit has no ornamental value. |
| Colour Description | The leaves of the plant are dark purple, red in the springtime. The flowers are yellow with puffy pink hairs covering the plant in the summertime. The bark is brown turning a lighter brown as the plant grows older. |
| Texture Description | The plant has a medium texture that does not really change throughout the seasons. |