Chinese Fringe Flower Loropetalum chinense
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Chinese Fringe Flower:
- Phonetic Spelling
- :lor-oh-PET-ah-lum chi-NEN-say
- Description
-
Fringe Flower is an evergreen shrub or small tree that is twiggy and irregularly rounded from Asia in the witch hazel family. The spring flowers have strap-like petals that hang downward and are creamy-white and mildly fragrant. Flowers last for 2-3 weeks. In zone 7 give it protection from winter winds and mulch the root area. It can be severely pruned after flowering. Prefers acidic soil moist well-drained, organically enriched soils and sun to part shade. It is intolerant of alkaline soils. This plant is easily transplanted, has no serious pest problems, and can be used for borders, screens, and foundations. It can be planted as a specimen, in mass, and as an espalier.
Quick ID Hints:
- 4-petaled, wavy, strap-like white or pink flowers
- Ovate leaf undersides are sandpaper-y and rough
- New growth stems and leaves are pubescent
- Plant is an evergreen shrub with leaves in a single plane
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Courtyard Entrance Garden Backyard Patio
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Blush'
- 'Burgundy Blast espalier'
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
White - 'Crimson Fire'
- 'Hillier Form'
- 'Pizazz'
- 'Plum Delight'
- 'Purple Pixie'
Dwarf with purple leaves and pink flowers - 'Purple Pixie Sunfade'
- 'Roseum'
Pink flowers and maroon red leaves that emerge pinkish-purple
'Rubrum'
- Shidare
- 'Snow Dance'
- 'Snow Muffin'
- 'Zhuzhou Fuschia'
Pink to red blooms 'Ruby'
Ruby-red new growth in spring, which darkens to a deep burgundy color by autumn - 'Blush'
- 'Blush', 'Burgundy Blast espalier', 'Carolina Moonlight', 'Crimson Fire', 'Hillier Form', 'Pizazz', 'Plum Delight', 'Purple Pixie', 'Purple Pixie Sunfade', 'Roseum', 'Rubrum', 'Ruby', Shidare, 'Snow Dance', 'Snow Muffin', 'Zhuzhou Fuschia'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Blush'
- 'Burgundy Blast espalier'
- 'Carolina Moonlight'
White - 'Crimson Fire'
- 'Hillier Form'
- 'Pizazz'
- 'Plum Delight'
- 'Purple Pixie'
Dwarf with purple leaves and pink flowers - 'Purple Pixie Sunfade'
- 'Roseum'
Pink flowers and maroon red leaves that emerge pinkish-purple
'Rubrum'
- Shidare
- 'Snow Dance'
- 'Snow Muffin'
- 'Zhuzhou Fuschia'
Pink to red blooms 'Ruby'
Ruby-red new growth in spring, which darkens to a deep burgundy color by autumn - 'Blush'
- 'Blush', 'Burgundy Blast espalier', 'Carolina Moonlight', 'Crimson Fire', 'Hillier Form', 'Pizazz', 'Plum Delight', 'Purple Pixie', 'Purple Pixie Sunfade', 'Roseum', 'Rubrum', 'Ruby', Shidare, 'Snow Dance', 'Snow Muffin', 'Zhuzhou Fuschia'
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Loropetalum
- Species:
- chinense
- Family:
- Hamamelidaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- China to NE. Thailand, Japan (Honshu, Kyushu) and Taiwan
- Wildlife Value:
- Deer resistant
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Arching
- Dense
- Rounded
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 7b, 7a, 8b, 8a, 9b, 9a
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Fruit:
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Ovoid, nut-like, woody capsule. These capsules are 2-valved, uncommon, and less than an inch long.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Cream/Tan
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Head
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Flowers are lightly fragrant, 3-6" in size, and are cream to white in color. Calyx is 4-lobed. Flowers have 4 petals, are undulate-ligulate, and less than an inch in size each. Petals of flowers yield a feathery appearance and have 4 stamens. Petals are strap-shaped, and downward drooping. Inflorescence is a cluster (head) with 3-6 flowers crowded together, axillary.
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-
Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Glossy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, acute, rotund, entire to finely toothed, dark green in color, and are borne in a single plane with an asymmetrical base. They are finely pubescent above and gray-green, bristly pubescent underneath. They can grow up to 1.5" long.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Hairy (pubescent)
- Stem Description:
- Stems are slender, brown, and densely pubescent. Stem pith is solid, small, and green.
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-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Woodland
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Foundation Planting
- Hedge
- Mass Planting
- Screen/Privacy
- Specimen
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
