Silverbell or Mountain Silverbell
Halesia tetraptera

Family: Styracaceae

What it is like

Halesia tetraptera is a deciduous Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 10 m (32ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 10

Where it is found

Moist woods along the sides of streams in the mountains.

Native to the southeastern United States.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Scattered populations over much of the eastern United States, as far north as West Virginia, south to northern Florida, and west to Oklahoma. But it is thinly distributed over much of its native range, and is becoming rare in many areas.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

The ripe fruit is chewed for its acidity and very tart . Unripe fruits are sometimes pickled.The fruit is about 4cm in diameter.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 2

Wood - soft, light, close-grained. It weighs 35lb per cubic foot. Good for carving, turnery, crafts, woodenware, pulp. Trees occasionally grow large enough for saw timber and are then cut and used for panelling and cabinet making. Coppices readily.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A small understory tree with a broad, rounded crown or a large shrub. It grows well with azaleas and rhododendrons and requires the same environmental conditions of moist, acidic, organically rich soil in part shade. Well-drained. Requires a lime-free soil. Dormant plants are hardy to about -25°c. A very ornamental plant, it has a moderate rate of growth and lives about 100 years. It can flower when only 1.2 metres tall. The flowers have a delicate sweet perfume. The sub-species H. tetraptera monticola forms a tree about 24 metres tall. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. Halesia tetraptera has a dense crown providing 0 to 33% open space in their silhouette and cast deep shade. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread.

Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. It takes 18 months to germinate. Warm stratifying the seed for 2 - 3 months at 14 - 25°c then cold stratifying for 2 - 3 months at 0 - 5°c can reduce the germination time. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of greenwood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, May/June in a frame. Roots in 28 days. A fair percentage. Layering in early spring as the buds break. Takes 12 months. High percentage.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Common silverbell, mountain silverbell, Carolina silverbell

Synonyms

H. meehanii (Sarg.) Meehan ex Prain. H. stenocarpa K.Koch. H. tetraptera var. carnea Mouill. H. tetraptera f. dialypetala Rehder. H. tetraptera var. glabrescens Lange. H. tetraptera var. grandifolia Lavallée. H. tetraptera var. laevigata Schelle. H. tetraptera var. meehanii Sarg. H. tetraptera var. mollis Lange. H. tetraptera var. rosea Pépin. H. tetraptera f. stenocarpa (K.Koch) Voss. Mohrodendron meehanii (Sarg.) Sudw. Mohrodendron tetraptera (L.) Britton ex Ridgway.