Symphoricarpos albus / Lacrime d’Italia

Origin: Northwest America.

Botanical characteristics: It is a deciduous, medium-sized, fast-growing shrub, having suckers, erect slender shoots and curved apex. Leaves are opposite, from oval to oblong, sometimes lobed and dark green. It has a summer flowering of small bell-shaped, pink flowers, in bunches. In autumn, the flowering is followed by globose, white, spongy fruits, about 1 cm. They are very decorative and persist all winter long.

Agronomic and environmental characteristics: It adapts to any moist soil with full sun or half shade exposure. It tolerates poor soils and has an high resistance to pollution.

Use: It is cultivated for its ornamental berries. It is used in flower beds, borders and mixed hedges. It is excellent as groundcovers and suitable for urban green areas, road embankments and traffic islands.