Chionanthus retusus Bob McCartney humid Deep South

humid Deep South

and cut a few sprigs of the holly-like foliage for winter arrangements

Grown on its own roots

and freely produced against the dark leaves in early spring

The confusion is old and well documented

Chionanthus retusus Bob McCartney humid Deep SouthFor a week or two in late spring, the Chinese fringetree vanishes under what looks like a fresh fall of snow. Chionanthus retusus is a deciduous small tree of eastern Asia, native across China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, and the whole performance turns on the flowering: dense, lacy panicles of narrow, strap shaped petals, pure white and softly fragrant, break over the entire canopy until the leaves all but disappear beneath the froth. The genus name