Chionanthus retusus

Chionanthus retusus, the Chinese fringetree, is a flowering plant in the family Oleaceae. It is native to eastern Asia: eastern and central China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

It is a deciduous shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 m in height, with thick, fissured bark. The leaves are 3 – long and 2 – broad, simple ovate to oblong-elliptic, with a hairy, 0.5 – long petiole. The flowers are white, produced in panicles 3 – long. The fruit is a blue-black drupe 1 – long and 0.6 – in diameter.

It is cultivated in Europe and North America as an ornamental tree, valued for its feathery white flowerheads.

In Japan's Aichi Prefecture near Inuyama there is a grove of seven mature Chionanthus retusus renowned for their yearly white blooms. They were designated by the authorities as a natural monument since 1923.