Halesia tetraptera

Halesia tetraptera, commonly known as the common silverbell^[2] or mountain silverbell^[3] (or Carolina silverbell; syn. Halesia carolina auct. non L.),^[4] is a species in the family Styracaceae, native to the southeastern United States. It is cultivated as an ornamental tree.

Common silverbell
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Styracaceae
Genus:	Halesia
Species:	H. tetraptera
Binomial name
Halesia tetraptera L.[1]

Description

It is a small deciduous tree growing to 10 m tall. The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, 5–16 cm long and 4–7 cm broad. The flowers are 1–2.5 cm long, with a four-lobed white corolla. The fruit is a dry drupe 4 cm long, with four wings running along its length.^[2][5][6]

Range

The species is found in scattered populations over much of the eastern United States, as far north as West Virginia, south to northern Florida, and west to Oklahoma. But it is thinly distributed over much of its native range, and is becoming rare in many areas.^[7]

Varieties

There are two varieties of H. tetraptera:

• Halesia tetraptera var. tetraptera – Common silverbell
• Halesia tetraptera var. monticola (Rehder) Reveal & Seldin^[8][9] – Mountain silverbell

The last taxon is much larger, up to 20–39 m tall, with larger leaves up to 20 cm long and flowers up to 3 cm long.^[10]

• 
  Trunk
• 
  Flowers
• 
  H. tetraptera var. monticola

Ecology

H. tetraptera var. tetraptera has been marked as a pollinator plant, supporting and attracting butterflies and bees.^[11]