Summersweet, Sweet Pepperbush                KLETH-ra al-ni-FO-lee-ah

• Broadleaf deciduous shrub, 4-8 ft (1-2.5 m).  Leaves, simple, alternate, 4-10 cm long and 2-6 cm wide, acute to short acuminate, cuneate, sharply serrate, usually entire toward base, glossy medium to dark green.  Flowers white, 5-petaled, in upright clusters, 5-15 cm long, appear in mid-summer, and effective for 4-6 weeks.  Fruit are dry capsules, 4 mm, that persist through winter.
• Sun to partial shade.  Moist, acid soils, grows naturally in wet places.
• Hardy to USDA Zone 4     Native from Maine to Florida and coastal Texas.   A number of cultivars are available (see Dirr, 2009), including 'Ruby Spice'.
• clethra: from the Greek, klethra, alder. alnifolia, alder-leaved.
• Oregon State Univ. campus: southeast Cordley Hall.