Search Fact Sheets Virginia Tech Dendrology

Japanese snowbell Styracaceae Styrax japonicus Siebold & Zucc. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet symbol: STJA5
Leaf: Alternate, simple, elliptical to ovate, finely or sparsely serrated, 2 to 4 inches long, lustrous, green above, slightly paler below.
Flower: White (or light pink), 3/4 inch wide, yellow stamens, bell-shaped, five lobed, hanging from a green stalk, appearing in May to June.
Fruit: Egg-shaped or round drupe, 1/2 inch long, grayish green, maturing in late summer and persisting to fall.
Twig: Slender, gray to reddish brown to light brown, zigzag, scruffy, naked scruffy buds, no true end bud.
Bark: Smooth, gray-brown becoming orange-brown, fissured, attractive with age.
Form: A small tree that reaches 20 to 30 feet in height with equal spread, horizontal branches, rounded crown, low-branched.
 Looks like: American snowbell - stewartia

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

Additional Range Information: Styrax japonicus 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 - Horticulture Information
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