The Bigleaf Snowbell is a large shrub or small tree that is an understory plant of deciduous forest that grows in moist mesic or dry mesic soils of valleys or uplands or on banks of watercourses. Its native range is in the southeastern US from Virginia to northern Florida to southeast Texas up to southwest Illinois and southern Indiana & Ohio. It is a rare to uncommon species that is overall endangered in much of its habitat. It is a larger plant than the similar American Snowbell with larger leaves of about 2.5 to 7 inches long. Its white 3/4 to 1 inch wide, fragrant flowers are in 4 to 8 inch long nodding raceme clusters blooming in late April to late May depending on latitude. These (Snowbell) Styrax species differ from the more common Halesia (Silverbells) in that the former's flowers have 5 petals instead of 4 and they have rounded fruit while the latter has longer fruit with wings. The bark is smooth, dark, and streaked when older. Bigleaf Snowbell has not really been brought into cultivation, though it is beautiful. It is harder to propagate and adapt to cultivation than the two East Asian species of the Japanese and Fragrant Snowbells. I've only seen one planted at the Mount Cuba Center in Hockessin, Delaware that specializes in native plants in a woodland location.

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