Chionanthus retusus

Chionanthus retusus
Specimen at Osaka-fu, Japan
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Oleaceae
Genus:	Chionanthus
Species:	C. retusus
Binomial name
Chionanthus retusus Lindley & Paxton

Chionanthus retusus (Chinese Fringetree; Chinese: 流蘇樹 liúsūshù) is a species of Chionanthus native to eastern Asia, in eastern and central China, Korea, and Japan.^[1]

It is a deciduous shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 m in height, with thick, fissured bark. The leaves are 3–12 cm long and 2–6.5 cm broad, simple ovate to oblong-elliptic, with a hairy, 0.5–2 cm long petiole. The flowers are white, produced in panicles 3–12 cm long. The fruit is a blue-black drupe 1–1.5 cm long and 0.6–1 cm diameter.^[1]

It is cultivated in Europe and North America as an ornamental tree, valued for its feathery white flowerheads.^[2]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Flora of China: Chionanthus retusus
2. ^ Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.

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  Foliage and immature fruit

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  Bark