SILVER BELL
Halesia carolina L.
Growth Form: Small tree to 30 feet tall; trunk diameter up to 8 inches; crown widely spreading.
Bark: Reddish-brown, with whitish stripes, somewhat scaly.
Twigs: Slender, reddish-brown, usually smooth; leaf scars alternate, half-round, with a cluster of bundle scars.
Buds: Ovoid, pointed, reddish-brown, somewhat hairy, up to ⅛ inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades oval to elliptic, pointed at the tip, tapering to rounded at the base, up to 6 inches long, about half as broad, finely toothed along the edges, dark green and usually smooth on the upper surface, paler and smooth or slightly hairy on the lower surface; leafstalks slender, smooth or finely hairy, up to ½ inch long.
Flowers: Few in hanging clusters, showy, white, each bell-shaped and up to one inch long, appearing in April.
Fruit: 4-winged, dry, brown, up to 2 inches long, containing 1 seed.
Wood: Light in weight, soft, close-grained, brown.