Calycanthus floridus
sweetshrub, Carolina allspice
Notes:
Leaves aromatic when bruised. Seed capsules are also fragrant when crushed, but poisonous. Flower fragrance is generally fruity but quite variable, so buy when in bloom or stick to named cultivars. It is said that the fragrance is strongest in the evening.
Flowering best and form densest in full sun; found natively in clearings and woods' edges. Drought tolerance is debated.
Susceptible to rabbits.
'Michael Lindsey' is a PHS Gold Medal Award winner and reliably fragrant.
Sources: White Oak, Sunset, Dove/Woolridge, NCSU, UFL, UConn, Missouri BG, Bir, Druse.
Tags:
aromatic foliage
aromatic twigs/bark
attracts:bees
attracts:butterflies
clay tolerant
deer resistant
easy to grow
exposure:full shade
exposure:full sun
exposure:part shade
fall color notable
fire risk low
form:multi-trunked
form:shrub
form:trainable to single trunk
fragrant flowers
habit:oval
habit:rounded
habit:upright
long-lived
native:eastern North America
persistence:deciduous
pest/disease free
PHS Gold Medal Award
poisonous
resprouts notably
rich soil preferred
roots:low damage potential
salt intolerant
sandy soil tolerant
showy flowers
stoloniferous/suckering
type:broadleaf
use:border
use:cut flowers
use:espalier
use:foundation
use:hedge
use:mass planting
use:naturalizing
use:screen
use:specimen
water:regular
wet soil tolerant
wind tolerant
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