mountain pepperbush Clethraceae Clethra acuminata

Leaf:Alternate, deciduous, 3 to 7 inches long, elliptical to ovate with an acuminate tip; margins finely serrate; dark glossy green above, paler and finely pubescent below.
Flower:: Species is monoecious; individual flowers perfect, small, white, bell-shaped, fragrant, 1/4 inch long; occurring in a narrow and dense terminal spike 3 to 7-inches long; appearing in mid-to late summer.
Fruit:Brown dry capsules occurring in long drooping clusters, persistent through the winter.
Twig:Slender and scruffy brown; buds with loose, somewhat fuzzy scales, terminal buds large; leaf scar with one bundle scar.
Bark:Attractive, with shreddy and exfoliating cinnamon-brown strips.
Form:A dense suckering shrub or small tree reaching up to 20 feet tall.

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