Photos: © Jared Gorrell and Dwayne Estes, plants.ces.ncsu.edu

Our May Mystery Plant is a deciduous suckering shrub of damp woodland soils found along stream banks, ponds and swamps. Grows 3-8′ tall bearing narrow racemes of fragrant, bell-shaped, white flowers blooming in May to June. The flowers are followed by 5-parted light brown capsules. The alternating leaves are pointed, oblong to elliptic, glossy green leaves with finely toothed margins.