Chionanthus retusus Chinese fringe tree

A contemplative moment under the Chinese fringe trees in the Thomas Church Garden. Sairus Patel, 18 Apr 2018

Chionanthus retusus in the Thomas Church Garden. John Rawlings, 3 Apr 2003

This tree springs to your attention in early April, when delicate white flowers with strap-shaped petals emerge from the tips of branches. When in full bloom, the effect is one of snowy clouds smothering the canopy. Trees with female flowers bear clusters of succulent dark-blue drupes, looking rather like grapes. The most well-known on campus were a group of four in the sequestered Outer Quad patio north of Geology Corner, designed by Thomas Church in 1967. Church had actually specified C. virginicus, but at least from the 1980s onwards, and perhaps from Church’s time, C. retusus had been used, and over the decades was assiduously replaced as needed, until 2024, when at last a young C. virginicus was planted.

Chinese fringe trees have proven popular. By 2001, 11 new specimens about 20 feet tall were flowering in the courtyard behind Sequoia Hall. Five stand at the entrance to Forsythe Hall. Three grow at the southwest corner of Panama Mall and Lomita Mall, and several flank the main entrance to Schwab Residential Center. A pair can be seen at 579 Alvarado Row. Most recently, specimens have been planted in the Outer Quad courtyards behind Math Corner and Wallenberg Hall, continuing the theme from the Thomas Church garden. These semi-enclosed spaces allow their delicate fragrance to be more readily appreciated.

Chionanthus retusus in bloom in the Thomas Church Garden. Sairus Patel, 31 Mar 2017

Chionanthus retusus branchlet with opposite leaves. John Rawlings, ca. 2005

Also see:

• 28 Feb 2000. Cardinal Chronicle: Thomas Church. Stanford Report. “In late spring, Chinese fringe trees blossom into a spectacular show of white flowers in Geology Courtyard behind Building 320.”
• Jan/Feb 2003. He Changed the Landscape. Raymond Hardie, Stanford Magazine. “The campus was overrun with automobiles and ‘backyard junk.’ Then Thomas Church came along and dreamed up a peripatetic’s paradise.”