Chionanthus retusus
Object Details
- Description
- The Chinese fringetree is known for being a lovely ornamental tree, with fragrant white flowers and dark blue fruit providing visual interest in two seasons.
- Hardiness
- -20 - 30 F
- Attracts
- Attracts birds with fruit.
- Bloom Time
- Late spring to early summer.
- Provenance
- From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin
- Data Source
- Smithsonian Gardens
- Accession Number
- 2012-1471A
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Life Form
- Deciduous tree
- Average Height
- 10-20'
- Bark Characteristics
- Exfoliating, gray-brown
- Bloom Characteristics
- Clusters of white flowers with fringe-like petals grow in clusters up to 4" long at the ends of branches. Mildly fragrant.
- Dioecious
- Yes.
- Fall Color
- Yellow
- Foliage Characteristics
- Simple, opposite or nearly opposite, leathery, ovate leaves have entire margins. 2-4" long. Young leaves have serrate margins. Leaves are green above and whitish-green and downy beneath.
- Fruit Characteristics
- Olive-like, ripen to dark blue-black in the late summer and early fall. .5" long.
- Structure
- Rounded, spreading.
- Range
- C and S China, Taiwan, S Korea, Japan (C Honshu, Tsushima)
- Habitat
- Full sun to part shade, average to meduim moisture
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection
- On Display
- National Museum of Natural History
- Common Name
- Chinese Fringe Tree
- Group
- [vascular plants]
- Class
- Equisetopsida
- Subclass
- Magnoliidae
- Superorder
- Asteranae
- Order
- Lamiales
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Genus
- Chionanthus
- Species
- retusus
- Topic
- Trees
- Living Collections
- Record ID
- ofeo-sg_2012-1471A
