Clethra acuminata Michx.
Mountain white alder, sweet pepperbush, mountain sweetpepperbush
Mountain pepper bush is native to the Appalachian Mountains.
Plants: Deciduous sshrubs, bordering on trees, are up to 20′ (6 m) tall. Branches are in horizontal layers. Trunks have brownish or reddish, peeling, bark.
Leaves: Alternate, oval, acuminate, 3–8 ⨉ 1–3″ (8–20 ⨉ 2.5–7.6 cm), with finely serrated edges and hairy undersides. Leaves cluster toward branch tips.
Flowers: Racemes 3–8″ (7.6–20 cm) long contain fragrant, white, bell-shaped flowers, each about 1″ (2.5 cm) long, with petals ¼″ (6.3 mm) long. They appear from June to August.
Fruits: Brown capsules resemble peppercorns.
Habitats: Moist, well-drained, humus-rich, acidic rocky soils in deciduous forests at elevations of 1640–4593′ (500–1400 m).
Online References:
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
4/4/2011 · Oregon Ridge State Park, Timonium, Maryland · ≈ 6 × 9″ (14 × 22 cm) 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Ericales | Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others |
| Family | Clethraceae | Clethra (white alder) family |
| Genus | Clethra | From Greek word for alder, which has similar leaves |
| Species | acuminata | Having a long tapering point |
Clethra acuminata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.