 |
Styrax japonicus |
 |
| Common name |
Japanese snowbell |
| Family |
styracaceae |
| Life cycle |
tree (Z5-8) |
| Flowers |
white (late spring) |
| Size |
to 20-30' |
| Light |
sun-part shade |
| Cultural notes |
prefers moist soil |
From seed  |
needs warm stratification followed by cold stratification (several months each); germination occurs during second warm stage.
detailed seed-starting info below
|
| Seed ripens | mid-October |
We rescued our specimen from a discount nursery a few years ago, and nursed it back from near-death. It lost its header in the process, so for a few years it was trying to decide what it wants to look like - but now, it seems to have hit its stride, growing into a graceful small tree. We are thrilled to see it bloom each year. The flowers face downward, and are best inspected up close - but the view from the kitchen window isn't bad, either! Some suckering from the base is easily kept in check.
|
| Shortly after the flowers fade, fruits start developing - not nearly as showy as the flowers, but still quite decorative. In autumn, the light-colored husks fall off, to reveal shiny brown nuts.
|
After moving to Texas, we missed our snowbell. Unable to find one at local nurseries, we instead mail-ordered a different variety, the variegated 'Frosted Emerald'. It arrived as a little whisp of a tree, which we planted where it will receive some shade for the hottest part of the day. Hopefully it will grow fast!
|
This plant used to grow in our garden, but it slipped away... Seed for this plant is included on my seed trade list One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Styrax japonicus
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| delg@comcast.net | May 17, 2005 | just planted one in my yard how much room do they need to grow and how big can they grow. you tree is very nice |
| Don Milner (blesseddon at earthlink.net) | May 25, 2006 | you said you nursed your styrax japonicus back from ill health. I purchased one last year, planted it in a large container and one side is totaly dead. There is some bark missing near the base. I thought a small animal had chewed on the bark, but it continues to spread even after I wrapped the trunk. Do you have an suggestions. I live in S.E. Virginia, which is a zone 7. Last winter was considerable warmer than usual. Thank you
I doubt winter temperatures are to blame for your tree's condition. I know very little about tree ailments, so let me just tell you about our experience: the tree we purchased had very little root mass compared to its top growth, and had been shaded due to its tight quarters at the discount nursery. Consequently, it went into shock when planted in a mostly sunny spot in our garden. A large part of the tree died off, and it wasn't until the year after that I knew if it would survive. Since then, it's come back marvellously - I hope yours will do the same. |
| luke mersh | Aug 20, 2010 | when i bought the seeds, i was told to soak it for 48hr and then plant it in bonsai compost and place pot in a polythene bag in the fridge for 10weeks taking it out from time to time for air
was wondering what your thoughts were on this??
That sounds like a variation on the baggy method that I use; it should take care of the cold stratification requirement of the seeds. Even so, I've found styrax to be difficult to germinate. Good luck! |
| Arthur Butler | Aug 13, 2015 | Based in the UK. I had exactly the same problem with a S japonicus that I bought and I, too, have nursed it back to health. Having also lost its header I have manged to "train" a new one and it is now regaining its shape. This year it was a real show and the scent, though subtle, was wonderful. I am going to try and grow some of the seeds on this year and this advice is great. |
- Seed for 'Pink Chimes' from '04 AHS exchange. Baggy w peat mix 70F (5m) - 35F (10w) - to pot outside (67%G, 2w - late June)
I welcome comments about my web pages; feel free to use the form below to
leave feedback about this particular page. For the benefit of other visitors
to these pages, I will list any relevant comments you leave, and if
appropriate, I will update my page to correct mis-information. Faced with an
ever-increasing onslaught of spam, I'm forced to discard any comments including
html markups. Please submit your comment as plain text. If you have a
comment about the website as a whole, please leave it in my
guestbook. If you
have a question that needs a personal response, please
e-mail me.
|
