Habitat

• southeastern United States
• zone 5 (possibly 4)

Habit and Form

• 8' to 12' tall and 8' to 15' in spread
• a deciduous, suckering, multi-stemmed shrub
• medium to coarse texture
• upright, irregular and spreading branching
• somewhat similar to sumac, Rhus typhina, in growth habit

Summer Foliage

• opposite, palmately-compound leaves, with 5 to 7 leaflets
• leaflets 3" to 8" long, 1.25" to 4" wide
• color typically a dark or medium green on top and grayish and pubescent underneath
  

Autumn Foliage

• can be a good, clear yellow, but frequently is yellow-green

Flowers

• blooms in mid-July, with showy white flowers
• 8" to 12" long panicles

Fruit

• a 1" to 3" long, pear-shaped dehiscent capsule
• smooth husks are light brown with nuts inside
• in the northeastern United States, fruit set is rare due to an insufficiently long growing season

Bark

• smooth, gray and somewhat showy

Culture

• best in full sun, but quite tolerant of partial shade
• transplant B&B or from a container
• prefers a moist, well-drained soil high in organic matter with slightly acid pH
• can be rejuvenated by heavy pruning

Landscape Use

• needs a large space because of its spreading tendency
• good as a specimen; uncommon
• in a border or for massing
• erosion control, soil stabilization
• beneath the high canopy of scattered, large shade trees
• for decoration (flowers)

Liabilities

• not as prone to Aesculus diseases and insect problems as other species
• relatively maintenance free
• can be hard to locate in the trade
• can be somewhat invasive if given too small of a landscape space

ID Features

• suckering habit
• palmately-compound leaves
• smooth fruit husks
• buds are whitish
• many terminals lack a terminal bud that is replaced by a long, persistent fruit pedicel or its scar
• bundle scars usually 3
• stems are gray

Propagation

• by seed, but seed set will be low or fail to develop fully in short growing season locations
• root cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

var. serotina - An interesting natural form from Alabama with the habit of flowering up to 3 weeks later than the species. A great shrub for color in summer, often growing larger than the species (to 20' tall). Offered increasingly by specialty nurseries.

'Rogers' - A selection of A. p. var. serotina with very large inflorescences (to 30" long), later bloom and larger size (to 20'). Offered by some specialty nurseries and a worthy addition to the large landscape.