Labrador Tea vs White Fringe Tree - TreeTime.ca

Labrador Tea vs White Fringe Tree

Chionanthus virginicus

Rhododendron groenlandicum (Ledum groenlandicum)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

White Fringe Tree
Labrador Tea

White Fringe Tree is known for its fringe-like white flowers. It can either grow as a small tree or a large multistemmed shrub. The White Fringe Tree has separate male and female plants. Both male and female flowers have white fringe-like petals, but the male flowers are longer and showier. The female flowers give way to clusters of dark blue to black berries. These berries are not edible for humans but attract birds and other wildlife.

The White Fringe Tree is tolerant of clay soils, saline soils, and air pollution but does not do well in prolonged dry conditions.

Labrador Tea is slow-growing evergreen shrub native to the boreal forests of Canada.

It thrives in wet, swampy conditions.

Labrador Tea has narrow, leathery, dark green leaves, topped by a cluster of white flowers in the spring. It is a perfect ornamental shrub for boggy, wet areas of your property.

White Fringe Tree Quick Facts

Labrador Tea Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: rust orange
Berries: blue to black
Flowers: fragrant, white clusters
Flowers: white, fragrant
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: none




Toxicity: slightly toxic if ingested
Other Names: american fringe tree, american fringetree, fringe tree, fringetree, north american fringe tree, white fringetree