Symplocos paniculata
Sapphireberry, Asiatic Sweetleaf
Symplocaceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to China and Japan
- hardy to zone 4
Habit and Form
- a deciduous large shrub or small tree
- wide-spreading
- 10' to 20' tall
- equal spread
- medium texture
- slow growth rate
Summer Foliage
- alternate leaf arrangement
- simple, deciduous leaves
- obovate leaf shape
- 1.5" to 3.5" long
- minute serrations
- pubescent
- dark green leaf color
Autumn Foliage
- not ornamentally important
Flowers
- creamy white flowers
- fragrant
- borne in panicles
- 2" to 3" long
- blooms in June
Fruit
- drupe
- 0.33" in diameter
- blue, bright
- matures in September
Bark
- ridged and furrowed
- gray bark color
Culture
- transplant easily
- prefers well-drained soil
- full sun to partial shade
Landscape Use
- border
- screen
- specimen
- attract birds
Liabilities
- need two for good fruit set
- no serious problems
ID Features
- fat ovoid, imbricate, gray-brown buds
- bright blue fruit
- creamy white flowers
- deciduous shrub
Propagation
- by cuttings
- by seed
Cultivars/Varieties
- none