FRINGE TREE AT A GLANCE COMMON NAME: Fringe
tree, old-man's-beard or flowering ash
SPECIES: Chionanthus (ki-o-nan'thus) virginicus (vir-gin'i-cus). In Greek, the name
means ``snow and flower'' and ``from Virginia.'' The genus Chionanthus is a member of the
olive family.
FORM: Large shrub or small tree with somewhat stiff, spreading branches with open form.
Round-topped, usually taller than wide. The trunk, which can reach 8-10 inches in
diameter, is short with branches forming close to the ground.
SIZE: 10-12 feet tall; 8-10 feet wide. Spread can exceed height. Slow grower.
LEAVES: Foliage late to leaf out in spring. Leaves are dark green on upper surface and
paler and somewhat hairy beneath. Leaves are 4-8 inches long with pointed tips. Leaf
margins often wavy, without teeth. In fall, leaves turn a yellowish color but can vary
from greenish to brown, to a good yellow.
FLOWERS: Showy, long clusters, 4-8 inches, of delicate spring flowers that are white
and fringe-like. Flowers on previous year's wood.
FRUITS: Ripen in late summer or early fall. Dark blue to nearly black, egg-shaped
fruits marked by a white, powdery bloom and contain a single seed. Fruits attractive to
wildlife, including birds, whitetail deer, quail and turkey. Male plants must be near
females for abundant fruit.
EXPOSURE: Sun.
VARIETIES: Choose nursery-propagated trees, not ones collected from the wild. Check
with local garden centers or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for retail sources
to: Virginia Native Plant Society, P.O. Box 844, Annandale, Va. 22003.
CULTURE: Needs medium moisture and medium drainage; medium fertility in sandy loam.
PRUNE: Thin occasionally to stimulate new growth.
PROBLEMS: None. Good in cities; tolerates smoke and dust.
RELATED SPECIES: Chionanthus retusus, native to China. Purple fringe tree is common
name for Cotinus Coggygria, also known as the smoke tree.
Sources: Virginia Native Plant Society and ``Landscape Plants of the Southeast''
The Virginia Native Plant Society has named the fringe tree as the 1997 Virginia
Wildflower of the Year. For information on local VNPS chapters and the native plant tours
they sponsor:
- Peninsula area: (804) 693-2953.
- South Hampton Roads (757) 481-2285.
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