Clethra alnifolia, or summersweet, is a deciduous shrub that is native to woodlands, marshes, stream banks and seashores, along the entire Easter Seaboard and as far west as Texas. It is a rounded, densely-branched, deciduous shrub. It grows from 3-6 ft as wide as tall. Flowers are very attractive to butterflies and bees. It has beautiful white flowers in spring. There are a group of cultivars.