Species Profiles Cumulative Quiz 4 View

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sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
Family: Calycanthaceae

 

A table detailing the characteristics of the sweetshrub

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Form:

This is a shrub that reaches 10 ft. in height. It typically has multiple stems.

Form of a sweetshrub

Leaves:
 Arrangement: opposite

 Shape: ovate to elliptical

 Margin: entire

 Texture: dark green above, whitened & pubescent below

 Variation: N/A

Leaves of a sweetshrub

Bark:

The bark is light brown, thin, and has lenticels.

Bark of a sweetshrub

Twigs and Buds:

Twigs have an aromatic smell and attached are pubescent brown buds.

Flowers and Fruit:

It produces purplish flowers in late spring. The fruit pod contains many seeds*.

Flowers of a sweetshrub

Fruit of a sweetshrub

Distinguishing Characteristics:

It has fragrant when leaves are crushed; it is a shrub(up to 6 feet in height). It is opposite and spicebush is alternate.

Range:

Virginia south to Florida west to Mississippi.

Silvics:

It is shade tolerant and grows in mixed deciduous forests and along stream banks.

Ecological and Cultural Importance:

Commonly used as a landscape plant in Europe.