Virginia Tech Dendrology

cliff fendlerbush Hydrangeaceae Fendlera rupicola A. Gray Listen to the Latin symbol: FERU
Leaf: Opposite, deciduous or semi-evergreen, simple, lanceolate, entire, to 1 1/2 inches long, thick and revolute, gray-green and slightly pubescent above, white fuzzy below, venation appearing linear.
Flower: Showy, white or pink tinged, 1 1/2 inches across, four petals with slender points of attachment, 8 yellow staments, somewhat fragrant, borne singularly or in small clusters at the end of the twigs, appearing late spring to early summer.
Fruit: Dry, four-parted capsule, 1/2 inch long, persistent.
Twig: Slender, light brown to reddish brown, raised leaf scar, hidden bud, grooved.
Bark: Red to gray-brown, coarsely shreddy.
Form: Shrub with a columnar shape, to 9 feet.
 Looks like: hoary mockorange
leaf fruit twig bark form1 map
Additional Range Information: Fendlera rupicola is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting cliff fendlerbush.
External Links: USDAFS FEIS Silvics - USDA Plants Database
All material © 2018 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