| Common Name: |
Chinese Fringe Tree |
| Scientific Name: |
Chionanthus retusus |
| Category: |
Tree |
| Habit: |
Deciduous |
| Form: |
Rounded, wide-spreading form |
| Flower Description: |
Terminal clusters (to 4 in. long) of mildly fragrant, pure white flowers with fringe-like petals |
| Bloom Season: |
Late spring to early summer |
| Fruit Description: |
Female flowers (if fertilized) give way to clusters of olive-like fruits (each to 1/2 in. long) which ripen to a dark bluish black in late summer/fall and are a good food source for birds and wildlife |
| Fragrance: |
Fragrant |
| Foliage Description: |
Lustrous, leathery leaves are ovate to elliptic and 4 in. long. Leaves on young plants have serrate margins. Leaves are bright green above and whitish-green plus downy beneath. Leaves turn yellow in fall |
| Trunk Description: |
Exfoliating gray-brown bark is attractive in winter |
| Height of Plant: |
10-20 ft. tall as a shrub; 30-40 ft. tall as a tree |
| Hardiness: |
USDA Zones 5 - 9 |
| Light Requirements: |
Full sun to partial shade; best flowering occurs in full sun |
| Water Usage: |
Intolerant of prolonged dry conditions |
| Soil Type: |
Prefers deep, moist, fertile, acidic soils |
| Native Range: |
Native to China, Korea and Japan |
| Usage: |
Flowering tree, rain garden |
| Maintenance: |
Low |
| Photographer: |
Richard Buggeln |
| Location: |
Japanese Garden |