Chionanthus retusus

Chionanthus retusus, the Chinese fringetree,[2] is a flowering plant in the family Oleaceae. It is native to eastern Asia: eastern and central China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.[3]

Chionanthus retusus
Specimen at Osaka-fu, Japan
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Genus: Chionanthus
Species:
C. retusus
Binomial name
Chionanthus retusus

It is a deciduous shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 metres (70 ft) in height, with thick, fissured bark. The leaves are 3–12 centimetres (1–5 in) long and 2–6.5 cm (0.8–2.6 in) broad, simple ovate to oblong-elliptic, with a hairy, 0.5–2 cm (0.2–0.8 in) long petiole. The flowers are white, produced in panicles 3–12 cm (1–5 in) long. The fruit is a blue-black drupe 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 0.6–1 cm (0.2–0.4 in) in diameter.[3]

It is cultivated in Europe and North America as an ornamental tree, valued for its feathery white flowerheads.[4]

In Japan's Aichi Prefecture near Inuyama there is a grove of seven mature Chionanthus retusus renowned for their yearly white blooms. They were designated by the authorities as a natural monument since 1923.[5]

  • Foliage and fruit
    Foliage and fruit
  • Bark
    Bark
  • Flowers
    Flowers
  • Habitat:waterside and bark, Taiwan.
    Habitat:waterside and bark, Taiwan.

References
  1. "Chionanthus retusus". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  2. "Chionanthus retusus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  3. "Chionanthus retusus". Flora of China. Vol. 15. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
  5. "White Splendor"
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