North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, and Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages


Oleaceae > Chionanthus (fringetree)

Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus) Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus)
Durham Co., NC
28 June 2010

Fairly common statewide in NC in a variety of glades and forested habitats.
Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus) Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus)
Durham Co., NC
28 June 2010

Leaves are simple, untoothed, fairly large, and mostly opposite to sub-opposite in arrangement.

Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus)
Durham Co., NC
1 July 2010
Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus) Fringetree, Old Man's Beard (Chionanthus virginicus)
Durham Co., NC
28 June 2010

Beautiful displays of white flowers appear in spring, followed by ripening drupes that will become blue by fall.


Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Common names from personal experience and supplemented by the following resources USDA plants website, Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia, and NatureServe.


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Created on ... July 4, 2010 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com