Styrax obassia | fragrant snowbell

ARCHIVED PLANT. This page serves as reference only. We are no longer propagating this plant.

Fragrant Snowbell is a showy small tree or large shrub famed for its extraordinarily fragrant flowers. Long racemes of bell-shaped white flowers appear in late spring or early summer after the foliage. The flowers appear in such profusion that the large leaves do not obscure the display. Green foliage turns a nice (though not particularly showy) shade of yellow in the fall. Older specimens exhibit beautiful peeling bark that lends interest to the winter landscape.

Zones: 5 to 8
Family: Styracaceae
Type: Deciduous Tree
Height: 20 to 30 ft.
Spread: 15 to 25 ft.
Exposure: Full Sun to Part Shade
Soil Conditions: Rich, moist, well-drained, acidic soil
Bloom Time: May to June
Bloom Color: White
Native Range: Japan, Korea and Manchuria

Special Characteristics

Winter interest
Fragrant
Flowering
Beautiful bark

image credits

Image 1 (form) Chhe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 2 (flowers) Dalgial, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 3 (blooms) Plant Image Library from Boston, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 4 (fruit) Plant Image Library from Boston, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image 5 (form) Plant Image Library from Boston, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons