The LSU AgCenter is pleased to announce its 2023 fall Louisiana Super Plant selection: Cinnamon Girl distylium (Distylium ‘PIIDIST-V’). Distylium hybrids are relatively new to the plant nursery trade, making their debut in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Distylium is a native to Asia and is a member of the witch hazel family.
Most available hybrids are a cross between two species: Distylium racemosum, which has dark green foliage, and Distylium myricoides, which adds the interesting growth architecture and leaf features. Distylium shrubs have gorgeous, blue-green foliage on wide-spreading, horizontally arching branches that grow in layers, giving it a swirling appearance. It’s unlike any growth I’ve seen on an evergreen shrub.
Distylium racemosum lends its hardy genetics to the hybrid. Some distylium cultivars are cold hardy to zone 6b, and all will perform well in Louisiana, which is in zones 8a, 8b and 9a. These shrubs also are heat and drought tolerant. They can grow in either full sun or shade and display no major insect or disease problems. Distylium can tolerate wet and dry soils. They require minimal attention, making them an easy-care foundation evergreen shrub.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: LSU AgCenter
