The two-wing silverbell is a flowering tree or shrub native to wet forests and bottomlands in the Southeastern US. It is a member of the storax family (Styraceae). The genus name honors Stephen Hales (1677–1761), an English clergyman, inventor, physiologist and botanist. The species epithet means “two wings” and describes the two prominent wings of the fruits. The only other species in the genus, the Carolina silverbell, has four wings on its fruits. Although it suffers during drought, it is otherwise adaptive to environmental conditions and easy to grow. It prefers dappled shade or partial shade, well-drained but moist, humus-rich soil. Two-wing silverbell has a better floral display than the Carolina silverbell ( H. carolina ), but it blooms one or two weeks later. Two-wing silverbell has low branches and can be grown either as a large, multi-stemmed shrub or trained as a single trunk tree. The two-wing silverbell is an attractive small tree for rain gardens or shade gardens. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems. Becomes chlorotic in alkaline soils.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.