Styrax

( STYE - racks )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus of deciduous trees and shrubs, commonly called Storax or Snowbell, needs full sun to partial shade and regular water to perform well. In spring, they produce a wonderful show of white (or pink, in some varieties) bell-shaped flowers that are fragrant. These plants are native to warm temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Take care when planting these shrubs and trees in the landscape, as plant parts are toxic to humans and pets.

Styrax Species and Varietals

The genus Styrax includes around 130 species of small trees and large shrubs, and is a member of the plant family Styracaceae. Styrax growing zones are 4-9 and 14-21. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Styrax americanus (American Snowball, Mock-Orange)
These plants are native to the southeastern United States, where they prefer floodplain and other wet areas. The species forms a shrub or small tree to 17 feet tall, and produce green foliage. Flowers are small and white.

Styrax benzoin (Gum Benjamin Tree, Loban, Kemenyan, Onycha, Sumatra Benzoin Tree)
These trees are native to Indochina and Malesia, and reach up to between 40 and 100 feet tall when mature. Resin from these trees is harvested, and is called Benzoin, used in incense, as flavoring, and as a medicinal tincture. These trees are cultivated as crop trees for their resin, but are also grown as ornamental shade trees, mainly in western Africa.

Styrax grandifolius (Bigleaf Snowball, Bigleaf Storax)
These plants are native to the southeastern United States, and have larger leaves than most other species in the genus. The species forms a deciduous shrub or tree up to 20 feet tall. Bark is dark and streaky, and foliage is green with whitish-grey undersides.

Styrax japonicus (Japanese Snowdrop Tree, Japanese Snowbell, Egonoki)
This species is a tree native to eastern Asia that tops out around 30 feet tall and spreads to 30 feet or more at maturity. Trunk is slender and graceful, and the tree has a broad, flat top. Leaves are green and scalloped, and turn red and yellow in fall. Flowers form in small clusters that hang down from branches. Great tree to plant over a relaxation area; it is a great tree to look up into.

'Carillon' ('Pendula')
Shrubby habit with weeping branches.

'Pink Chimes'
Shrubby but upright form with pink flowers.

'Snow Charm'
Rounded form, to 20 feet tall and just as wide.

'Snowcone'
Pyramid-shaped tree to 25 feet tall and 20 feet wide.

Styrax obassia (Styrax obassis) (Fragrant Snowbell)
This species is a tree from Asia that reaches 20-30 feet tall and about 2/3 as wide. Leaves are deep green and round, and turn yellow in fall. White flowers bloom in clusters. Great against evergreen backgrounds or in border gardens.

Styrax officinalis redivivus (California Snowdrop, Snowdrop Bush, Storax Tree)
This species is best in zones 6-10, 14-16 and 18-24, and are native to the dry, rocky areas of California below 3,000 feet. It is an upright, deciduous shrub that reaches 6-10 feet tall and a little over half as wide. Grey-green leaves are fuzzy underneath, and flowers are fragrant and white, with yellow-tipped stamens. Great in native and drought-tolerant gardens.

Caring for and pruning styrax shrubs

Plant your Styrax in full sun to partial shade in well-draining, fertile soil that is acidic to neutral (between 5.5 and 6.5 is ideal). Keep soil consistently moist, especially during dry periods. Apply a layer of mulch around the base of the plant to increase soil moisture retention and inhibit the growth of unwanted weeds. If fertilization is needed, the best time to apply it is in early springtime before new growth begins, but for the most part if the pH of the soil is adequate for growth, fertilizing is not necessary. Pruning these trees and shrubs is simple; not much is needed at maturity. When Styrax plants are young, they usually do well with targeted pruning for shape.

Propagation

Styrax can be propagated either by using cuttings or from seed. To ensure that your propagated plant will have the exact same qualities and characteristics as the parent plant, use the cutting method. If you would like to experiment and see what plant you can grow from seed, just keep in mind that it will not necessarily be the same as the parent plant. To propagate your Styrax, follow the instructions below:

Propagating Styrax by Cutting

Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand.
In spring or early summertime, choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Cut one or more 6 inch softwood portion(s) of the end of a non-blooming branch and strip the leaves off of the lower half. Make a hole in your planting medium by pushing your pencil into the soil. Dip the end of the stem in rooting hormone, and plant it in your pot. Fill in soil around the cutting to support it, but do not pack it down too much.
Moisten with water, and ensure that the pot has good drainage. Your pot should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight). Water whenever your soil is dry under the top layer. After about four to six weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When you notice new growth, you'll know you have roots.
Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Propagating Styrax by Seed

Keep in mind that the plant you get from seed will not necessarily mimic all of the characteristics of the parent plant. To propagate by seed, you will need a paper bag, a resealable plastic bag, peat moss, pot or tray filled with well-draining compost or other organic material, a spray bottle and a fork. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some. Just mix together equal parts (by volume) moss peat and horticultural-grade sand or grit sand. You will also, after a few weeks, need individual 3-inch pots for each seedling that grows.
Harvest your seeds. The seed pods on Styrax plants are pretty easy to spot, they're large and dangle from the branches, left behind after flowers have faded. Once they have dried out and begun to split open, you can harvest the seeds inside. Cut them off of the plant, placing them in a paper bag. Harvest as many as you can, and place the paper bag in a dry, cool, dark area. They will begin to split open and release the seeds contained inside. Once they have been released, take them out of the bag and put them in a container so you can work with them.
Styrax seeds need to undergo a few treatments before they will readily germinate. Place your seeds in a resealable plastic bag filled with moistened peat moss, and put it in an area that stays at about 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and leave it there for 4 weeks. Ensure that the bag stays moist during these treatments by adding sprays of water as necessary. Once the four weeks has passed, move the bag to your refrigerator and leave it for 11 weeks. When both of these treatments are done, remove your seeds from the bag.
Water your prepared seed tray or pot filled with soil, and ensure that good drainage is occurring. Place your seeds in your prepared pot or seed tray about a quarter inch to a half-inch under the soil surface. Cover them with soil and water with your spray bottle. Place your tray of seeds in a warm area that receives bright, indirect light. A greenhouse is the most ideal climate, but a planting tray inside a window will do as well. Germination usually takes 14-21 days from sowing. Once you begin to see seedlings sprout and they are able to be handled, transplant them to their own individual 3-inch pots, filled with the same potting medium as described in Step 1. Loosen the seedlings from the potting medium by digging down with the tines of your fork about an inch and a half, gently working the seedling up until it is out. Then, replant the seedling in its individual pot.
Keep the seedling's potting medium moist, but not wet, by spraying the soil with your spray bottle. Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring (after the danger of frost has passed), when you can transplant it to its new home.