Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Chionanthus retusus, the Chinese Fringe Tree.....I got to work today and noticed this bag


Somebody's doing some pollenating. Richard Olsen has been working with this plant for a few years. I don't know what this cross is about, but it is. Chionanthus retusus is an Asian version of our own native Chionanthus virginicus. Both are nice plants. I'm not going to use the "I" word in reference to C. retusus, but I will note that it is both free seeding and vigorous. Of course as a rabid "nativist", I prefer to see C. virginicus used in local plantings, but I do admit that they are different plants and can understand the choice of C. retusus in certain situations.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Love this tree but I have never seen one in person. Do the flowers have a fragrance to them? I want to put this tree in a smaller back yard. I love the canaopy of it. Anyone have any information for me to see if it is good for me? I live in Southern Ontario, Canada.