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Nurseries & Gardens

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Chionanthus retusus

Also Known As

Chinese Fringe Tree

Plant type

tree, shrub

size

H: 15'-25'
W: 10'-25'

planting zones

6a-10b

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Chionanthus retusus plant details

Chionanthus retusus is a broadleaf deciduous shrub or tree with green foliage. In spring and summer white flowers emerge followed by black and blue fruit. Features glossy texture. Attracts birds. Grows well with sun - mostly shade and regular water. Does well in alkaline and well-drained soil. A good option if you're seeking something heat tolerant and pollution tolerant.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Chionanthus retusus

Plant type: shrub or tree
Plant family: oleaceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 10 FT - 25 FT - wide, 15 FT - 25 FT - tall
Flowers: white blooms in spring and summer

GROWING CONDITIONS for Chionanthus retusus

USDA Zones: 6a - 10b
Sun exposure: sun - mostly shade
Watering frequency: regular
Resistant to: heat and pollution
Soil needs: alkaline and well-drained

Nursery contributed plant descriptions

This highly ornamental shrub/tree bears a profusion of fleecy and fragrant snow-white flowers in spring. A lovely multi-trunked specimen featuring large lustrous deep-green leaves which are downy beneath. The male flowers are slightly showier than the female flowers, but the female plants if pollinated, bear damson-like fruits loved by birds. Ours are seedlings of unknown gender. S-PSh/M

By: Forestfarm

Named for its clustered, snow-white fleecy flowers, the broadly spreading Chinese Fringe Tree casts light shade with rounded leathery leaves. This deciduous Olive family member is a captivating, four season specimen displaying blue, egg-shaped summer fruit, warm yellow autumn foliage and peeling gray-brown bark in winter. Well sized for a lawn or small yard, it's easily cultivated in moist, loamy soil. Grows slowly. Hardy to zone 5. (T-0008)

By: Digging Dog Nursery

Like C. virginicus, Chinese Fringetree is an easily grown, small to medium tree. Flowers are borne at the ends of new shoots, weighing down the branches like wet snow. Few pests bother it. Always appealing across the seasons, the cinnamon-colored bark is most attractive in winter when contrasted against a snowy background.

By: Heritage Seedlings

A charming small tree that bears profuse white flowers in the early summer. Bright green leaves and tiny blue fruits in the fall. Shrubby in nature it grows 6-10? in ten years, and may eventually mature at 25? tall. Awards: First Class Certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society, Georgia Gold Medal Winner Recommended by: the United States National Arboretum

By: Fantastic Plants

Large, 4-7", clusters of fragrant brilliant white flowers are borne in spring as the rich green new growth emerges. A beautiful and easy small flowering tree. Rich dark glossy green foliage. Durability, toughness, and vigor lend this tree to use as a street tree or practically anywhere in the garden. Chinese Fringe is moderately drought tolerant once well established. Highly recommended by Dr. David Creech at Stephen F Austin University, Nacogdoches, Texas where a huge planting of this wonderful tree lines Wilson street on campus. A 2003 UGA Gold Medal winner!

By: Almost Eden

A large shrub that can be grown as a small tree. Gray bark may be peeling or tightly ridged. Leaves leathery & lustrous. Just as beautiful as the Virginia Fringe Tree and with the advantage that it will take limey as well as acid soil. Looks like a dome of snow. Handsome, even when not in flower. Withstands heat well. Shown to best advantage with a dark or shady background.

By: Lazy S'S Farm Nursery

This small rounded tree can grow to heights of 25' or more. A profusion of frothy white flower clusters appear in June or July. 4" leaves turn a deep yellow in the fall. Excellent growth habit.