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Clethraceae
Pepperbush Flower
Clethra alnifolia
Sweet fragrance in the heat of summer.
- Family
- Clethraceae
- Genus
- Clethra
- Native to
- eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Mid-Summer, Late Summer
- Type
- deciduous shrub
- Height
- 100–250 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- acidic, moist to wet
- Water
- moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- perennial shrub
Did you know
- Also called 'summersweet' because it blooms in July and August when few other shrubs flower, filling the air with spicy fragrance.
- It is one of the best shrubs for wet, acidic soils where many other plants struggle.
- The dried seed capsules look like tiny peppercorns, giving it the name 'pepperbush'.
- Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds all flock to the fragrant flower spikes in midsummer.
- The cultivar 'Ruby Spice' has deep rosy-pink flowers that do not fade to white like some pink forms.
Color meanings
White
sweet summer memories
Pink
gentle refreshment