Chionanthus retusus

Description

Chionanthus retusus (Chinese fringetree; Chinese: 流蘇樹 liúsūshù) is a species of Chionanthus native to eastern Asia, in eastern and central China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. It is a deciduous shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 m in height, with thick, fissured bark. The leaves are 3–12 cm long and 2–6.5 cm broad, simple ovate to oblong-elliptic, with a hairy, 0.5–2 cm long petiole. The flowers are white, produced in panicles 3–12 cm long. The fruit is a blue-black drupe 1–1.5 cm long and 0.6–1 cm diameter. It is cultivated in Europe and North America as an ornamental tree, valued for its feathery white flowerheads.