Sweet Shrub Calycanthus floridus
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Sweet Shrub:
- Phonetic Spelling
- kal-ee-KAN-thus FLOR-id-us
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
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Calycanthus floridus, commonly called Carolina allspice, is a dense, rounded deciduous shrub with a suckering habit which grows 6-9' (less frequently to 12') tall with an equal or slightly greater spread. Sweet shrub grows best in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. It will grow somewhat taller in shade than in sun. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils, but prefers rich loams. Prune immediately after flowering to shape or maintain compactness. It tends to sucker and often forms colonies in the wild. Remove root suckers promptly if naturalization is not desired.
It is best to purchase this plant when in flower because the quality and intensity of the fragrance can vary widely from plant to plant. Also commonly called sweetshrub and strawberry bush in reference to the fragrant blooms which have been described as combining hints of pineapple, strawberry and banana. Further common name of hairy allspice is in reference to the hairy twigs and leaf undersides of this plant.
TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN.
Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating.
Quick ID Hints:
- Solitary maroon flowers on short axillary shoots
- Bark of deciduous shrub is aromatic when bruised
- Flowers are fruit-scented
- Leaves are opposite, grey-green & pubescent underneath
Deciduous shrub to 10', broadly rounded.
Blooms in early spring before leaves emerge, with leaves and sporadically thereafter; flowers are fruit-scented and vary plant to plant; aroma is stronger in higher temperatures; a native plant.
Tolerant cold, heat; soil adaptable; pH adaptable; tolerates full sun or shade; intolerant drought; relatively pest/disease free
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Athens'
- 'Edith Wilder'
- 'Katherine'
- 'Athens'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Athens'
- 'Edith Wilder'
- 'Katherine'
- 'Athens'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Calycanthus
- Species:
- floridus
- Family:
- Calycanthaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Southeastern United States
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Butterflies nectar at the blooms. Other insects also feed at the flowers, especially beetles.
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Fragrance
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Deer resistant, drought tolerant, resistant to fire in landscape.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 6 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Native Plant
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Rounded
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- NC Region:
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- Usda Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Long-lasting
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Winter
- Fruit Type:
- Achene
- Capsule
- Fruit Description:
- Brownish, urn-shaped fruits (seed capsules) which mature in fall and persist throughout the winter. An urceolate capsule, brown and leathery, enclosing multiple 1-seeded achenes.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Gold/Yellow
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Size:
- 1-3 inches
- Flower Description:
- Very fragrant, brown to reddish-brown flowers (2" across) which bloom at the ends of short branchlets. Solitary on short axillary lateral shoots, maroon, aromatic; sepals and petals similar, spreading.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Fragrant
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Oblong
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Lustrous, dark green (pale beneath), turn golden yellow in fall; leaves are opposite, simple, rough to the touch and aromatic when bruised. Opposite, simple, oval or oblong, acute or acuminate or (rarely) obtuse, cuneate, gray-green, densely pubescent below.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Light Brown
- Bark Description:
- thin, lenticeled, and fragrant
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Lenticels:
- Conspicuous
- Stem Description:
- Stout, gray-brown, glabrous, aromatic when bruised; pith large, white, somewhat hexagonal, continuous.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Recreational Play Area
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Children's Garden
- Native Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Pollinators
- Predatory Insects
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Fire
- Plants that fill a similar niche:
-
Itea virginica
-
Taxodium distichum
-
Oxydendrum arboreum
