Calycanthus floridus
Photo by Rick Cantrell. Photograph belongs to the photographer who allows use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B
2002-2022, Copyright Florida Native Plant Society
Carolina Allspice, Sweetshrub
Calycanthaceae
Also known as Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus
Plant Specifics
| 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. | |
| Habitats: | Mesic-wet mesic sites. Slope forests, bluffs, riverine floodplain, upland hardwood forest, slope forest, bottomland forest. Found on stream banks. |
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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Part Shade, Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| Moisture Tolerance: | Stays Wet ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil/Substrate: | Loam, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wildlife
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)