Virginia Tech Dendrology

seven sons flower Caprifoliaceae Heptacodium miconioides Rehder symbol:
Leaf: Opposite, simple, narrowly ovate, entire, 3 to 5 inches long, 3 distinct veins from the base, dark green above, considerable paler below.
Flower: Terminal clusters of small white fragrant flowers with 5 long, narrow petals, flowers in loose groups of 7 (seven-son flower), buds appear early but flowers do not appear until late summer to early fall.
Fruit: Small reddish capsules, surrounded by reddish sepals that make a showy display (more so than the flowers).
Twig: Ridged or strongly lined vertically, initially red brown but turning gray brown in winter; buds 1/4 inch long, pointed.
Bark: Shredding and peeling, with patches of light brown under the peeling darker gray and red brown strips.
Form: Typically a multi-stemmed, large shrub reaching up to 20 feet in height. It can be trained as a single stem but looks best when allowed to spread into a vase shape.
Looks like: crapemyrtle

Additional Range Information: Heptacodium miconioides 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:
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