Description
Styrax – Snowbell –
There are approximately 100, deciduous or evergreen shrubs and small trees in this genus. They are found naturally occurring in woodlands and thickets in Eastern Asia, and North America, including Mexico, with one from Europe. They are grown for their graceful habit, flowers, and their alternate, short stalked, variably shaped smooth edged or toothed leaves. The daintily, nodding, bell shaped or sup shaped, fragrant white flowers may be solitary, borne in pendent, terminal or axillary racemes or panicles or produced in clusters on short branchlets, they appear on previous year wood in spring or summer. Grow as specimens or in a woodland garden.
Grow in moist but well drained, fertile, humus rich, neutral to acidic soil in full sun or partial shade with cool moist summers.
S. americanus – American Snowbell – This rounded, deciduous shrub from Southeastern USA grows 10′ feet tall and 8′ feet wide. It has gray brown branches that are thinly coated with golden down when young. It produces elliptic, smooth edged or toothed, dark green leaves, to 3″ long, and somewhat downy beneath. It bears pendulous bell shaped white flowers, 3/4″ long, with narrow, backward curving petals, are borne singly or in small clusters of up to 4, in late spring and midsummer.
Zones 6-8
