Cotinus- an irritating plant

Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'- the purple leaved smoke bush is a stunning foliage shrub with rich coppery purple foliage and masses of curious small flowers in summer that appear as a haze of smoke. Like many foliage plants, the colour of the leaves is best on young growths and that may necessitate hard pruning. This pruning is best carried out in spring as soon as growth commences.

So why is the plant irritating?   The problem is that the plant is related to the notorious poison ivy of North America. If sap exposed by pruning cuts comes into contact with your skin, you may suffer nasty and long-lasting irritation. There is no need to panic, just ensure that you wear long sleeves and protective gloves when pruning this plant and avoid carrying out this operation on a sunny day as the sap can cause hypersensitivity to sunlight. 

I also find that the sap can coat pruning tools such as saws so clean them carefully after use. 

Large pruning cuts of Cotinus should be treated with care to avoid possible irritation.