Common Name(s): Chinese Fringe Tree

Synonym(s):

Family: Oleaceae

Native To: China, Korea, and Japan

Native Habitat:

Growth Habit: Single or multi-stemmed tree growing 25 to 30 feet high with an equal spread.

Flowering: April

Distinguishing Characteristics: The simple leaves are dark green, lustrous, and grow from 3 to 6 inches long. They are arranged oppositely on the stems. The tree is winter deciduous and is described as having golden fall color, but the tree on the UA campus doesn't really put on a show. The flowers are dioecious, meaning there are male trees and female trees. The snow-white blossoms hang in fine textured panicles from 3 to 5 inches long. Female trees produce half inch long, elliptical, dark blue fruits.

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: The genus name is derived from Chion, the Greek work for "snow" and anthus which means "flower". Although there are over 100 species of Chionanthus, C. retusus is one of only two members of the genus that appears to be available in the nursery trade in the US. The species was brought to the western world in the mid 1800s, by two different plant explorers: Robert Fortune, and then later Charles Maires.

The UA tree has an incomplete history. Chuck Raetzman, who was head of the UA Grounds Department for over 30 years, remembers learning about it as a student in the 1950s. Chuck also recalls that in the 1970s, during his directorship, the tree was severely damaged by a contractor truck, resulting in its having to be cut to the ground. So this means the tree we have now is a "stump sprout" from the original.

Hardy to USDA zone 6, yet quite heat tolerant in its shady protected site, the Chinese Fringe Tree could be used in the “shady nooks” of the urban southwest. It is similar to many small trees in its tendency to form multiple trunks. The outline of the tree is spreading to rounded, making it ideal for a sheltered/part shade site in a mini-oasis. Tolerant of a wide range of soils, it nonetheless is not a arid-tolerant tree. A turf area or even a full mid-story of mesic shrubs would provide a good microclimate.

Apparently propagation is difficult; neither seeds nor cuttings reproduce quickly. Double stratification is needed for seeds, and even then, they may require over a year before germination. Cuttings can take months to root. Over wintering is difficult in greenhouses.

Ethnobotany:

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