Halesia diptera explained

Halesia diptera, the two-wing silverbell or two-winged snowdrop tree, is a species in the family Styracaceae, native to the southeastern United States from South Carolina and Florida west to eastern Texas. It is cultivated as an ornamental tree.

Description

It is a large shrub or small tree reaching 4–8 m tall. The leaves are deciduous, 6–12 cm long and 4–7 cm broad. The flowers are white, 2-2.5 cm long, produced in clusters of 3–6 together. The fruit is a dry (non-fleshy) drupe with two wings down the sides; this distinguishes it from the other species of Halesia, which have four wings on the fruit.[1]

Wildlife, including squirrels, eat the unripe sour green fruit.[2]

Varieties

There are two varieties:

Notes and References

  1. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan .
  2. Book: Little, Elbert L.. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region. Knopf. New York. 1980. 0-394-50760-6. 639.