FNPS Plant Database

Styrax americanus

American snowbell
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

American snowbell

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Styrax americanus

Family:

Styracaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

6–10 (12) ft tall by 6–10 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Deciduous. Blooms in spring. Life span likely >50 yrs (Nelson 2003)

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Aroma/Showy Fruitsagrance

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Understory tree. Specimen plant in moist areas.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed (stratified), layering, softwood cuttings.

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Stays wet -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Soil pH:

Acidic

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds, Mammals

Attracts pollinators. Attracts butterflies. Host plant for promethea moth (Callosamia promethea).

Birds and other animals eat the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Understory of floodplain and wet forests, swamps, shoreline thickets, cypress-gum depressions. Most frequently where annually inundated or where water stands at or above the soil surface for extended periods

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Prolific bloomer: very showy. Fragrant.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. (Undated). Plant Database: Styrax americanus (American snowbell). ( https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=stam4 ). Accessed 2026. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX.


Missouri Botanical Garden. (Undated). Spiranthes odorata [in] PlantFinder. ( https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=287280&isprofile=1&gen=Styrax ). Accessed 2026. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO.


Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


University of Tennessee Extension Service. (2010). Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. ( https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf ). Accessed 2026. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville, TN.


Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

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