Sweet pepperbush
Clethra alnifolia L.
Also known as: Summersweet, Coastal sweet pepperbush
Family: Clethraceae
1 to 2.5 m tall
Cool to moist, acid soil, in an ericaceous bed or beside a water feature
Flowering: July – September
Part shade
Shade
Hardy to about -25°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
It flowers in the heart of summer, a lean period for most shrubs, and its sweet, powerful scent is sometimes noticed even before the plant is seen.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, alternate, obovate, toothed, bright green, golden-yellow in autumn
🌸 Flowers
White (sometimes pink), strongly scented, in upright terminal spikes
🍎 Fruits
Small brown capsules persisting on the shrub in winter
🪵 Bark
Brown-grey, thin upright twigs
🗺️ Distribution
Native to eastern North America; planted in Europe in ericaceous gardens
🐝 Value for pollinators
Late summer flowering, very rich in honey, much sought after by bees when few other shrubs are in flower
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted for its powerful scent in midsummer and its tolerance of moist soils
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
© Floraneo — profile content is protected; reproduction without permission is prohibited. Photos remain under their own licence (see the credit shown on each photo).