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Chionanthus virginicus
Also called American Fringetree, American Fringe Tree, Fringetree, Fringe Tree, Grancy Greybeard, Old Man's Beard, Sweetheart Tree
White fringetree is a small native tree of the eastern and southeastern United States, grown for its fragrant, fringe-like white flowers in spring and clear yellow autumn colour. It prefers moist soil and a sheltered spot, and is often grown with multiple trunks.
Chionanthus virginicus (white fringetree) is a tree native to the savannas and lowlands of the northeastern and southeastern United States, from Massachusetts south to Florida, and west to Oklahoma and Texas.
Although native in the southeastern United States, it is hardy in the north and is extensively planted in gardens, where specimens are often grown with multiple trunks. The white flowers are best seen from below. Fall color is a fine, clear yellow, a good contrast with viburnums and evergreens. It prefers a moist soil and a sheltered situation. It may be propagated by grafting on Ash (Fraxinus sp.). The wood is light brown, sapwood paler brown; heavy, hard, and close-grained.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chionanthus virginicus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
