American snowbell Styracaceae Styrax americanus Lam. symbol: STAM4 Leaf: Alternate, simple, elliptical, 1 to 3 inches long, entire or with a few shallow teeth, star-shaped hairs on petiole (may occur on leaf blade as well), green above, paler below. Flower: Attractive, bell-shaped, 1/2 inch long, 5 white, reflexed (with age) petals, hanging clusters of 1 to 4 flowers from leaf axils, appearing in mid to late spring. Fruit: Egg shaped, hairy, dry drupe, 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch in diameter, turns a gray-brown when ripe in early fall. Twig: Slender, gray-brown, zigzag, initially pubescent but becomes glabrous; leaf scar with 1 bundle scar; naked buds, small, blunt and scruffy. Bark: Smooth, thin, dark gray-brown, when older develops very shallow fissures. Form: Shrub to small tree with a spreading, open crown reaching up to 10 feet Looks like: Japanese snowbell - stewartia Additional Range Information: Styrax americanus is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting American snowbell. External Links: USDA Plants Database © Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson