Habitat

• native to central China
• hardy to zone 4

Habit and Form

• large deciduous shrub
• upright arching habit
• multistemmed fountain shape
• 6-10 ft. tall and wide
• becomes leggy at base with age

Summer Foliage

• opposite
• up to 3" long
• broad ovate
• acuminate tip
• dark green leaf color
• few teeth on margin
• pubescent

Autumn Foliage

• slightly reddish to yellow

Flowers

• bell shaped with flaring mouth
• pink with yellow throat
• appear in May
• 0.5" long and wide
• borne in clusters along stems
• showy

Fruit

• bristly capsule
• ovoid, 0.25" long
• persists in winter
• capsule splits to release seeds

Bark

• light gray-brown
• peals on older stems

Culture

• transplants easily
• full sun
• well-drained soil
• pH adaptable
• prune out old stems
• prune after flowering

Landscape Use

• best alone as a specimen
• also effective massed in groups

Liabilities

• coarse appearance in winter
• often leggy in older specimens
• only ornamental in bloom

ID Features

• persistent bristly capsules
• pink tubular blooms with yellow center in May
• older bark peals
• upright arching habit
• small buds with 3-4 scales
• buds held at 45^o angle from stems

Propagation

• by cuttings of good forms

Cultivars/Varieties

'Pink Cloud' - This is the form most commonly offered by specialty nurseries. It features bright pink blooms that are larger and more abundant than the species.

'Rosea' - Said to bear the deepest pink flowers, this selection is nevertheless rarely seen or available.