Sweet Pepperbush

Also known as Coastal Sweetpepperbush, Summer Sweet, White Alder

Sweet pepperbush fills damp eastern woodlands with a rich, spicy fragrance during peak summer when few other woody plants bloom. Its bottle-brush spikes of creamy white flowers attract dense crowds of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, followed by dried peppercorn-like seed capsules that persist through winter. Spreading slowly via underground suckers, this hardy wetland shrub forms dense thickets that stabilize stream banks and provide vital shelter for wildlife.