Scumpia, the "wigwam shrub" used in traditional medicine, with its golden yellow-green striped wood

I came across the sweetheart when looking for information about bat wood. Because its colour is sometimes similar to the more reddish lilac flowers, some call it still lilac. But it is a different species. Recently, on one of the profile groups, someone was looking for information about this wood but didn't get anything concrete, so I went back to the sweetheart to look further. I discovered a very colourful but hard to find wood, which makes it even more appreciated by keen woodworkers. The pieces available are small being used for bowls, decorative spoons, pens or knife handles. What else we've learned about the sweetheart and her wood, find out below.

Scumpia, better known as a traditional medicinal herb and natural dye

While the wood is little known, the therapeutic capabilities of the plant are much better known. Scumpia is used in herbal and traditional medicine as an antifebrile, antiseptic, astringent, anti-inflammatory, cicatrizant, antivomaticide. The bark, harvested after the plant has turned green, and the leaves, harvested in May-June when the plant is in flower, are used. They are rich in tannins, volatile oils and other components with therapeutic action. Tea from the leaves and bark powder are used to treat gastric, liver and intestinal disorders or anorexia. Poultices heal skin conditions, and tea gargle treats mouth sores and resolves some respiratory ailments.

Scumpia has been used since the Middle Ages to dye wool and silk yarns. The colour, obtained from leaves and twigs, was yellow, orange-yellow or reddish-yellow. Unfortunately, the colours were not hard-wearing, as light faded them over time. Due to its high tannin content, the bark was also used for tanning leather. It is said that the first people to use the bark in tanning were the monks of the Beato Sante Monastery in Italy's Marche region. Perched on top of a hill, the monastery is surrounded by scumpie bushes, Scotano in Italian. This is why in the past it was called Santa Maria di Scotaneto. The particular process by which the monks tanned the skins with the bark of the scotch bonnet made them very soft and smooth.

Scumpia - wigwam, smoke, fog or Jupiter's beard wood

Scumpia is part of the Anacardianeaelike Cotinus. In this genus we find two species, Cotinus coggygriaor European sweetness and Cotinus obovatus, American sweetheart. In the literature you will find the European sweetbread under the name smoketree (smoke tree - English), albero of fog or scotano (fog tree or trembler -Italian), wig tree (wigwam tree - French) or peruckenbaum (In French it is also called the beard of Jupiter. Name Scumpy is recognised in all languages. The information in the article refers to the European sweetness, the one that is also found here.

Scumpia is native to central and southern Europe and Asia - India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Nepal, China. It has been acclimatised in North America and other countries in the northern hemisphere. In our country it is found mainly on the edges of the forests of Banat and Dobrogea, but it is also found in Oltenia, Muntenia and Moldova. Popular names are lilac, rui, oticet or smoke tree. It is cultivated in parks and private gardens because it has a special appearance, especially in autumn when the leaves turn bright red. It thrives best in poor well-drained soils, loves sun and light.

Scumpia is a shrub or small tree. It grows up to 1-2 m tall, but can reach up to 5 m under special conditions. The diameter of the trunks is 10-15 cm and even more if only one trunk is left. The bark is greyish-brown, fine and smooth at first, then becomes scaly. The leaves are oval and up to 10-13 cm long, with straight edges. They are green in summer and turn scarlet red in autumn. The flowers are yellow, star-like, gathered in 15-30 cm upward-pointing inflorescences. After flowering they are covered with small, fluffy florets that curl up and give a wiggly or smoky/oily appearance above the plant (hence the names in other languages). The fruit is a small drupe with a single seed. It flowers in May-June and bears fruit in July-August.

Wood of the scotch bonnet: properties, characteristics

Scumpia belongs to the deciduous genus. In cross-section through the trunk the difference between sapwood and heartwood is clearly visible. The sapwood is very light in colour, towards white, and the heartwood is golden-yellow to greenish-yellow, with inserts of different colours and alternating light and dark stripes. The stripes follow the annual rings, with the early wood lighter and the later wood darker. The wood has gloss, but the medullary rays can only be seen with a magnifying glass. The pores are very small, also visible with a magnifying glass.

The density of the wood at 12% moisture content is 540 kg/m³ find sufficiently hard and strong. It dries well, cracks and warps very little. The dried wood is stable with very little dimensional variation. It can be worked well with hand or machine tools, is easily planed and sanded and has a very pleasant sheen. Turns and carves easily. Resistance to moisture and insect attack is low so it is not recommended for outdoor projects.

Contains a yellow dye, so unprotected wood can stain. Finishes easily with oil or varnish. Because of the tannin can change the colour of the applied bath. There are no problems with gluing.

Used for small decorative objects or as inlay wood

Pieces of sweet wood are small and hard to find. That's why they're also expensive. The lucky ones can still find a small log left over from a shrub's pruning. The wood can be turned into pens or bowls. It turns green and is easy to dry. It can also be carved to make spoons or other decorative objects. It can also be used for knife handles. Because of its beautiful colours, it is sometimes used as a wood for inlay.

Scumpia is not a great supplier of wood. It is a shrub that grows at the edge of the forest or one that delights our eyes from May to late autumn in gardens and parks. The wood only appears when the little shrubs are grooming and we don't have to cut them down just to make a pen or a spoon. There are other more suitable sources for such items.

I hope you find the above information useful. As usual, additions are welcome. And if you have any questions or queries, please leave them in the space below. I'm sure I'll reply.

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