Tree Categories: Fall Color Trees, Flowering Trees, Ornamental Trees, and Shade Trees
Mature Tree Height: 20-40 feet tall | Mature Tree Width: 20-30 feet wide
Tree Growing Zones: Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, and Zone 9
The Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus) is a small- to medium-sized flowering ornamental tree. It has a compact, rounded form with elegant, horizontally spreading branches.
In late spring after the leaves have come on, clusters of fragrant, bell-shaped, white-petalled flowers with yellow centers appear and hang from the branches. The foliage is glossy green and has an upright posture to them, creating a very interesting and aesthetically pleasing look with the light-colored flowers hanging below the branches and the contrasting darker colored leaves stretching upward of the branches. These pointed oval leaves brighten up to orange and yellow in the fall. After the leaves fall, the interlacing orange-brown fissures on the bark make this tree a pleasant sight during the bleak winter months.
The Japanese Snowbell is native to China and Japan. It makes a great lawn specimen for its elegant form and ornamental value. Does very nicely near patios or pretty much wherever it can be seen and admired year-round. In group plantings, it can form a very showy shrub border or privacy screen due to its dense branching and compact branching. It is not tolerant of heat or drought. Does best in full to partial sun and prefers moist, acidic, well-drained soils.
