Fringetree is a small tree or large shrub named for its fringelike white flower petals. It is also called old-mans-beard. The fringetree grows to 35 feet (11 meters) high. Its fragrant flowers bloom in early spring. Animals eat the fruits, which hang in clusters like grapes.
Fringetrees grow wild in the United States from New Jersey and southern Pennsylvania south to Florida and west to southern Missouri and eastern Texas. They thrive on rich, well-drained soil along the banks of rivers and streams. Gardeners plant fringetrees as ornamentals as far north as southern New England. Fringetrees have hard, heavy, pale brown wood. The bark contains substances that can be used as medicines. A similar kind of fringetree grows wild in China.
