Calycanthus floridus

Carolina allspice, sweetshrub

Calycanthaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

6-9 ft tall by 6-12 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

dark red

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Deciduous. Flowers in spring. Has yellow fall color.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Aroma/Showy Fruitsagrance, Fall Color

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Informal settings where it can be a low hedge plant or specimen. Plant forms small clusters by suckering, so give it room.

Considerations:

In the right conditions, the suckering will be aggressive.

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Stays wet ---- to ---- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators

Mostly pollinated by sap beetles. The beetles are drawn by the scent of fermentation, and they work their way into the shade of the overlapping tepals to find food. The flowers are easy to enter but difficult to depart. Once trapped inside, the beetle picks up pollen. After the flower is pollinated, the inner parts of the flower fold back to release the beetle. By that point, the stigmas will have withered, and the beetle will move on to another flower in search of more food, ensuring cross-pollination ( Arnold Arboretum )

Native Habitats:

Mesic-wet mesic sites. Slope forests, bluffs, riverine floodplain, upland hardwood forest, slope forest, bottomland forest. Found on stream banks.