Arid Cyrilla or Ti Ti. This rare find by Bob McCartney from Woodlanders Nursery, Aiken, SC may be extinct in its south central Florida home. Frankly, it is so rare, that it has not made it to the "Rare and Endangered Species List." So you had better get it now before it goes there. As its name implies, it is native to higher more "arid" areas than its more northern counterpart, Cyrilla racemiflora, and it is far more cold-hardy than its native haunts might indicate. I have seen it evergreen at 0°F. Numerous spectacular white racemes adorn this plant in mid-spring, giving the appearance of a Pieris which has just seen a ghost, because the spiky racemes stick straight out from its stems. It could well be a good southern substitute for Pieris. The species is even attractive with its seed pods in late summer an fall as one can see in one of the photos. Awesome! Grow in full sun to part shade. Some have debated about whether this is the same species as C. parvifolia, but our C. arida will cover themselves in flowers even in a 1 gallon container, and I have never seen the former do this. This will have to rate as one of my top 25 favorites. Zones 6-10 (at least)
