Habitat

• native to Europe and northern Africa
• hardy to zone 4
• this species is widely naturalized throughout the eastern half of the United States
• Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

• a medium sized deciduous shrub
• stout multibranched shrub
• 12' to 15' tall
• equal width
• coarse texture
• fast growth rate

Summer Foliage

• simple, deciduous leaves
• opposite leaf arrangement
• lanceolate leaf shape
• 1" to 2.5" long
• smooth leaf margins
• dark green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

• leaves turn purplish
• not showy

Flowers

• white, terminal panicles
• strong odor
• blooms in mid-June
• 1" to 3" long

Fruit

• black fruit
• 0.33" drupe
• ripens in early September
• persists

Bark

• thin stems
• gray-brown bark color
• smooth

Culture

• transplants easily
• extremely adaptable
• full sun to partial shade
• prune after flowering

Landscape Use

• screen
• border
• hedge
• foundation planting

Liabilities

• anthracnose twig blight
• canker
• powdery mildew
• leaf spot
• aphids, leaf miners, mites and whiteflies

ID Features

• white fragrant flowers
• black fruit
• opposite leaf arrangement
• glossy entire leaves
• leaves have waxy appearance
• lenticels
• light brown bark

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Cheyenne' - Marketed as the hardiest form, this plant still may fail in USDA zone 4 or colder. It retains its leaves late into the season.

'Densiflorum' - This plant maintains an upright form without pruning, making it suitable hedge material.

'Lodense' - A dwarf, compact plant, this cultivar only reaches 5' tall after many years. Observers have reported, however, that it is plagued by an incurable disease.

'Pyramidale' - As this cultivar assumes a somewhat pyramidal habit, it is commonly used as a hedge plant.