Halesia tetraptera Ellis
Carolina silverbell, common silverbell, mountain silverbell
Carolina silverbell is native to the southeastern United States. Trees are common in the higher elevations of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Plants: Small, irregular trees may reach 33′ (10 m) in height. Bark is smooth and slightly rippled, with gray and green stripes, like muscles. Older trees are furrowed, and rougher.
Leaves: Dark green, alternate, ovate to lanceolate, 1¾–6 ⨉ 1½–2½″ (5–16 ⨉ 4–7 cm), with smooth margins and pointed tips.
Flowers: Attractive, bell-shaped, hanging in clusters of up to five. Each flower is ⅜–⅞″ (1–2.5 cm) long, with a four-lobed white or pinkish corolla.
Fruits: Uniquely shaped, with four “wings” or sections, oval-shaped from the side, looking more like a “+” sign in cross-section. They are 1–1½″ (2.5–3.8 cm) long.
Habitats: Rich acid to neutral soils.
Online References:
Carolina Nature (Halesia tetraptera var. tetraptera)
References:
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Ebenales | Includes ebony, persimmon, silverbell, many others |
| Family | Styracaceae | Temperate climate trees and shrubs |
| Genus | Halesia | Silverbells. Named for polymath Stephen Hales |
| Species | tetraptera | “Four-winged,” describing the fruit |
Halesia tetraptera description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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