American Fringetree

American frigetree

Shortly after the majesty of the dogwoods fade, another flowering tree blossoms forth seemingly from nowhere.  The American fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), also known as white fringetree, grancy graybeard or old man’s beard, puts out its floral display of masses of white fringe-like flowers after the plant's leaves are about a third grown.  The flowers have individual elongated or strap-like petals up to an inch long.   The abundance of flowers can be so great that the entire plant can be covered with blooms.  An added attraction is that the flowers are fragrant.

Plants generally produce only male or female flowers though some flowers may be bisexual.  Male flowers are the largest.  The female plants produce dark blue fruits shaped like an olive and can be over an inch long and are borne in large clusters.  (The American fringetree is a member of the Olive Family.)

The leaves of the fringetree are large, egg-shaped and over 2 1/2" wide and up to 3-8" long.  The tree is deciduous but the leaves can have a nice yellow color in the fall.

This small tree is native from Ohio to over much of the southeastern United States.  Mature trees can reach heights of 20 to 30 feet. The tallest tree now known currently is in Texas and is 28 feet tall.  The fringe tree is easy to grow.  While it prefers full sun, it tolerates full shade too.   It also prefers a well-drained soil with a slightly acidic pH, but it can adapt to just about any soil type.  Pests and diseases rarely bother this tree.

The fringetree has found its way into folk medicine.  Preparations made from the bark have been used in the treatment of fevers and as a diuretic.   A tincture made from the bark and grain alcohol was used for jaundice.  Native Americans used tea made from boiled bark as a topical treatment for skin irritations, cuts and infections.

Finding these trees to put in your landscape can be difficult.  Production of container-grown trees is fraught with problems.  Rooting of cuttings is nearly impossible.  Germination of seeds is difficult due to a double dormancy requiring a warm after-ripening followed by cold stratification.  Freezing the seed following the after-ripening period might increase the germination rate.  Some nurserymen report poor growth the first year after establishing the seedlings in a container.

There has been some success in propagating plants by mounding soil (mound layering) around young multi-stem plants in the spring.  That winter the mounded plants are divided.  This is a slow way to propagate but it can work.