After the flowers of the azalea have faded, we are attracted in like
situations by a similar fragrance from the Clethra, or Spiked Alder,
remarkable as one of the latest bloomers of the American flowering
shrubs. It bears its white flowers in a long spike, or raceme, somewhat
like those of the black cherry-tree. The Clethra, when in blossom, is
not destitute of elegance, and it is valuable for the lateness of its
flowering. The foliage of this plant is homely, and its autumnal tints
are yellow, while the prevailing tints of our wild shrubbery are
different shades of red and purple. It is found in wet and boggy places,
where it is very common, displaying its floral clusters as late as the
fourth week in August. This shrub, when cut up for brushwood, is called
the “Pepperbush” by the fishermen of our coast, from the resemblance of
its roundish fruit to peppercorns. The picturesque attractions of the
Clethra are not to be despised, when its long racemes of white flowers
are seen projecting from crowded masses of verdure on the edges of the
wooded swamps.