bigleaf snowbell
Styrax grandifolius · Styracaceae
bigleaf snowbell (Styrax grandifolius) is a perennial shrub in the Styracaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 4 and warmer, down to about -26°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 10 ft USDA |
| Light | part-shade USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.5–6.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 4 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
| Nursery availability | No Known Source USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It grows in partial shade. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 4.5 to 6.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 4.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 10 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of March through May. Flowers are white.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, medium in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 33 to 72 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 174 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches.
Propagating it
Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists.
Resilience and wildlife
Its growth form is recorded as rhizomatous.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Styrax
- American snowbell Styrax americanus
Similar role and hardiness
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis
- greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula
- forage kochia Bassia prostrata
- Japanese barberry Berberis thunbergii
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol STGR4, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, fall conspicuous, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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