Styrax americanus
It was the spring of 2023. The American snowbell (Styrax americanus) was about to be planted near the path around Roy Forster Cypress Pond. James, the gardener of the Eastern North America area, had found the perfect place for this large deciduous shrub.
This was a place by water, with partial shade and a great view for both the people looking at it and for the plant too. It loves being close to water and having enough space around it to flourish. Digging out the bamboo first was definitely a grunt. And you can see the bamboo in the pictures waiting for a return leap.
American snowbell is a beautiful plant. A slender-branched shrub or small tree, with a wide, wispy, open crown. Its flowers are showy, white, and bell-shaped. When in bloom, they cover the plant, creating a fragrant white cloud. In its native habitat, American snowbell’s flowers attract pollinators, butterflies and birds.
American snowbell is also a host plant for the Promethea silk moth. The silk moth lays its eggs on its leaves. Once the caterpillars hatch out, they start munching on the leaves. Then the birds arrive. Their newly hatched bird brood depend on the caterpillars for their food. It is key for their survival. When host plants are on the decrease, the bird count is down. Birds also feed on the snowbell’s hairy fruits that appear in fall.
This native of southeastern United States grows in marshes and swamps, on stream banks and anywhere else with water. But these watery places are on the decrease. American snowbell has been losing a lot of its native habitat. Sarracenia flava, pitcher plant is another wetland native suffering from habitat loss in southeastern USA.
The two pictures of this newly planted snowbell were taken at the end of January 2024. So far it has survived a winter of snow, ice, warm periods and strong winds. And we can’t wait to see it in bloom. Native plants don’t follow schedules though. We will be patient.
Text and some photos in Garden by Hughie Jones
Photo of southern wetland by https://www.oriannesociety.org