maleberry
Lyonia ligustrina · Ericaceae
maleberry (Lyonia ligustrina) is a perennial shrub in the Ericaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 4 and warmer, down to about -21°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub USDA |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 9 ft USDA |
| Light | shade USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–6.5 USDA |
| Bloom | March–May USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 4 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
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 tolerates full shade. Its drought tolerance is rated high. It tolerates saturated, poorly drained ground well (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance high). It is recorded on soils from pH 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 9 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height.
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, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. 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 39 to 80 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 128 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists. Its seed spreads at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated low.
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 Lyonia
- fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida
Similar role and hardiness
- whitethorn ceanothus Ceanothus cordulatus
- yellow rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus
- coastal sweetpepperbush Clethra alnifolia
- quince Cydonia oblonga
- slender pride of Rochester Deutzia gracilis
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol LYLI, 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: Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Type.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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