Seven-son flower (Heptacodium miconioides) is really more of a shrub than ornamental tree. It flowers when little else is blooming in late fall. After the flowers fade, the sepals encircling the flowers change to rosy-purple for a second display of color, which lasts a few more weeks. These appear to be flowers, giving this curious plant the appearance of blooming twice.

During winter, the bark of seven-son flower is also attractive, with long strips of brownish gray peeling away to reveal a bleached, sandy, smooth stem. Multiple stemmed and fast-growing, this plant can be trained to a single-stemmed small tree. Native to China, seven-son flower was introduced into the United States in 1907 and then again in 1980, rediscovered by the Arnold Arboretum, and distributed to several botanic gardens, including the 91½ûÂþ. It is an unusual late-summer standout.

Seven-son flower can reach as much as 20 feet in height. It has a loose, open habit, along with a handsome, strongly three-veined leaf. Use it in a shrub border as a background plant. This honeysuckle relative begins flowering in late summer to early autumn.

Archived Copy: This content was captured before February 2022, and is no longer being updated.