# Alabama Snow-wreath (Neviusia alabamensis)

> A rare southern shrub whose arching stems carry puffs of white flowers with no petals in spring, for a shady border or woodland edge.

Also called snow wreath. Category: Native Shrubs. Grown from seed by Blue Whale Trees. Web version: https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants/alabama-snow-wreath/

![Alabama snow-wreath (Neviusia alabamensis) clusters of feathery white flowers with no petals among leaves](https://bluewhaletrees.com/img/plants/alabama-snow-wreath-h1610-800.jpg)
*Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANeviusia_alabamensis_kz01.jpg)*

## Facts

- Type: Shrub
- Mature height: 3 to 10 ft
- USDA hardiness zones: 4 to 8
- Grows wild in: Rocky ground, rich moist slopes, stream banks and the forest understory
- Native range: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee
- Sun: Part, Full, Shade
- Soil moisture: Average, Dry
- Growth rate: Medium
- Traits: Rare, Showy flowers, Tolerates shade, Drought tolerant, Fall color
- Sold as: Saplings

Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them.

## Availability

Not yet priced online. Ask at captain@bluewhaletrees.com or leave an email on the web page to be told when it is listed.

## Notes

Alabama snow-wreath is a rare shrub of the rose family, one of only two species in its genus, the other a California shrub. In spring its arching stems carry puffs of white stamens with no petals, like a wreath of snow. It grows wild in a few scattered colonies in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee, and each colony is mostly or wholly one clone. NatureServe ranks it vulnerable, and Georgia and Tennessee list it as threatened. Grow it in a shady border or at a woodland edge, where its white flowers light up the spring shade.

## Size, growth and what to expect

It grows at a medium pace, about a foot and a half a year in our growth estimator. It forms a rounded clump 3 to 6 feet tall and wide, sometimes 10 feet tall, of slender stems that arch with age. Root suckers thicken it into a thicket.

Clusters of 2 to 10 flowers open at the branch tips from late March into May. Each is about an inch across, a puff of 100 or more white stamens with no petals. Small, dry fruits form from late spring into fall, but their seeds rarely if ever ripen, and no seedling has ever been found in the wild. The leaves turn yellow in fall.

It grows on steep, rocky slopes over limestone, sandstone or shale and along streams in hardwood forest, in light to heavy shade. It was last seen in Missouri in 1918. Gardens have grown it since soon after its discovery in 1857, as far north as Boston and Chicago.

## How to grow Alabama Snow-wreath

Alabama snow-wreath grows in part shade, full sun or shade, in average, well-drained soil that is close to neutral. It takes dry spells once it is rooted. Its roots send up suckers, so pull the ones you do not want to keep a single clump. Set plants 5 feet apart, and keep each one 3 feet from a wall. It is small enough to grow within 15 feet of overhead wires.

Saplings ship bare-root or potted. Plant them dormant, from leaf fall until bud swell, in a hole wider than the roots and no deeper. Set the crown at the soil line, put the native soil back in, and keep the mulch clear of the stems.

Water weekly through the first summer, and give it a deep soak once a week in later dry spells. It blooms on last year's wood, so prune right after flowering, cutting tired or dead stems out at the base. An old or overgrown clump can be cut to the ground to renew it.

Each flower carries both male and female parts, so there are no male and female plants to pair. Seeds rarely ripen in the wild. Some growers list seed among the ways to raise it. It roots easily from softwood cuttings, and a clump can be divided. It is a short-lived shrub, but no serious pests or diseases trouble it.

## Sources

- [Flora of North America, vol. 9: Neviusia alabamensis](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=220009234)
- [Flora of North America, vol. 9: Neviusia, genus](http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=122251)
- [NatureServe Explorer: Neviusia alabamensis](https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.128124/Neviusia_alabamensis)
- [Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Biodiversity Portal: Neviusia alabamensis species account](https://georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=15457)
- [NC State Extension, North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Neviusia alabamensis](https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/neviusia-alabamensis/)
- [Missouri Botanical Garden, Plant Finder: Neviusia alabamensis](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=286428)
- [Trees and Shrubs Online: Neviusia alabamensis, Cameron 2025](https://www.treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/neviusia/neviusia-alabamensis/)
- [Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Native Plant Database: Neviusia alabamensis](https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=NEAL)

## Read before planting

- [Ten planting mistakes that quietly kill trees](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/ten-planting-mistakes/index.html.md)
- [Transplanting young trees: timing, water and protection](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/transplanting-young-trees/index.html.md)
- [Protecting young trees from voles, rabbits, deer and squirrels](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/protecting-trees-from-animals/index.html.md)
- [The habitat around a tree is part of the tree](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/habitat-around-a-tree/index.html.md)
- [Invasive vines and shrubs are what is killing your woods](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/invasive-vines-and-shrubs/index.html.md)
- [Native trees and shrubs for bees: pollen, nectar, nesting and a bloom calendar from willow to witch hazel](https://bluewhaletrees.com/articles/native-trees-for-bees/index.html.md)

## Related

- [Planting-site check](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/site-check/index.html.md): for a thrive, struggle or fail verdict on Alabama Snow-wreath, add ?species=alabama-snow-wreath with zone (2 to 10), sun (full, part, shade) and moisture (dry, average, wet) to that address, for example ?species=alabama-snow-wreath&zone=4&sun=part&moisture=average.
- [Companion species for Alabama Snow-wreath](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/companions/index.html.md?species=alabama-snow-wreath): the natives that share its ground and the plants that pair with it in a yard.
- [Growth estimator](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/index.html.md): how the height and trunk projections are made; the estimate itself runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/growth/#species=alabama-snow-wreath
- [Seed sowing planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/index.html.md): how Alabama Snow-wreath is sown, in the chart for every species (treatment, cold days, depth, timing); the dated plan runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/sowing/#species=alabama-snow-wreath
- [Pollination planner](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/index.html.md): what Alabama Snow-wreath needs for a crop and how many to plant, in the table for every species; the planner runs in the browser at https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/pollination/#plants=alabama-snow-wreath:1
- [Bloom and fruit calendar](https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/index.html.md): the months Alabama Snow-wreath flowers and fruits, in the grid for every species.