Vase-shaped in youth, rounded with horizontally tiered branches with age. Fall color inconsistent. Branch breakage is due to tight crotches. Heavy bloomer even when young, but also a heavy self-seeder.
Taprooted and hard to transplant, except in youth. Stoecklein suggests transplanting in spring for best chance of success. Soil compaction tolerance is debated (USDA vs. NCSU). Does not do well where summers are cool, as per Glyn Church in the Woody Plant series.
Stoecklein claims nitrogen fixing, but I have seen no other support for this, and USDA directly contradicts it.
'Appalachian Red' (pink flowers, green foliage) and 'JN2' (The Rising Sun) (orange new growth with green blotches, weaker grower) have earned the PHS Gold Medal Award. 'Pink Pom Poms' has double flowers and is seedless. 'Royal White' has white flowers. 'JN16' (Black Pearl) is more compact than the species and has dark purple foliage that holds color better than 'Forest Pansy' in heat. 'Forest Pansy' is less cold-hardy than the species. 'Merlot' is more vigorous, and has shinier foliage, than 'Forest Pansy'. 'Alley Cat' has green leaves with white splotches. 'Floating Clouds' has similar white spotting/streaking, held through summer, and has grown four times as fast as 'JN2' in six years. 'Hearts of Gold' has yellow foliage with no blotches but turns green in heat. 'Minnesota Hardy' and 'Pink Trim' (Northern Herald) are more cold hardy. 'JN7' (Summer's Tower) is an upright form. 'Ace of Hearts' and 'Little Woody' are compact forms. There are also a bunch of weeping forms, but this paragraph has already gotten too long.
Sources: Sunset, White Oak, NCSU, Dove/Woolridge, UFL, JerseyYards.org, Rutgers, Missouri BG, UConn, Odenwald/Turner, Dirr & Warren, USDA.
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