Habitat

• hardy to zone 5
• native throughout the eastern half of North America. It is also found from Texas through parts of New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• 3' to 6' tall in the northern part of its range, but to 10' to 12' tall in the southern part of its range
• shape is rounded and spreading
• loose and somewhat open
• multistemmed

Summer Foliage

• deciduous simple leaves
• very late to leaf out in the spring
• opposite or whorled leaf arrangement
• ovate leaves with acute bases and tips
• 2" to 6" long and 1" to 3" wide
• medium to dark green color
• glossy

Autumn Foliage

• usually greenish-yellow to yellow

Flowers

• in globular heads about 1" across
• creamy white, somewhat fragrant
• bloom time is June, July, August
• moderately ornamental, but not exceptional

Fruit

• small nutlets are held in 1" diameter globular balls
• before drying, color is green with red hilights
• the fruits persist into the winter

Bark

• coarse stems are somewhat 4-sides
• color varies from gray-brown to shiny olive
• prominent vertical lenticels are present on stems
• older stems become reddish-brown and the lenticels enlarge into fissures

Culture

• likes moisture
• full sun to light shade
• easily grown as long as the site is not dry
• requires periodic rejuventation pruning
• relatively pest free

Landscape Use

• naturalistic areas
• water's edge
• shrub border

Liabilities

• can be short-lived
• can become coarse, sprawling and ungainly
• needs periodic rejuvenation pruning to maintain form and vigor

ID Features

• prominent lenticels on stems
• stems coarse
• simple, glossy leaves
• creamy white flowers throughout the summer
• terminal buds absent
• lateral buds are sessile and found in depressions above each leaf scar
• leaf scars are more or less circular
• pith is solid and light brown

Propagation

• softwood or hardwood cuttings root easily
• by seed is also easy without pretreatment

Cultivars/Varieties

• none are commonly available