White Fringe Tree vs Canada Mint - TreeTime.ca

White Fringe Tree vs Canada Mint

Mentha canadensis

Chionanthus virginicus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Canada Mint
White Fringe Tree

Canada Mint is a native perennial plant known for its fragrant edible leaves. It produces small white to purple flowers in clusters around the stem and is commonly found in wet areas, including ditches and along wetlands, lakes, and rivers. The leaves can be eaten fresh or used to make teas and essential oils.

Canada Mint can spread quickly through underground rhizomes, making it well-suited to naturalization and restoration projects where it can spread freely. In smaller urban yards or gardens, container planting is recommended to help manage its growth. If planted directly in the ground, regular care and maintenance may be needed to limit its spread.

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.

Canada Mint Quick Facts

White Fringe Tree Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: spreading, colony forming
Spreading: rhizomes - high, seeds - low
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: aromatic, edible
Flowers: small, white to purple clusters along stem
Flowers: fragrant, white clusters
Bloom time: mid summer to early fall
Berries: blue to black
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, PE
Other Names: american wild mint
Other Names: american fringe tree, american fringetree, fringe tree, fringetree, north american fringe tree, white fringetree