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Fringetree

Chionanthus virginicus

Found in forests and woodlands; granite and other acidic rock outcrops; swamps; pocosins and bay forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

43
Good

Native to Virginia. 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 94 Virginia 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

Swamps

View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina
Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Pocosins and bay forests

Dense low pocosin
Dense low pocosin. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Dense low pocosin, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Bare or thin-soil rock on granite, gneiss, sandstone, quartzite and similar acidic rock, including granite flatrocks and domes.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 149 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Care

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

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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 13
  • Sphinx chersisGreat Ash Sphinx
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
  • Sympistis chionanthiFringed-Tree Sallow, Grey O Moth
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
Also known as

Fringe Tree; Old Mans Beard

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources