Slender-leaf mock orange is a wild mock orange from Korea, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East. It's an upright shrub with fragrant, four-petaled white flowers in small clusters. It doesn't grow wild in the US; America's native mock oranges, such as Lewis's mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii), are different species.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A deciduous shrub about 3–10 ft (1–3 m) tall. Bark on two-year-old twigs is gray-brown to brown and peels.
- Leaves
- Opposite, oval to elliptic leaves with toothed edges.
- Flowers
- White, highly fragrant, four-petaled flowers about 1–1.3 in (2.5–3.4 cm) across, usually 5–7 to a cluster, each with 25–30 stamens.
- Fruit
- A small, cone-shaped dry capsule about 0.2 in (4.5–6 mm) long that splits open to release seeds.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Mountain slopes
- Forest edges
- Stream valleys
- Range
- Native to Korea, northeastern China, and the Russian Far East. Not native to the US.
- Preferred conditions
- Grows in sunny spots on mountainsides, at forest edges, and along valleys.
Growing it
- Care
- The UK's Royal Horticultural Society rates it hardy to about -4°F (-20°C). It grows in full sun or part shade in most well-drained soils, from sand to clay.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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