Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

Japanese pieris Ericaceae Pieris japonica (Thunb.) D. Don ex G. Don Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: PIJA3
Leaf: Alternate, simple, oblong to lanceolate, finely serrated margin, evergreen, leathery, 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, dark, shiny green above, paler below.
Flower: White, 1/4 inch long, urn-shaped, in long (3 to 6 inches) hanging clusters, appearing in spring.
Fruit: Dry, small (1/4 inch), 5-parted capsules, ripens in late summer persist through the winter.
Twig: Moderate, green, leaves cluster near branch tips, look for pre-formed flower buds, new growth is reddish.
Bark: Reddish brown and very scaly and split.
Form: Dense, upright shrub to 10 feet tall, round crown.
 Looks like: mountain pieris - mountain laurel

Japanese pieris leaf image
Japanese pieris flower image
Japanese pieris fruit image
Japanese pieris twig image
Japanese pieris bark image
Japanese pieris form image
Japanese pieris map image

Additional Range Information: Pieris japonica is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information