PLANTprofile Native Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus)
Fabulous Fringe Tree
well-drained location. As a specimen tree, the Asian Fringe Tree is a “Stop and Stare.” People with this tree report a deep admiration and love for it as it develops over time. Passersby inevitably stop to ask, “What is the name of that tree?” But apparently they forget it by the time they get home or to the next garden center, because it still appears to be one of the well-kept secrets of the trade. One long-time retail tree sales manager loves it and remains perplexed at its, and its native cousins’ relative obscurity.
Fringe Tree History
by Judith Mensh Michael Dirr and other plant experts wish to see the Chionanthus virginicus become our national native tree. Fringe trees deserve to inhabit a large part of our repertoire as designers, landscapers, and home owners. As either a large shrub or small tree, it is a must in the 21st-century garden. In autumn, we see a spectrum of yellows flowing from pale to golden, provided by the ginkgo, maples, hickory, and tulip poplars, and the fringe trees, both the native Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus) and the Asian Fringe Tree (Chionanthus retusus). In warmer areas, the green leaves may turn predominantly brown. A cold fall will produce the best fall leaf color, but even in a year of brown leaves, the pretty darkblue drupes persist on the female trees and invite the local birds to decorate the tree with their presence. Although dioecious, the occasional tree will have both male and female flowers. An explosion of fragrant white flowers opens in the late spring. The Fringe Tree is one of the last flowering trees to bloom and leaf out. It is spectacular for the two to three weeks of its bloom time. The native and Asian Fringe Trees have differences and similarities: the native tree flowers along its branches before it leafs out, while the Asian variety flowers at the end of its branches, with its leaves. Its leaves are more tough and waxy and remarkably free of pests. 6
WASHINGTON GARDENER
NOVEMBER 2014
While the leaves are distinctly different, both are deciduous trees with similar flowers, fragrant, white, and graceful; both may be trained as a single stem or allowed to form a multistem structure. In this area, we often see the native species presented as a multi-stemmed shrub, and the foreign species as a single-stemmed specimen. Once the essential shape has been committed to, limbing up, for example, pruning is unnecessary. Allow it to establish its shape and density. The bark of an aging Asian Fringe Tree provides textural appeal with its gray-brown exfoliating appearance. Not to be confused with the Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense), which is a southern shrub with a pink fringe petal flower, but unrelated. The Fringe Tree is deer-resistant, utility-friendly, non-invasive, and slow-growing. The good qualities of this genus lead those who know it to love it. It is a host plant for the Rustic sphinx. The flowers attract butterflies and are pollinated by bees. It is considered an excellent replacement, and is specifically recommended, for the Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana), that 1950s dream flowering tree turned invasive nightmare. Used in floodplain site reforestation, planted in disturbed soils, used along medium strips, and in urban settings, the native Fringe Tree tolerates wet soils. The Asian Fringe Tree, sometimes labelled as chinensis, thrives only in a
Found growing throughout the southeast and beyond, this woody plant was well known to the native inhabitants, specifically the Choctaw, who used the root to treat inflammation and the bark to aid in the healing of wounds. The native Fringe Tree was first introduced into commerce by plantsman John Bartram in 1760. It is in the same family (Oleaceae) as Forsythia and Lilac. The name Chionanthus is from the Greek meaning Snow Flower, as named by Lineus in 1736. This native tree has been in our gardens and European gardens since the 18th century, yet it’s still a stranger. The British are especially fond of it. The roots and bark used historically as medicinal plants are still dried and used to heal the liver. The Asian Fringe Tree came into the American garden in the later 19th century.
Optimal Conditions
Look for newly arrived Fringe Trees in the spring at local garden centers. It is recommended as the best planting time. They often arrive at the nursery in full bloom. Full sun seems to be tolerated well by both species; protection from afternoon sun in the south is always merciful. As a happy understory tree, dappled shade works well. The Asian variety will need well-drained, but not necessarily dry, soil and seems content to stand alone as a specimen tree, developing interesting bark and branch forms as it ages. Both the native and foreign Fringe Tree serves well as a specimen tree, particularly against a background of dark-green evergreens. The native works well as an understory tree along-