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Calycanthaceae
Calycanthus

Calycanthus floridus Linnaeus. Common name: Sweet-shrub, Strawberry-shrub, Carolina Allspice, Sweet Bubby-bush. Phenology: Apr-May; Aug-Sep. Habitat: Mesic to dry-mesic forests and streambanks; in the East Gulf Coastal plain in dry-mesic beech-magnolia bluff forests and lower slopes of sandhills. Distribution: PA, WV, and KY, south to GA, nw. FL, AL, s. MS, and e. LA (but note that the outer edges of the natural original distribution are obscured by centuries of cultivation and naturalization).

Glossary (beta!)

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Taxonomy Comments: Two varieties have traditionally been recognized, var. floridus with pubescent twigs, petioles, and leaf undersurfaces, and var. glaucus with glabrous (or sparsely pubescent) twigs, petioles, and leaf undersurfaces. They have broadly overlapping distributions and variable characters and seem best considered as taxonomically uninformative variation (Weakley 2017a). C. brockianus Ferry & Ferry (of n. GA) has been controversial, alleged to differ in pale yellowish-green tepals (vs. reddish-brown tepals) and seeds with short, curved hairs (vs. long, straighter hairs).

Synonymy : = Il, NY, Va, Weakley (2017a) in Weakley et al (2017); = n/a — Tat; > Butneria fertilis (Walter) Kearney — S13; > Butneria florida (L.) Kearney — S13; > Butneria mohrii Small — S13; > Butneria nana (Loisel.) Small — S13; > Calycanthus brockiana — Ferry & Ferry (1987), orthographic variant; > Calycanthus brockianus Ferry & Ferry f. — K4, NS, POWO; > Calycanthus fertilis Walter — F, G, S; > Calycanthus floridus L. — F, K4, S; > Calycanthus floridus L. var. floridus — Fl2, FNA3, GW2, NE, NS, Pa, POWO, RAB, Tn, WH3, Ferry & Ferry (1987), Nicely (1965); > Calycanthus floridus L. var. glaucus (Willd.) Torr. & A.Gray — C, Fl2, FNA3, NE, NS, POWO, Tn, WH3, Ferry & Ferry (1987); > Calycanthus floridus L. var. laevigatus (Willd.) Torr. & A.Gray — GW2, Pa, RAB, Nicely (1965); > Calycanthus floridus L. var. oblongifolius (Nutt.) Boufford & Spongberg; > Calycanthus glaucus Willd.; > Calycanthus laevigatus Willd.; > Calycanthus mohrii Small — S; > Calycanthus nanus Loisel. — S; Calycanthus floridus L. Basionym: Calycanthus floridus L. 1759

Links to other floras: > Calycanthus floridus var. floridus - FNA3; > Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus - FNA3

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Wetland Indicator Status:

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

Heliophily : 4

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image of plant© Gary P. Fleming
image of plant© Gary P. Fleming
image of plant© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Alan M. Cressler | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Bruce A. Sorrie | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Jennifer Peterson | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Keith Bradley | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Scott Ward | Original Image ⭷
image of plant© Grant Morrow Parkins | Original Image ⭷

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Horticultural Information

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Height: 4-6 ft.

plant sale text: This southeastern native shrub produces fragrant reddish-brown flowers in late spring. Try planting smooth sweetshrub as part of a shrub border near your house so you can enjoy the strawberry- pineapple fragrance of its flowers. Its foliage turns bright yellow in the fall. The Cherokee Indians used the root and bark to treat kidney ailments. By lightly pruning after flowering, you can keep smooth sweetshrub more compact.

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cultural notes:

germination code: 2

native range: eastern United States



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