Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Greenstem Forsythia - Forsythia viridissima   Lindley
Members of Oleaceae:
Members of Forsythia with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Scrophulariales » Family Oleaceae
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AuthorLindley
DistributionMostly Mountains; also Catawba and Wake counties in the Piedmont, and Cumberland County in the Sandhills.

Native of China; in N.A. NH to Ont., south to NC, AL, AR.
AbundanceRare. Apparently this species is more likely to be found away from cultivation than F. suspensa.
HabitatCreek banks and terraces, edge of seepage area, base of waterfall, roadsides.
PhenologyFlowering February-April.
IdentificationFolks know blooming forsythias as a sign of spring. This woody shrub typically has many stems and branches that may begin erect but eventually curve outward and down. Bright yellow, 4-petaled flowers crowd the branches, before the leaves emerge. Mature branches are cross-septate in F. viridissima (vs. hollow in F. suspensa).
Taxonomic Comments
Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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