Crawfish Boil Itea. I acquired this plant in a J. C. Raulston Arboretum auction in 2020. It was found by Robert Hughes who lived near Amite, LA and was a former employee of Van der Giessen Nursery, Semmes, AL, which nursery donated the plant. This selection was made by Mr. Hughes because of its lacking the shot-hole damage so prevalent with this species, which has rendered it quite undesirable in the landscape. At the present time this plant is completely clean of the tell-tale shot hole damage of what ever insect or fungus attacks this plant here at the nursery where it is watered daily with over-head irrigation. This is a vigorous selection of one of our outstanding natives which flowers in mid spring with 4-6 inch spires of white, lightly fragrant blooms. It appears that it will attain a height of 4-6 feet with multiple basal stems making for a dense multi-stem shrub. It does well in full sun to part shade and will tolerate wet feet. In its southern haunts it will remain almost completely evergreen, but the further north it will become semi-evergreen to deciduous, with a brick red fall color.
Zone 5-9
