pepperbush
Clethera alnifolia
  • FAMILY: CLETHRACEAE
  • ALTERNATE COMMON NAME: coastal sweetpepperbush, summersweet clethra
  • LEAVES: deciduous; simple, oval, toothed; autumn color: dull yellow to orange
  • FLOWER: white, fragrant, narrow cylindricaal spikes; clusterd at branch-ends;
  • FRUIT: dry fruiting capsules; brown; persistent through winter months
  • TWIGS:
  • BARK: exfoliating bark
  • FORM: tall, branched, leafy shrub; 6-12 ft tall; deciduous; often spreads into mounded clumps
  • HABITAT: wet-to-moist acid soils; sun, part shade, shade
  • WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Wetland (FACW): Usually occurs in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region
  • RANGE: eastern and southeastern coastal US
  • USES:
  • Best Recognition Features:
    1. dry fruiting capsules remain long after flowering and help identify this plant in winter