Family: Hamamelidaceae (witch-hazel family)
Common Name: 'Fringe Flower', 'Chinese Witchhazel', Loropetalum
Origin: Originally discovered in the Hunan province of China. Native to Japan and southeast Asia including southern China
What is that plant with burgundy leaves and odd fuschia flowers that is blooming all over town? It seems to be everywhere from commercial to residential properties. In case you didn’t know, it’s Loropetalum chinensis var. rubrum better known as ‘Fringe Flower’ or simply Loropetalum. The name may be hard to pronounce, but once you get the hang of it, it’s quite melodious and just rolls off the tongue. These plants are easy to grow and they're a great addition to any garden. Some varieties grow to be large shrubs or small trees and are ideal for the back of the border as a hedge or background for low-growing shrubs. Others are reported to grow much smaller, some only 4 or 5 feet at maturity and about the same width. Those can be kept even lower with pruning or shearing and are suitable in mid-bed plantings, containers, or borders in a bright sunny part of the landscape. When vertical stems are periodically removed, some of the newer, lower-growing varieties of Loropetalum may even be used as a large scale ground cover.
Common Name: 'Fringe Flower', 'Chinese Witchhazel', Loropetalum
Origin: Originally discovered in the Hunan province of China. Native to Japan and southeast Asia including southern China