Buttonbush vs White Fringe Tree - TreeTime.ca

Buttonbush vs White Fringe Tree

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Chionanthus virginicus

ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Buttonbush
White Fringe Tree

Buttonbush is a moisture loving shrub that provides year round interest.

It has round, fragrant flowers resembling small buttons or pincushions. The flowers transform into small reddish-brown fruit that persists into winter while the leaves take on shades of red in fall.

Providing essential food to bees, butterflies, and other insects, this shrub is versatile. Try it in your next shrub border.

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.

Buttonbush Quick Facts

White Fringe Tree Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: blue to black
Flowers: large, white, spherical
Flowers: fragrant, white clusters
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: long
Life span: medium
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: medium




Other Names: american fringe tree, american fringetree, fringe tree, fringetree, north american fringe tree, white fringetree