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Chionanthus virginicus

American Fringetree · Fringetree · Grancy Gray Beard · White Fringetree

Family OleaceaeGenus Chionanthus

A young plant of very large dark ribbed leaves on upright stems, standing in a bark-mulched row beside a field crop.
The whole plantH. ZellCC BY-SA 3.0

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
shrub or treePlants of the World Online
Habit
Perennial, Shrub, TreePLANTS Database
Height
12-30 ft3.7-9.1 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Spread
12-20 ft3.7-6.1 mExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Flower
Cream/Tan, WhiteExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Blooms
SpringExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Native range
Native to the lower 48 statesPLANTS Database
Hardiness zones
3-9Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun; Partial ShadeExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil
Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), SandExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally Dry, Occasionally WetExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
Drought tolerance: MediumPLANTS Database

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; PLANTS Database — USDA NRCS; Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension.

Worth knowing

Protocol

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1996

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

  1. Sow outdoors and leave it

    Sown outdoors in November; up in August.

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 270 days to germinate.

50% germination in 270 days.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement — N. C. Deno, 1996 · 1st Supplement, Chionanthus p. 31Public domain
Show the original text
Chionanthus (Oleaceae). C. virginica germ. 50% in August in outdoor treatment after starting in November nearly two years earlier. This parallels the germination in 70-40-70 treatment but takes longer and offers no advantage. After the seeds germinate, a period of time at 40 is necessary before stem and leaf growth will occur on returning to 70. It was indicated in the 2nd Ed. that 3 m at 40 may not be long enough. The optimum has not yet been determined, but it has been found that seedlings that had not developed sterns and leaves after 3 m at 40 and a shift to 70 would do so after 3 m at 70, a second 3 m at 40, and a shift to 70.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 1st Supplement, 1st Supplement, Chionanthus p. 31. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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