How to Identify a Shrub With 4 Petal Pendulous White Flowers and Dark Bark
- 1). Identify the color of the dark bark and determine if it exfoliates or peels. June Bride mock orange has reddish-brown exfoliating bark. It commonly grows to between 4 and 6 feet tall but very old shrubs can be 10 to 15 feet tall. The 4-petaled white flowers have a strong sweet fragrance and there may only be one flower per stem or several. Measure the shrub's leaves. June Bride's leaves are dark green, oval and no more then 2 inches long. June Bride blooms in the spring, is deciduous and grows in full sun or partial shade in USDA hardiness zones 5 to 9. If the shrub doesn't fit this description, it may be another type of mock orange or a dogwood shrub.
- 2). Look up contact information online or in the telephone book for the local county Extension office. Contact the office and ask if someone can help with shrub identification.
- 3). Take pictures of the shrub with a camera to send to the Extension office if it requests them. Take the photos during the day when the shrub is in the brightest light possible. Take pictures of the leaves and flowers or berries, if present, with a ruler next to them to show their sizes in the picture. Take pictures of the stems. Take photos where the bark is exfoliating or peeling. Take a picture that shows the entire shrub.
- 4). Compile descriptive information about the shrub. Determine the shrub's height and width with a yardstick or tape measure. Describe the flowers' fragrance or let Extension office personnel know if the flowers are not fragrant. Tell them when the shrub blooms and for how long. Let them know if the shrub produces berries. Let them know the approximate age of the shrub, if possible. Tell them if the shrub is deciduous (loses its leaves in the fall), semi-evergreen or evergreen. Let them know if the foliage changes color in the fall and, if so, what color it changes to. Tell them if it grows in a sunny or shady location.
- 5). Download or save the pictures to a computer or take the film to a store to have the pictures developed. Send them as an email attachment or by mail to the Extension office. Include a request for help in identifying the shrub along with the compiled descriptive information.
- 6). Cut a branch off of the shrub with hand pruners and take it to the Extension office if it's requested. A local nursery may also be willing to help identify the shrub in this way. Take a branch with leaves and flowers or flower buds if possible. Be prepared to give the experts the compiled information that would've been sent in a note with photos.