Habitat

• native to the eastern United States
• zone 4

Habit and Form

• a deciduous shrub
• typically 4' to 6' tall, but can be large
• rounded to the irregular shape
• branching is upright and spreading
• usually multi-stemmed

Summer Foliage

• deciduous, simple leaves
• leaves are 1.5" to 4" long and 0.5" to 1.25"
• leaf shape elliptical to obovate
• color is bright green
• leaf arrangement is alternate, but leaves appear whorled at the branch tips

Autumn Foliage

• dull yellow
• not ornamentally overwhelming

Flowers

• pale pink flowers with 5 lobes
• bloom time is late May
• long stamens stick out from the corolla
• individual flowers are 1" to 1.5" long
• held in clusters of 5 to 16 flowers
• lightly fragrant on some plants

Fruit

• capsules
• not ornamentally significant

Bark

• gray-brown
• not ornamentally significant

Culture

• prefers a woodsy, organic, acidic soil that is moist
• tolerant of dry, thin rocky soils
• full sun to part shade
• avoid harsh, difficult locations

Landscape Use

• shrub borders
• naturalistic areas
• in groupings
• foundation plant

Liabilities

• specific site requirements
• not commonly available for sale

ID Features

• pale pink flowers
• long stamens stick out form corolla

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

Darker pink or near white selections exist but have not been names as cultivars.