Loropetalum chinense: Country Or Region Of Origin
China to NE. Thailand, Japan (Honshu, Kyushu) and Taiwan
Plant Profile: Loropetalum chinense
Names
Fringe Flower, Loropetalum
Phonetic Spelling::lor-oh-PET-ah-lum chi-NEN-say
Genus:Loropetalum
Species:chinense
Family:Hamamelidaceae
Fringe Flower is a small tree or evergreen shrub from Asia, belonging to the witch hazel family. This plant features irregularly rounded, twiggy growth and produces spring flowers with strap-like petals that droop gracefully. The blossoms are creamy-white and emit a subtle fragrance, lasting for about two to three weeks. In USDA zone 7, it’s advisable to shield the plant from winter winds and apply mulch around the roots. After flowering, it can be pruned back significantly. Fringe Flower thrives in acidic, well-drained soils that are rich in organic matter and prefers full sun to partial shade, but it does not tolerate alkaline conditions. This resilient plant is easy to transplant, faces minimal pest issues, and is versatile in landscaping, suitable for borders, screens, and foundation plantings. It can also be showcased as a specimen, planted in groups, or trained as an espalier.
Quick Identification Tips:
Loropetalum chinense Feature Summary
Loropetalum chinense Image Gallery
Tags
#evergreen
#small tree
#full sun tolerant
#bark
#fragrant flowers
#drought tolerant
#shrub
#spring flowers
#espalier
#mass planting
#moist soil
#cpp
#well-drained soil
#transplant
#organic soils
#deer resistant
#foundation planting
#borders
#spring interest
#acidic soil tolerant
#screening
#fantz
#partial shade tolerant
Similar Plants
Loropetalum chinense is often confused with:
Loropetalum chinense Feature Summary
Attributes
China to NE. Thailand, Japan (Honshu, Kyushu) and Taiwan
Deer resistant
Perennial
Fruit
Ovoid, nut-like, woody capsule. These capsules are 2-valved, uncommon, and less than an inch long.
Capsule
< 1 inch
Flowers
Flowers are lightly fragrant, 3-6" in size, and are cream to white in color. Calyx is 4-lobed. Flowers have 4 petals, are undulate-ligulate, and less than an inch in size each. Petals of flowers yield a feathery appearance and have 4 stamens. Petals are strap-shaped, and downward drooping. Inflorescence is a cluster (head) with 3-6 flowers crowded together, axillary.
White
Cream/Tan
Fragrant
Showy
Spring
4-5 petals/rays
< 1 inch
Leaves
Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, acute, rotund, entire to finely toothed, dark green in color, and are borne in a single plane with an asymmetrical base. They are finely pubescent above and gray-green, bristly pubescent underneath. They can grow up to 1.5" long.
Broadleaf Evergreen
Green
Simple
Alternate
Ovate
Entire
Serrate
1-3 inches
Glossy
Stem
Stems are slender, brown, and densely pubescent. Stem pith is solid, small, and green.
Brown/Copper
Hairy (pubescent)
Whole Plant Traits
Shrub
Broadleaf Evergreen
Arching
Rounded
Dense
Medium
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Good Drainage
Moist
6-feet-12 feet
Coastal
Piedmont
7a
7b
8b
8a
9a
9b
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Landscape
Border
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Specimen
Container
Woodland
Coastal
Loropetalum chinense Image Gallery
Loropetalum chinense Attributes
Loropetalum chinense: Wildlife Value
Deer resistant
Loropetalum chinense: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Loropetalum chinense Fruit
Loropetalum chinense: Fruit Description
Ovoid, nut-like, woody capsule. These capsules are 2-valved, uncommon, and less than an inch long.
Loropetalum chinense: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Loropetalum chinense: Fruit Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Loropetalum chinense Flowers
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Description
Flowers are lightly fragrant, 3-6" in size, and are cream to white in color. Calyx is 4-lobed. Flowers have 4 petals, are undulate-ligulate, and less than an inch in size each. Petals of flowers yield a feathery appearance and have 4 stamens. Petals are strap-shaped, and downward drooping. Inflorescence is a cluster (head) with 3-6 flowers crowded together, axillary.
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Color
Cream/Tan
White
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Loropetalum chinense: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Loropetalum chinense Leaves
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Description
Leaves are alternate, simple, ovate, acute, rotund, entire to finely toothed, dark green in color, and are borne in a single plane with an asymmetrical base. They are finely pubescent above and gray-green, bristly pubescent underneath. They can grow up to 1.5" long.
Loropetalum chinense: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Color
Green
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Loropetalum chinense: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Loropetalum chinense: Leaf Feel
Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy
Loropetalum chinense Stem
Loropetalum chinense: Stem Description
Stems are slender, brown, and densely pubescent. Stem pith is solid, small, and green.
Loropetalum chinense: Stem Color
Brown/Copper
Loropetalum chinense: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Loropetalum chinense: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Loropetalum chinense Whole Plant Traits
Loropetalum chinense: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Loropetalum chinense: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Loropetalum chinense: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Loropetalum chinense: Texture
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Loropetalum chinense Cultural Conditions
Loropetalum chinense: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Loropetalum chinense: Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Loropetalum chinense: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Loropetalum chinense: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Loropetalum chinense: NC Region
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Loropetalum chinense: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
7a
7b
8a
8b
9a
9b
Loropetalum chinense: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Loropetalum chinense Landscape
Loropetalum chinense: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Loropetalum chinense: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Loropetalum chinense: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
