Description | Carolina Silver Bells (Halesia carolina) A small to medium tree loaded with white bell flowers in the spring. Needs a special spot to be successfully grown. |
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Pronunciation | (hal-EE-zhee-uh)(car-oh-LINE-na) |
Plant Type | Trees Deciduous |
Hardiness Zone | 4-8 |
Sunlight | some full sun, most of day in shade |
Moisture | average, moist, avoid dry, sensitive to drought |
Soil & Site | prefers rich, organic, well drained, ph 5-6, tolerant of other soils |
Flowers | white, pendulous, spring, long stalks, borne in axillary (cymoe) clusters |
Fruit | 4-winged, oblong drupe |
Leaves | simple, alternate serrated to almost entire, green changing to yellow in the fall |
Roots | fibrous |
Dimensions | 30-40 feet tall by 20 feet wide, low branching |
Propagation | stratified seed (cold/warm) |
Native Site | Southeast U.S. |
Cultivar Origin | Introduced in 1756 |
Misc Facts | The genus "Halesia" is named after Stephen Hales, an 18th century English scientist. Very closely relate or maybe the same plant to H. monticola. (syn Halesia tetraptera) AKA: Silverbell Tree, Snowdrop Tree, Opossum Wood, Calico Wood, Tiss Wood, Bell Wood, Wild Olive, |
Author's Notes | The Mountain Silver Bells and the Pink Mountain Silver Bells that I have observed (Olbrich Botanical Gardens Madison Wi, Boerner Botanical Gardens, Hales Corners Wi, University of Wisconsin Arboretum, Madison, Wisconsin), over the last 3-4 years are all growing in sites where they get some direct sunlight and are in dabbled to full shade for most of the day. Not a good plant for difficult sites. |
Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #03-The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (Hillier Nursery), #93-North American Landscape Trees (Arthur Lee Jacobson), #181-Native Trees for North America (Guy Sternberg) |