Appearance

Growth form

It is a loose, arching deciduous shrub about 3–5 ft (0.9–1.5 m) tall and 3–4 ft (0.9–1.2 m) wide.

Leaves

The smooth-edged, oval leaves grow in opposite pairs and line up in two rows along the stems.

Flowers

Small, mildly fragrant flowers open from purple buds. Each flower has four narrow lobes and is white or lightly tinged with pink.

Flowering time

In North Carolina, it blooms in March and April before the leaves emerge.

Fruit

The flat, round fruit has a papery wing around its edge.

Look-alikes

border forsythiaForsythia × intermedia

White forsythia has much smaller white or blush-pink flowers. Border forsythia has bright yellow flowers.

Why they get mixed up · Both are arching shrubs that flower on bare stems in early spring.

Japanese flowering apricotPrunus mume

Single Japanese flowering apricot flowers have five separate petals, while white forsythia flowers have four narrow lobes. The apricot also grows into a small tree rather than a low shrub.

Why they get mixed up · Both can have fragrant white or pink flowers on bare branches.

	Flower color	Flower shape
white Forsythia	white to blush pink	four narrow lobes
border forsythia	yellow	four lobes
Japanese flowering apricot	white to pink	five petals on single flowers

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• garden beds

Range

It is native to South Korea rather than the United States. In the U.S., it is available as an ornamental shrub and grows in USDA zones 4–8.

Preferred conditions

Give it full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil.

Flowering

Flowers Mar–Apr

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Flowers

Flowers Mar–Apr

Growing it

Propagation

Garden plants can be propagated from softwood cuttings or by layering in summer.

Name and classification

Varieties and forms

Most plants have white flowers, while the Roseum Group has pinker flowers. Pink-flowered plants were also called Abeliophyllum distichum f. lilacinum.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

ENEndangered·Very high risk of extinction in the wild

Status

Wild populations remain small and fragmented despite cultivation in gardens.

Culture and stories

Culture and stories

• The name white forsythia describes its forsythia-like flowers, although it belongs to a different genus.