Clethra alnifolia
coastal sweetpepperbush, summersweet, summersweet clethra, coastal sweet pepperbush, clethra, summer sweet, coastal sweet pepper, coastal pepperbush, poor man's soap
Family
Clethraceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
serrate
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate, obovate, cuneate
Growth Form
shrub
Flower Color
pink, white
Flower Month
July - August
Height (meters)
3.0
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
native
Lifespan
perennial
Wetland Class
FACW
Field Characters
A leafy shrub that spreads into mounded clumps. Its dry fruiting capsules that remain long after flowering help identify this plant in winter.
Habitat
Swamps, about lakes, wet woods, thickets.