Fringe Tree
Chionanthus virginicus
For two weeks in late spring the crown of a fringe tree disappears under drooping panicles of white flowers so narrowly strap-shaped that the whole tree looks draped in fringe, and they carry a clean sweet fragrance. It leafs out very late, late enough that gardeners write it off as dead most springs, so hold off on the pruning saw until June. Trees are male or female; males carry the showier bloom, females bear dark blue drupes that bluebirds, cardinals and mockingbirds take in late summer. It stays small and multi-stemmed, tolerates part shade and moist soil without complaint, and asks for very little once established. Being in the olive family alongside ash, it can be attacked by emerald ash borer, though infested trees have generally survived rather than died outright.
- Family
- Oleaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 12–20 ft
- Spacing
- 12–20 ft apart
- Light
- part shade
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May, June
- Bloom colors
- white
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, mammals, songbirds
- Landscape uses
- rain garden
- Native states
- AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MA, MD, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV