Pieris japonica - Japanese Pieris (Ericaceae) ------Pieris japonica is an upright, ornamental shrub. Japanese Trunk Pieris is noted for emerging bronzed foliage, dark -dark gray evergreen mature leaves, tiered branching, and showy -furrowed to platy white, droopy flower clusters in late winter. USAGE FEATURES Function Form -foundation plant, usually as a specimen shrub -medium shrub Texture -to 10' tall x 8' wide but often smaller -fine texture -upright columnar in youth, becoming a -thick density spreading mound with age, somewhat Assets tiered branching, with -attractive year-round evergreen foliage branching to the ground -showy white inflorescences in late winter and very early -slow rate spring Culture -bronzed new foliage in early spring -partial to full shade -branching to the ground -prefers a moist, rich, well-drained, Liabilities slightly acid soil -intolerance of full sun (winter desiccation) -intolerant of full sun (in winter) and soil compaction -lace bug problems (sucks juice from leaves and causes Foliage yellowing) -evergreen, dark green -winter dieback often aided by phytophthora infestations -alternate along stem becoming clustered at stem termini on the stems -obovate with a -chlorosis due to alkaline pH and iron deficiency cuneate base Habitat narrowing to a -Zone 5 yellow petiole -Native to Japan -entire margins -glabrous SELECTIONS (shiny) Alternates -new growth at -broadleaf evergreen shrubs (Buxus hybrids, Kalmia first red or latifolia, Rhododendron species, Yucca filamentosa, etc.) bronzed, -shrubs with late winter or early spring flowers becoming light (Chaenomeles speciosa, Cornus mas, Corylus avellana green then 'Contorta', Hamamelis vernalis, etc.) eventually dark green Cultivars - Variants - Related species Flowers -P. japonica 'Dorothy Wycoff' - dark red floral buds -white to creamy emerge as light pink flowers -effective for 2-3 -P. japonica 'Mountain Fire' - fiery new foliage is a weeks in Mar.-Apr. brilliant red instead of bronzed; perhaps the most common and very showy cultivar -pendulous branched -P. japonica 'Purity' - larger pure-white flowers on inflorescences to 6" compact plants that bloom at an early age long -P. japonica 'Red Mill' - emergent red leaves mature to -each flower inverted dark green but are thick and leathery, white flowers last a urn-shaped and week longer than normal, possesses a dense growth habit, contrasting with the and reportedly disease and pest resistant dark evergreen --P. japonica 'Scarlett O'Hara' - white flowers on a narrow foliage upright growth habit -floral buds form in -P. japonica 'Variegata' - young foliage emerges red, previous summer and maturing to green with creamy-white leaf margins are attractive as immature -Pieris 'Brouwer's Beauty' - compact hybrid (of inflorescences during Pieris japonica and Pieris floribunda) which is spreading, winter more resistant to lace bug, more tolerant of alkaline soil Fruits pH, and has purplish-pink floral buds -not showy but noticeable -brown 5-valved capsules Twigs -yellow-red stems changing to dark gray branches, lightly furrowed and mottled with patches of silver -buds very small and tan