Read about Calycanthus in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture
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 Calycanthus floridus | ||||||||||||
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Calycanthus (sweetshrub, spicebush or strawberry-bush) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae, endemic to North America. The genus includes two to four species depending on taxonomic interpretation; two are accepted by the Flora of North America.
This is a protected plant and must not be dug up in the wild under penalty.Template:Fact
They are deciduous shrubs growing to 2-4 m tall. The leaves are opposite, entire, 5-15 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The flowers are produced in early summer after the leaves, 4-7 cm broad, with numerous spirally-arranged narrow dark red tepals (resembling a small magnolia flower); they are strongly scented. The fruit is an elliptic dry capsule 5-7 cm long, containing numerous seeds.
- Species
- Calycanthus floridus (Carolina Sweetshrub). Pennsylvania and Ohio south to Mississippi and northern Florida.
- Calycanthus floridus var. floridus (syn. C. mohrii). Twigs pubescent.
- Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus (syn. C. fertilis). Twigs glabrous.
- Calycanthus occidentalis (California Sweetshrub). California (widespread), Washington (local, Seattle area).
Related or potentially confused species
The common name "spicebush" more often refers to shrubs of the Lindera genus (in another family of the Laurales), especially Lindera benzoin.