Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’ (Sweet pepperbush)

Sweet pepperbush is native to the temperate regions of eastern North America. This cultivated variety is smaller than the original, more regular in shape, and with more flowers. It has escaped cultivation and is increasingly replacing the original variety. Pepperbush has no relation to peppercorns or peppers, but its seed capsules resemble peppercorns.

Plants: This deciduous woody shrub, 2–4′ (60–121 cm) tall and 3–5′ (91–152 cm) around, has multiple stems, is most often found near fresh water in areas that are at least seasonally wet. The shrubs form densely packed colonies.

Leaves: Dense, alternate, 1½–4″ (3.8–10 cm) long and 1–2″ (2.5–5 cm) wide. The leaves have a prominent vein structure and serrated edges, and are usually shaped like ovals with pointed ends. In the fall, they are yellow-green to yellow-brown.

Flowers: The pleasant-smelling flowers are white, in narrow cone-like clusters 4 ⨉ ¾″ (10 ⨉ 1.9 cm). Individual flowers are ⅛–⅜″ (5–10 mm) around.

Fruits: In the fall, the flowerheads are filled with small oval seed capsules that persist through the winter. Each capsule has three sections.

5/22/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 5½′ (1.3 × 1.8 m)

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Ericales	Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others
Family	Clethraceae	Clethra (white alder) family
Genus	Clethra	From Greek word for alder, which has similar leaves
Species	alnifolia	With leaves like genus Alnus

About plant names...

Range: Zones 3-9:

About this map...

Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’ description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.