Fuzzy deutzia or Slender deutzia: how to tell them apart?
Fuzzy deutzia and Slender deutzia look alike and are often mixed up. Here is how to tell them apart, feature by feature, with their photos and the details to look for.
⚡ The quick answer
Fuzzy deutzia
Deutzia scabra
Slender deutzia
Deutzia gracilis
Slender deutzia is a smaller, more compact version of the classic deutzia, also with white bell-shaped flowers, but a lower, spreading habit.
🍃 Leaves
Opposite, ovate, rough to the touch like sandpaper
Deciduous, ovate, finely toothed
🌸 Flowers
White to pinkish, in dense upright racemes
White, star-shaped, grouped in dense upright racemes
🍎 Fruits
Small dry capsules
Small dry capsule
🪵 Bark
Brown, peeling in strips
Greyish-brown, peeling in strips with age
📏 Size
1.5 to 3 m tall
60 cm to 1 m tall
🗺️ Habitat
Widely planted in flowering hedges
Planted in a border or as a specimen, ordinary well-drained soils
⚠️ Toxicity
No known toxicity.
No notable toxicity known
🔎 And from the Slender deutzia side
Slender deutzia is a smaller, more compact version of the classic deutzia, also with white bell-shaped flowers, but a lower, spreading habit.
🌿 Go further
Want to practise spotting these details on real photos? Floraneo offers profiles and quizzes for dozens of look-alike species.
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.