ArborNote’s Tree of the Week is the Japanese Snowbell (Styrax japonicus). These beautiful trees are native to Korea, Japan, and Southern China, and are popular ornamental trees around the globe. It actually has the largest distribution out of the members in the genus Styrax. Its common name comes from the beautiful white flowers that bloom in June that look like little snowballs on the ends of the tree. However, the Japanese Snowbell has a relatively limited flowering period; a single flower has a blooming period of 4-5 days before wilting and a group of flowers last around 2 weeks This has prompted studies investigating how to prolong the flowering period in this species, although nothing has come of it yet. The flowers give way to fruits that are similar to olives in both shape and color. The Japanese common name, egonoki, originates from how the fruit annoys the throat and tongue when put in the mouth — egui or egoi describes something that evokes a repulsive, bitter flavor. So although they look like olives, they are not very tasty! Interestingly, the fruit contains large amounts of egosaponin, a poisonous agent that has been used in East Asian traditional fishing to stun fish and make them easier to catch!