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Dirca palustris Linnaeus. Common name: Leatherwood, Leatherbark, Wicopee, Rope-bark, Moosewood. Phenology: (Nov-) Feb-May; Jun-Jul. Habitat: Very rich forests, on slopes or bottomlands, limited to calcareous or mafic rocks such as limestone, calcareous siltstone, calcareous shale, gabbro, or amphibolite, in marl ravine bottoms in the Coastal Plain of VA, in Ashe County NC ascending to 1500 meters elevation. Distribution: NS and s. QC, south to Panhandle FL, AL, and OK.

ID notes: The curiously flexible twigs with light brown bark and swollen nodes are distinctive.

Origin/Endemic status: Native

Other Comments: Many of the common names refer to the extraordinary toughness of the tan-brown bark, which was used by native Americans for cordage.

Synonymy ⓘ: = Ar, C, Can, F, Fl4, FNA6, G, Il, K4, Mi, Mo3, NE, NS, NY, Pa, POWO, RAB, S, S13, Tat, Tn, Va, W, WH3, WV, Floden, Mayfield, & Ferguson (2009), Nevling (1962). Basionym: Dirca palustris L. 1753

Links to other floras: = Dirca palustris - FNA6

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Wetland Indicator Status:

  • Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACU
  • Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FAC
  • Great Plains: FAC
  • Midwest: FAC
  • Northcentral & Northeast: FAC

Heliophily ⓘ: 3

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image of plant© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Alan Cressler: Dirca palustris, Sharp-Bingham Mountain Preserve, The Nature Conservancy, Jackson County, Alabama 1 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© David Knepper CC0 | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© David Knepper | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Bruce A. Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Gary P. Fleming | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© David Knepper | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Richard & Teresa Ware CC-BY-NC, permission granted to NCBG | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Alan Cressler: dirca palustris, fort gaines ravines, clay county, georgia 2 by Alan Cressler source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Erik Danielson source | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

NCBG trait

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Height: 4-6 ft.

plant sale text: A native but rare shrub of the piedmont and mountains of NC, leatherwood prefers moist, rich soil in part to full shade. The small, bell-shaped yellow flowers emerge in early spring just before the leaves. This species’ name comes from the incredibly tough but flexible twigs and bark, which are reported to have been used as cordage by several communities of Indigenous Peoples.

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native range: eastern North America



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