[Soni]

This is blooming right now in Mo (and probably NC if I recall correctly). It has smooth bark, smooth medium-green leaves that are opposite compound (pinate) and smooth on both sides. Stems are light brown. It has small racemes of tiny white flowers that hang down under the stem and it is very fragrant (right now it is out-competing the honeysuckle!). Flowers are clublike when closed, and open from lower racemes to upper racemes and each tiny flower has four petals and 2 stamen with brown anthers. It can grow quite tall (I saw one as tall as the other trees in the area) and also can grow like a woody vine if cut back. The ones I saw that were growing tree-like had several thin, smooth-barked trunks, like a crepe myrtle or ficus.

I have been looking online, but haven't found one yet. Its not a spirea, nor a privet, nor a honeysuckle as far as I can tell.

 

[kate]

This is blooming right now in Mo (and probably NC if I recall correctly). It has smooth bark, smooth medium-green leaves that are opposite compound (pinate) and smooth on both sides. Stems are light brown. It has small racemes of tiny white flowers that hang down under the stem and it is very fragrant (right now it is out-competing the honeysuckle!). Flowers are clublike when closed, and open from lower racemes to upper racemes and each tiny flower has four petals and 2 stamen with brown anthers. It can grow quite tall (I saw one as tall as the other trees in the area) and also can grow like a woody vine if cut back. The ones I saw that were growing tree-like had several thin, smooth-barked trunks, like a crepe myrtle or ficus.

I have been looking online, but haven't found one yet. Its not a spirea, nor a privet, nor a honeysuckle as far as I can tell.

paw paw tree?

 

[Soni]

Nope.

 

[Cabin Fever]

Carolina jessamine (jasmine)?

 

[CJ]

It's a tree, not a bush? Can you get a picture? Is it elderberry?

 

[nostalgia]

How about mock orange?


Here's a picture:
http://roses.toytrains1.com/mockorange.htm

 

[limhyl]

Locust trees have the type of flowers you describe and are very fragrant.

 

[Soni]

Nost - It's not mock orange - the flowers are way teeny-tiny and they are clumped about 20-50 on a spike/raceme no longer than my thumb/finger, although there are several of these spike/racemes at the end of each branch.

CJ - Although they can get to tree sized, it's crepe myrtle tree sized, not oak. Mostly, they are large bushes, and weirdly enough 90% of them have honeysuckle growing up through them, even in landscaped yards with no other honeysuckle around.

limhyl - not a locust, either. Dang it, this is driving me nuts. They are every stinking where, yet not one web page is showing them.....!!!

 

[Soni]

FOUND IT! Silver lace vine
Polygonum aubertii

http://www.veseys.com/store.cfm?product=2637

 

[FolioMark]

I wondered if it might be silver lace vine but you said tree or bush. Silver lace is great stuff. Grows like crazy and takes little or no care. In my first garden, I had a 12x12 arbor. I planted a vine of silver lace on each corner and just ignored it. In two summers time, you couldnt even see the arbor for the vine and the mounds of white flowers. You could smell that mountain of white blooms all over the yard and next door. its great if you got an ugly old shed or garage that you want to hide.
It hides a multitude of sins for very little money. Ive got an old arbor down in Missouri and I plan to plant a bit on there this summer and see how it does.

 

[Soni]

Yeah, well, apparently it grows here well enough to be a tree or a bush Really, some of these 'vine trees' are quite a respectable size! I guess it's sorta like those wisteria trees they make by trimming and shaping wisteria vines, but these seem to have done it to themselves (or were done long ago and left to finish the job on their own!)