SCIENTIFIC NAME: Clethra alnifolia

(Photo from Benny Simpson, TAES-Dallas.)

COMMON NAME: summer sweet clethra, sweet pepperbush

FLOWERS: White racemes or panicles on current seasons wood in June. Has a sweet fragrance. Racemes are 3" to 6" long.

LEAVES: Alternate and scabrous on top. Margins are finely serrated. Widest in the middle. Up to 3" long.

GROWTH HABIT: Grows 4' to 6' tall as a shrub and will spread by suckering.

OTHER: Hardy from zone 3 to 9. Is a native, but is rare to find in the wild. Prefers a moist, organic soil and will grow in sun or full shade. The cultivar 'Rosea' has pink flowers. A good plant that should be used more often. A member of the Clethraceae family.