Habitat

• native to Japan and China
• zone 5

Habit and Form

• medium-sized, deciduous shrub
• tall linear shape
• 8' to 10' high
• 4' to 8' wide
• arching branches give a loose open appearance
• coarse texture
• medium growth rate

Summer Foliage

• deciduous, simple leaves
• opposite leaf arrangement
• lanceolate leaf shape with crenate margins
• 2" to 4" long and no more than 2' wide
• leaf base is rounded
• dull olive-green leaf color
• leaves are pubescent, giving leaves a rough surface

Autumn Foliage

• no fall color

Flowers

• pure white flowers
• 0.5' to 0.75" in diameter
• flowers re borne in a panicle that is 3" to 6" long
• blooms after D. gracilis
• blooms early June

Fruit

• dry brown capsules borne in panicles
• cup shaped with hairs coming from opening
• held through winter

Bark

• brown bark
• peeling
• young stems are pubescent

Culture

• easily transplanted
• prefers well-drained soil
• full sun
• prune after flowering
• pH adaptable
• renewal pruning is effective

Landscape Use

• foundation planting
• mass or group
• flowering effect
• shrub border
• for texture

Liabilities

• leaf spot
• aphids
• leaf minor
• can look unkempt and need renewal pruning

ID Features

• medium-sized, linear deciduous shrub
• opposite leaf arrangement
• unequal serrated leaf margins
• white flowers in June
• interesting cup-like fruit

Propagation

• by softwood cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

Various double-flowered forms exist, including 'Candidissima' with white blooms; 'Godsall Pink' (also listed as 'Codsall Pink') with light pink flowers; 'Flore-pleno' with white blooms tinged pink; and 'Pride of Rochester' with light pink flowers.

'Pink Minor' - This plant has pink flowers and a dwarf growth habit, to 3' tall.

'Rosea' - This is a selection with single, clear rose-colored flowers.

'Variegata' and 'Punctata' - These two cultivars feature variegated foliage and traits otherwise similar to the species. The marked foliage may revert or become less apparent in summer.