Intro:

Stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) brown or green or olive-green or orange or red or reddish-brown or yellow-green, glabrous or glabrate, puberulent. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars half-round or shield-shaped or triangular, bundle scars 1 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks checkered or furrowed or ridged. Buds axillary, red or reddish-brown, 1-3.2 mm long, conic or globose, blunt or sharp, bud scales imbricate.

Leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate, 8-20 cm long, 2-7.5 cm wide, elliptic or lanceolate or oblong, leaf margins entire or serrate or serrulate or ciliate, leaf apices acuminate, leaf bases cuneate or rounded. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, puberulent or strigose. Leaf venation pinnate. Petioles 0.7-2.5 cm long, pubescent, puberulent. Stipules absent.

Inforescence: Inflorescences axillary or terminal, panicles or racemes, flowers stalked.

Flowers: Flowers bisexual. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals 5 per flower, calyx tubes 1-1.5 mm long, spreading or ascending, deltoid or ovate, sepal apices acute, pubescent, puberulent, persistent. Corolla radially symmetric, urceolate, sympetalous. Petals 5 per flower, corolla tubes 5-9 mm long, spreading or ascending, cream or white, pubescent, caducous. Androecium. Stamens 10 per flower. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 5 carpels per flower, styles 1 per pistil, placentation axile.

Fruits: Fruits capsules, 0.5-1.3 cm long, gray, fruit maturation 1 years.

Comments: Leaves have a sour taste; clusters of empty capsules often persist on the trees into the winter; trunk often leans strongly.

Height: to 30 feet or more

plant sale text: Sourwood is a beautiful SE native tree that offers four-season interest in the landscape. Its leaves are soft green through the summer, then turn scarlet in the fall. It bears many small creamy-white flowers in the summer. Their nectar produces a fine, dark honey. Its little urn-shaped capsules persist well into the winter. The bark of mature sourwood trees develops handsome, craggy ridges. This species makes a fine small specimen tree for open areas or the edges of woods. Full sun is ideal for the best flowering and fall color.

bloom table text:

description:

stems: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) brown or green or olive-green or orange or red or reddish-brown or yellow-green, glabrous or glabrate, puberulent. Twigs (2-4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars half-round or shield-shaped or triangular, bundle scars 1 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks checkered or furrowed or ridged. Buds axillary, red or reddish-brown, 1-3.2 mm long, conic or globose, blunt or sharp, bud scales imbricate.

leaves: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate, 8-20 cm long, 2-7.5 cm wide, elliptic or lanceolate or oblong, leaf margins entire or serrate or serrulate or ciliate, leaf apices acuminate, leaf bases cuneate or rounded. Leaf upper surface green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent, puberulent or strigose. Leaf venation pinnate. Petioles 0.7-2.5 cm long, pubescent, puberulent. Stipules absent.

inflorescence: Inflorescences axillary or terminal, panicles or racemes, flowers stalked.

flowers: Flowers bisexual. Perianth. Calyx radially symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals 5 per flower, calyx tubes 1-1.5 mm long, spreading or ascending, deltoid or ovate, sepal apices acute, pubescent, puberulent, persistent. Corolla radially symmetric, urceolate, sympetalous. Petals 5 per flower, corolla tubes 5-9 mm long, spreading or ascending, cream or white, pubescent, caducous. Androecium. Stamens 10 per flower. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium syncarpous, 5 carpels per flower, styles 1 per pistil, placentation axile.

fruits: Fruits capsules, 0.5-1.3 cm long, gray, fruit maturation 1 years.

comments: Leaves have a sour taste; clusters of empty capsules often persist on the trees into the winter; trunk often leans strongly.

cultural notes:

germination code:

native range: eastern United States