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Chionanthus virginicus L.

White fringetree (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Oleaceae > Chionanthus

Characteristics

A tree. It loses its leaves during the year. It can be 9-10 m tall. The bark is grey and smooth. It becomes furrowed with age. The leaves are oval and narrow. They are 20 cm long by 10 mm wide. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. They are 3 cm long and white. The flowers are in long drooping sprays. The fruit are egg shaped and deep blue. They are 2 cm long and have a bloom. They have a large stone.
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Tall shrub or small tree to 10 m; lvs lance-elliptic to oblong or somewhat obovate, 8–15 cm; panicles many-fld, drooping, 1–2 dm; cor white, its lobes 15–30 mm; fr dark blue, 10–15 mm; 2n=46. Rich woods and along streams; N.J. to Fla., w. irregularly to s. O., s. Mo., e. Okla., and e. Tex. May. Functionally dioecious, the pistil of the fertile fls much larger than that of the sterile ones.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 2.75 - 3.5
Mature height (meter) 5.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 0.5
Root diameter (meter) 0.7
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It is native to the eastern United States. It grows naturally in rich moist soil. It suits hardiness zones 4-9. Arboretum Tasmania.
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Rich moist soils by the edges of streams and in damp woods and scrub.
Light 3-8
Soil humidity 5-8
Soil texture 2-5
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-8

Usage

The fruit are pickled like olives.
Uses environmental use material medicinal wood
Edible fruits seeds
Therapeutic use Dermatological Aid (bark), Dermatological Aid (root), Disinfectant (root), Aperient (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Cholagogue (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Inflammation (unspecified), Medicine (unspecified), Narcotic (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Sore(Throat) (unspecified), Stomatitis (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Malaria (unspecified), Alterative (unspecified), Sore (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed. It can also be grown from cuttings or by layering.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 180
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 21
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -29
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Chionanthus virginicus habit picture by Eli Small (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Chionanthus virginicus leaf picture by ellenelle ellenelle (cc-by-sa)
Chionanthus virginicus leaf picture by Yingtong Wu (cc-by-sa)
Chionanthus virginicus leaf picture by Joel Hicks (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Chionanthus virginicus flower picture by Laura Kiser (cc-by-sa)
Chionanthus virginicus flower picture by Carly OC (cc-by-sa)
Chionanthus virginicus flower picture by jeremy jeremy (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Chionanthus virginicus fruit picture by Joel Hicks (cc-by-sa)
Chionanthus virginicus fruit picture by Reagan Vernon (cc-by-sa)
Chionanthus virginicus fruit picture by Nick Emeric (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Chionanthus virginicus world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, Georgia, Malaysia, Nicaragua, and United States of America

Conservation status

Chionanthus virginicus threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:319141-2
WFO ID wfo-0000830265
COL ID 5Y5N5
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Ligustrum cotinifolium Chionanthus longifolius Chionanthus luteus Linociera cotinifolia Chionanthus angustifolius Chionanthus cotinifolius Chionanthus fragrans Chionanthus heterophylus Chionanthus latifolius Chionanthus maritimus Chionanthus montanus Chionanthus obovatus Chionanthus roseus Chionanthus trifidus Chionanthus triflorus Chionanthus vernalis Chionanthus vernus Chionanthus zeylanicus Chionanthus virginicus var. angustifolius Chionanthus virginicus var. latifolius Chionanthus virginicus var. maritimus Chionanthus virginicus subsp. maritimus Chionanthus virginicus var. montanus Chionanthus virginicus
WorldFloraDB 2024