Scientific Name:
Fothergilla gardenii
Pronunciation:
fah-thur-GILL-uh GAR-den-ee-eye
Common Name:
dwarf fothergilla, witch alder
Family Name:
Hamamelidaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most blades obovate, 4-6cm long x 3-5cm wide, toothed towards apex, pubescent underneath, turn red-orange-yellow in fall; flowers white, fragrant, terminal 'bottlebrush' filaments. Winter ID: twigs zigzag, fuzzy; buds stalked, ovoid, 3-5mm long; flower buds ovoid, 6-11mm long.
Deciduous shrub, generally small, 2-3(6) ft (0.6-1m), dense, rounded outline, occasionally upright. Leaves alternate, simple, obovate to oblong, 2.5-6.5cm long, blue-green to dark green above, pale or glaucous and tomemtose below, margin sometimes entire. May have excellent fall color (yellow to scarlet). Flowers, which are without petals, have a bottle-brush look, 2.5-5cm long, whitish, the stamens are the showy portions (white stamens and yellow anthers), tend to appear before the foliage.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Round
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
U.S. - southeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Mixed shrub border, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google. See separate entry for F. major.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Pubescent, Tomentose
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Yellow, Orange, Red
Shapes:
Obovate, Ovate
Apices:
Obtuse
Bases:
Oblique (uneven), Rounded
Margins:
Dentate, Undulate (wavy)
Additional Info:
Spectacular fall colour
Inflorescence Type:
Spike
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
0
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Additional Info:
open before the leaf buds; long white stamens
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug
Additional Info:
pubescent; each with 2 shiny black seeds
Bark Morphology:
Prominent lenticels, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid, Stalked
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant)
