Paper Bush (Edgeworthia chrysantha):
A Shrub for Winter Color and Fragrance
By Cornelius Tarver,
Horticulture Program Assistant
One
of the joys, and challenges, of gardening is finding plants that provide year
round interest, especially during the winter. Edgeworthia chrysantha,
common name Paper Bush or Rice Paper Plant is a deciduous shrub that provides
winter interests in three different ways.
Edgeworthia has showy bark and it blooms in winter with fragrant flowers.
It is in the Thymelaeaceae family, making it cousins with another fragrant winter bloomer, Daphne adora, but Edgeworthia is less difficult to grow than Daphne. A native of China, Paper Bush got its common name because its bark was used to make high grade paper.
Above all of its attributes, Edgeworthia is prized for its fragrant flowers. The fragrance is said to be sweet like Gardenia but spicier. Like its cousin Daphne, Edgeworthia’s aroma perfumes the air over great distances. Edgeworthia flowers throughout the winter, its fragrance to be enjoyed from December to February.
DESCRIPTION:
Paper Bush flowers when the stems are bear. The stems have a reddish-brown,
smooth bark. The stems are so supple and slender that they can be tied into
knots. Flower buds appear in December at the ends of the branches. The composite
flowers, 1” – 2” wide, are made of numerous tubular flowers with yellow centers
and creamy white outsides that give the composite flower an overall yellowish
color. The leaves are lanceolate shaped, (long and narrow), and grow singular
and alternate along the stem. They are dark blue-green on top with silvery-green
undersides. New leaves are fuzzy on top and in the fall they turn yellow. The
shrub has a rounded growth habit that requires little pruning to retain its
shape. Edgeworthia has a medium growth rate with an average mature height of 5
to 6 feet with an equal width.
PLANTING and CARE: Paper Bush grows in USDA hardiness zones 7 to 9 and in protected areas of zone 6. Paper Bush makes an excellent specimen plant or as an accent at the back of the border. It also makes a good woodland shrub. Plant Paper Bushes about 7 feet apart in light to moderate shade. Its natural habitat is forest areas and along stream beds. Provide it with deep moist soil high in organic matter. It requires normal watering.
BUYING EDWORTHIA: Edgeworthia can be propagated by division from the parent plant in the fall. It is not widely sold in garden centers.
However, the best source for obtaining Paper Bush right now is from the Cobb County Extension office. From January 1, 2007 to February 28, 2007 you can order Edgeworthia chrysantha from the Cobb County Extension Office during their annual 2007 Cobb County 4-H Plant Sale and Fundraiser. Plants are $12.00 for a 1-gallon pot and you can order as many as you want. Plants will then be available for pick up on March 10, 2007. Call (770) 528-4076 for more details.
References:
“Edgeworthia Lends Blooms and Fragrance to Winter”, by Donald Breedlove. North Carolina Cooperative Extension
“Edgeworthia papyrifera”, by Michael Dirr. Interactive Manual of Woody Landscape Plants 1996
“Edgeworthia papyrifera”. Oregon State University, Department of Horticulture 1999 – 2006
Plant Profiles, South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson University
The contents and opinions expressed on this Web page do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the University of Georgia or the University System of Georgia.