Chipolo Pink Buckwheat Tree. This is a much neglected native species found in states from South Carolina to Louisiana where it grows in the coastal plain. It is in the same family with Cyrilla, Cyrillaceae, and it is found growing in similar habitats of low flat wet areas. It flowers approximately a month before Cyrilla, here in April. Even though there have been records of plants up to 25 feet, it is more often seen in the 8-12' range. The foliage is evergreen and lustrous, about 1-2" long. The flowers are usually white in racemous racemes with individual racemes being 1.5-2.5" long, but this selection is one of the rarer pink forms. It is easily grown, but one must keep the proper moisture level in the soil to keep it content. It is hardy enough to grow in zone 7, possibly even zone 6.
Zones 7-10
