Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Styrax americanus +
FAMILY
Styracaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about American Storax at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Some plants in NC and SC are transitional between var. americanus and var. pulverulentus and will not be easily assigned, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Styrax americanus
FAMILY
Styracaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America
Styrax americanus
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 152-02-002:
Styrax americana FAMILY Styracaceae
COMMON NAME:
American Storax, American Snowbell
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_stam4_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_stam4_006_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_stpu6_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm130128_190
January Spartanburg County SC
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JK Marlow jkm130330_540
March Spartanburg County SC
Twigs often w epidermal cracks or slits. Nodes oft swollen, or twigs zigzag, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
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JK Marlow jkm130330_540b
March Spartanburg County SC
Buds superposed, scurfy; leaf scar with one raised, roughened bundle scar, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
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Alan S. Weakley asw_1820088265040811
April FL
Apalachicola National Forest
Calyces of var. americanus are essentially glabrous, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Alan S. Weakley asw_683584506915589
April FL
Apalachicola National Forest
Pedicels of var. americanus are 10-14mm long, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm130430_812
April Spartanburg County SC
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JK Marlow jkm130430_815
April Spartanburg County SC
Bell-shaped, white, 1/2" long flowers appear in spring to early summer, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
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JK Marlow jkm130430_818
April Spartanburg County SC
Racemes to 3" long, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm130430_897
April Spartanburg County SC
Leaves narrowly elliptic to ovate or obovate, usually 2-8cm long, per Weakley's Flora.
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JK Marlow jkm0305w_11
May Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
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JK Marlow jkm080505_065
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
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JK Marlow jkm080505_068
May Spartanburg County SC
Chinquapin Greenway
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_052621hayesville05
May Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_052621hayesville14
May Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
)
JK Marlow jkm160719_004b
July Spartanburg County SC
USC Upstate
Fruit a pendant, drupe-like capsule with 1-3 dark seed; calyx persistent, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Styrax americanus +
FAMILY
Styracaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Styrax americanus
FAMILY
Styracaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Styrax americanus
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 152-02-002:
Styrax americana
FAMILY
Styracaceae
1474
Shrub
Perennial
Look for it in moist to wet habitats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon or rare - depending on variety & region
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
5-merous
Synsepalous calyx, lobes minute
5-lobed campanulate corolla
10 stamens
Bisexual
Flowers in racemes of 1-4 flowers
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) P086
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p261
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p290
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p123
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p082
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p119
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide (Kirkman, Brown, & Leopold, 2007) p322
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p131
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p244
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p123
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p194
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p35
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p342
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".
Or try alternate spellings: If "wooly" doesn't work, try "woolly" or just "wool".