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Calycanthus floridus
Eastern Sweetshrub
Spicebush
Carolina Allspice
Florida native
Endangered Florida species
A deciduous shrub of ravines, river banks and rich woods primarily of the panhandle and scattered across north Florida. The range includes the southeastern states, west into Louisiana and Missouri, north to include Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, northeast to Massachusetts, absent from New Jersey.
Having reddish-brown bark, this aromatic shrub grows to 3m (about 10 ft.) tall. The opposite leaves are simple and entire, with an oval to elliptic shape, 5-18cm (2 to 7 in.) long and up to 8cm (~3-1.8 in.) wide with tips narrowing gradually to a point (acuminate). The flowers are unusual, aromatic and showy, having many ribbon-like tepals. The rough-textured pendant fruit is fleshy and contains many one-seeded nutlets.
Calycanthus floridus is a member of the Calycanthaceae - Strawberry-shrub family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Aug 16, 2022
