fetterbush
Pieris D.Don
A genus overview; characteristics vary between its species.
Pieris is familiar through evergreen garden shrubs bearing sprays of small, urn-shaped flowers and often colorful new leaves. The genus is more varied than those garden forms suggest: floras include trees and woody vines as well as shrubs. Leaves may spiral along a shoot or crowd together into apparent whorls. Flora of China: PierisRHS Genus Guide: Pieris
Botanical name
Pieris D.Don is an accepted genus in Ericaceae. Kew includes the formerly separate genera Arcterica and Ampelothamnus within it. Kew Plants of the World Online: Pieris
Recognizing the plant
The leaf blades are leathery, with margins ranging from smooth to strongly toothed. Flower clusters can arise at branch tips or in leaf axils. Each flower has a short, five-lobed opening, with the stamens enclosed inside. The anthers bear paired spurs and release pollen through small pores. Dry capsules split along five seams to free numerous small seeds. Flora of China: Pieris
Seasonality across the genus
British garden representatives
In British gardens, the commonly grown pierises are spring-flowering, with some flower buds developing the previous autumn. This garden pattern should not be treated as a calendar for every wild species. RHS Genus Guide: PierisTrees and Shrubs Online: Pieris
Native range
The native range has widely separated parts: the Himalaya and eastern Asia north to Kamchatka, the eastern United States, and Cuba. Kew Plants of the World Online: Pieris
Botanical sources
- Kew Plants of the World Online: Pieris
- Flora of China: Pieris
- RHS Genus Guide: Pieris
- Trees and Shrubs Online: Pieris
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.