Fothergilla gardenii L., Syst. Veg. ed. 13. 418. 1774 [as F. Gardeni] (Lectotype: LINN-693.1, LINN [online!], designated by Reveal in Jarvis et al. 1993).

Shrubs, rhizomatous, perennial, to 8 m tall; clump forming, usually multi-stemmed. Bark smooth, gray to reddish-brown. Stems stellate-pubescent when young, sparsely pubescent to glabrate when mature. Vegetative buds naked, densely stellate-pubescent. Leaves deciduous, simple, alternate, petiolate; stipules lanceolate to ovate; blades pinnately-veined, ovate, obovate, or oblong, bases oblique to symmetric, rounded, truncate, V-cordate or cordate, margins crenate to serrate from at or below middle to apex, or only near apex, apices acute to obtuse, surfaces sparsely to densely stellate-pubescent or glabrous, abaxially glaucous or not. Inflorescence terminal, spikes, erect, appearing with or before leaves. Flowers: mostly perfect, proximal often staminate; calyx lobes 5–7, connate, forming shallow hypanthium; apetalous; stamens 10–32, adnate to hypanthium, filaments white, anthers yellow, basifixed, 2-loculed; gynoecium, adnate to hypanthium, 2-carpellate, connate below, divergent near apex into separate styles, semi-inferior. Fruit: capsules, in groups of 3 or more, loculicidal, gray to brown, densely stellate-pubescent throughout with long, simple trichomes mixed in predominantly on and above persistent hypanthium; remnant style beaks conspicuous, abscising with maturity. Seeds: 2 per capsule, glossy, hard, nearly white, mottled, or solid red-brown to brown, ellipsoid to slightly ovoid, round to slightly flattened near apex in cross-section, apex round, obtuse, or acute to acuminate, when acuminate often recurved.

Fothergilla seeds vary in color and shape, but the surface texture is consistent throughout. The seed surface is smooth and glossy with a conspicuous hilum scar at the base. In F. major, seeds are variable in color: completely white, mottled, or brown. In F. gardenii, seeds are mottled white-brown, with white conspicuously appearing around the margins of the seeds. In both diploid taxa, seeds are consistently red-brown to brown. In F. gardenii and F. major, it appears that color is affected by age and storage, as older herbaria specimens have nearly completely white seeds.