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Fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

Found in forests and woodlands; granite and other acidic rock outcrops; swamps; pocosins and bay forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

42
Good

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
12–30 feet
Spread
12–20 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 16 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Mid spring
Fruiting season
July to September

Recorded in 44 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Solution pits, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, DeKalb County
Solution pits on granite. Shown: Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, DeKalb County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Solution pits, Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, DeKalb County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Pocosins and bay forests

Dense evergreen shrub wetlands and bay forests on wet, acid peat of the Coastal Plain.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Care

  • Move plants while young; larger plants resent root disturbance.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

11CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Chionanthus

  • Ceratomia undulosaWaved Sphinx
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Manduca rusticaRustic Sphinx
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Palpita illibalisInkblot Palpita
  • Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Podosesia syringaeLilac Borer Moth, Ash Borer
Show all 11
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Oleaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
Cream or white
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Mid spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Cream or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “July” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, USDA PLANTS differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, USDA PLANTS differ) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “12–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
  • Soil pH · “Neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “12–20 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Fringe Tree; Old Mans Beard

Conservation status

Florida rankS4?
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources