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| Photo
by Renee Brecht |
Britton and Brown. See
credits below. |
| Botanical name: |
Clethra alnifolia |
| Common
name: |
Sweetpepper bush
|
| Synonomy: |
n/a
|
| Group: |
Dicot
|
| Family: |
Clethraceae (White alder) |
| Growth
Type: |
Shrub
|
| Duration: |
Perennial
|
| Plant
height: |
4'-8'
|
| Foliage: |
Alternate, deciduous leaves, 1.5" to
4" long and 1" to 2" wide; obovate shape with acute to accuminate
tip.Serrate leaf margins (toothed). Green to dark green color. Late to
leaf out in spring.
Autumn foliage is yellow-green to brown.
Buds with loose scales, the terminal is much larger than the laterals;
leaf scar with one bundle scar. Often root suckers to form colony-like
thickets.
|
| Flower
color: |
White.
|
| Flower
size: |
Numerous, small white flowers held in racemes that are 3" to 5" long
and 3/4" wide. Individual flowers are 1/4" across. Blooms are
found on new season's growth.
|
| Flowering/fruiting time |
Flowers late June to early
September. Fruit is small brown capsules, persistent,
|
| Habitat: |
Swamps
|
| Range
in
New Jersey: |
Frequent or common throughout the
district, occuring to the north, mainly on the coastal plain.
|
| Heritage ranking if any: |
n/a
|
| Distribution |
|
| Misc.: |
USDA
lists as FAC+, meaning facultative; equally likely to occur in wetlands
or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
Stone (1911) says "This is a characteristic shrub of all the swamps of
the coastal plain. Its fragrance fills the air after the somewhat
similar odor of the swamp Magnolia of early summer has passed away,
while its handsome white flower spikes furnish a touch of color at a
time when few other shrubs are in bloom."
"At Manahawkin it is called Soap Bush, from the idea that the flowers
when rubbed together in water make a sort of soapy lather. Our results
have not been very startling, however."
Often found with blueberries and swamp azaelas.
Used in landscaping; flowers attracts bees, butterflies, and
hummingbirds; fruit attracts birds. Prefers acidic soil.
Clethra is the only genus in the family, Clethraceae, which is very
closely related to the heath family, Ericaceae.
Sometimes confused with Itea
virginica.
Clethra,
Greek word for alder (which has
similar leaves); alnifolia, alder
leaf.
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Sources
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