Styrax japonicus in New Jersey Invasive Species Strike Team

Common Name: Japanese snowbell, pink chimes
Family Name: Styracaceae - Silver Bells family
Native Range: Asia
NJ Status: Emerging Stage 0 – Absent or very rare. It is moderately threatening native plant communities.

General Description

• Deciduous flowering shrub
• 20 - 30’ tall, as wide as it is tall
• Single trunked
• Mature bark is grey brown with orange fissures

Leaves

• Simple and alternate
• 1 to 4” long
• Smooth edges
• Dark lush green in the summer yellow to reddish yellow in the fall

Flowers

• Blooms from end of May into June
• Flower are white or light pink and hang down, bell shaped, 0.75” wide
• Less than an inch long
• 5 petals with yellow stamen
• Clusters of 3 to 6

Fruit

• Fruit is a small, dry, round structure that hangs from the tree.
• Light whitish green coloring

Habitat

Roadside, garden, landscaping, forest edge

Commercially Available

Yes

Look-alikes

Stewartia (Stewartia spp.)

• Non-native, similar flowers and leaves to the Japanese Snowbell
• Multi-stemmed
 Smooth orange to yellow-brown bark
• Blooms June to August

American snowbell (Styrax americanus)

• Non-native
• Small tree or shrub reaching 10 - 15’ tall
• Smooth, thin, dark grey-brown bark, no orange fissures

Control Recommendations

Foliar Spray: FS-2

• Glyphosate 3.00%
• Please see our Herbicide Use Suggestions and Mixing Guide for more information

Basal Bark: BB-1

• Triclopyr Ester 25% OR Pathfinder II ready-to-use mixture
• Please see our Herbicide Use Suggestions and Mixing Guide for more information

Cut Stump: CS-1

• Glyphosate 50%
• Please see our Herbicide Use Suggestions and Mixing Guide for more information