Chionanthus retusus, the Chinese fringetree, is a flowering plant in the family Oleaceae. It is native to eastern Asia: eastern and central China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
It is a deciduous shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 20m (70feet) in height, with thick, fissured bark. The leaves are 3cm–12cmcm (01inches–05inchescm) long and 2– broad, simple ovate to oblong-elliptic, with a hairy, 0.5– long petiole. The flowers are white, produced in panicles 3– long. The fruit is a blue-black drupe 1– long and 0.6– in diameter.
It is cultivated in Europe and North America as an ornamental tree, valued for its feathery white flowerheads.[1]
In Japan's Aichi Prefecture near Inuyama there is a grove of seven mature Chionanthus retusus renowned for their yearly white blooms. They were designated by the authorities as a natural monument since 1923.[2]