Louisiana Plant ID | Chionanthus virginicus (fringetree)

FAMILY: OLEACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: old-man’s-beard

LEAVES: opposite, simple, deciduous; 3-8” x 1-4” long; elliptical, pointed at both ends; margin entire or wavy, rolled; hairy lower surface

FLOWER: axillary panicles 4-10”, white flowers, 4 linear petals; petals 3/4 to 1 inch; April to May

FRUIT: dark blue to black drupe; ovoid; 1/2 to 3/4 inch; single seed

TWIGS: stout, slightly 4-angled, large lenticels

BARK: gray to brown; thin exfoliating scales when older

FORM: large shrub, to small tree, to 30 ft

HABITAT: rich, moist, stream banks

WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region

RANGE: New Jersey to Missouri, Florida to Texas

USES: ornamental; good deer browse in spring and summer; seed used by turkey, quail, song birds; bark used in tonics to reduce fever

Best Recognition Features:

opposite leaves, purple petioles, rolled margins
4-angled twigs
conspicuous clusters of spring flowers

School of Renewable Natural Reources	Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours Dr. Chris S. Reid, Project Director \| creid4@lsu.edu LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA © 2003-2018 website problems or broken links: mbowen@agcenter.lsu.edu page revised: 26-Jun-2019 1:25 PM msb	LSU AgCenter
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