Calycanthus floridus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Magnoliids |
Order: | Laurales |
Family: | Calycanthaceae |
Genus: | Calycanthus |
Species: | C. floridus |
Binomial name | |
Calycanthus floridus L. [2] | |
Calycanthus floridus, or commonly known as the eastern sweetshrub, Carolina all spice, or spicebush, [3] is a species of flowering shrub in the family Calycanthaceae. [4] It is identifiable by its dark red flowers and fragrant scent. It is non-invasive and is found in the Southeastern United States region. The Nature Conservancy considers its conservation status to be G5, globally secure, indicating it is at low risk of extinction. [1] It is presumed to have been extirpated from Ohio. [1]
Calycanthus floridus is a shrub that grows to be around 6 to 9 ft (2 to 3 m) tall. [5] Its leaves are a dark green with a pale underside. They are ovate or elliptical in shape and grow to be about 6 inches (15 cm) in length. [5] The leaves are simple, entire, and arranged oppositely along the stem. [6]
The flowers are solitary, featuring a reddish brown to reddish purple color when they bloom in spring. They are aromatic and so are the leaves when bruised. [5] The flowers have a hypanthium that is more than 2 cm (0.8 in) long. [7] The shape of the flowers can be cylindrical, ellipsoid, pyriform, or globose. [8] The flowers have numerous tepals that can either be oblong-elliptic or obovate-lanceolate at maturity. [8] The flowers are perfect, having both stamens and carpels on the flowers. The stamens are numerous, connective beyond the anthers. [7] The carpels are numerous. They are free, with a single ovary in a locule. [7]
The fruits are indehiscent pseudocarps that are about 8 cm (3 in) in length and 5 cm (2 in) in diameter at maturity. [7] They are formed within the receptacle and contain numerous achenes that are roughly 10 mm (0.4 in) long with a 5 mm (0.2 in) diameter.
Calycanthus floridus was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in 1759. [2] It was the only species in his new genus Calycanthus. Linnaeus referred to an earlier illustration by Mark Catesby, [9] contained in a work published from 1731 onwards. Plants of the World Online accepted two infraspecies: [10]
Image | Subspecies | Description | Distribution |
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Calycanthus floridus var. floridus (syn. C. mohrii) | eastern sweetshrub; twigs pubescent | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia | |
''Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus(Willd.) Torr. & A.Gray (syn. C. fertilis) | eastern sweetshrub; twigs glabrous (smooth). | Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia | |
Calycanthus floridus is native to the eastern United States. [11] It prefers sunny habitats but can tolerate moderate amounts of shade. It grows well in environments that feature moist substrate. [12]
It is used in horticulture as the flowers are showy and fragrant. [12] The bark of the plant is edible and is reportedly used as a substitute for cinnamon. [13] The petals of the flower are also reportedly used in medicinal tea-making. [13] Strong caution is advised however, as an alkaloid in the plant may lead to heart convulsions. [13] The viscous substance within the plant is reportedly used as a disinfectant. [13]
It is highly resistant to diseases and insects, although it is prone to infection by Agrobacterium tumefaciens , which leads to the formation of crown galls on the stems. [11] [14]
This plant has been marked as a pollinator plant, supporting and attracting beetles. [15]
Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry of Pimenta dioica, a midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, now cultivated in many warm parts of the world. The name allspice was coined as early as 1621 by the English, who valued it as a spice that combined the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove.
Magnolia grandiflora, commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching 27.5 m (90 ft) in height, it is a large, striking evergreen tree, with large, dark-green leaves up to 20 cm long and 12 cm wide, and large, white, fragrant flowers up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter.
Kalmia is a genus of about ten species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae. They are native to North America and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with different species in wet acid bog habitats and dry, sandy soils.
Chimonanthus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae, native to China, but is also cultivated elsewhere in Asia, including Iran. The genus includes three to six species depending on taxonomic interpretation; six are accepted by the Flora of China. The name means winter flower in Greek.
Calycanthus, called sweetshrub, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae. The genus includes two to four species depending on taxonomic interpretation; three are accepted by most 21st century sources.
Lindera benzoin is a shrub in the laurel family. It is native to eastern North America, ranging from Maine and New York to Ontario in the north, and to Kansas, Texas, and northern Florida in the center and south. Within its native range it is a relatively common plant where it grows in the understory in moist, rich woods, especially those with exposed limestone.
Heliotropium arborescens, the garden heliotrope or just heliotrope, is a species of flowering plant in the borage family Boraginaceae, native to Bolivia, Colombia, and Peru. Growing to 1.2 m (3.9 ft) tall and broad, it is a bushy, evergreen, short-lived shrub with dense clusters of bright purple flowers, notable for their intense, rather vanilla-like fragrance. Common names also include cherry pie and common heliotrope. Note that the common name "garden heliotrope" may also refer to valerian, which is not closely related.
Antennaria dioica is a Eurasian and North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is a perennial herb found in cool northern and mountainous regions of Europe and northern Asia (Russia, Mongolia, Japan, Kazakhstan, China, and also in North America in Alaska only.
Lavandula angustifolia, formerly L. officinalis, is a flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae, native to the Mediterranean. Its common names include lavender, true lavender and English lavender ; also garden lavender, common lavender and narrow-leaved lavender.
Mertensia virginica is a spring ephemeral plant in the Boraginaceae (borage) family with bell-shaped sky-blue flowers, native to eastern North America.
Kadsura japonica, commonly known as the kadsura vine or simply kadsura, is a plant species native to Japan in woodlands. The larvae of the moth Caloptilia kadsurae feed on K. japonica in the main Japanese islands and Ryukyu Islands.
Elaeagnus commutata, the silverberry or wolf-willow, is a species of Elaeagnus native to western and boreal North America, from southern Alaska through British Columbia east to Quebec, south to Utah, and across the upper Midwestern United States to South Dakota and western Minnesota. It typically grows on dry to moist sandy and gravel soils in steppes, meadows or woodland edges.
Calycanthus occidentalis, commonly called spice bush or western sweetshrub, is a species of flowering shrub in the family Calycanthaceae that is native to California and Washington state. It grows along streams and moist canyons in the foothills of mountains.
Plumbago auriculata, the Cape leadwort, blue plumbago or Cape plumbago, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to South Africa and Mozambique.
Dillenia indica, commonly known as elephant apple or ou tenga, is a species of Dillenia native to China, India, and tropical Asia. It is found in stony river banks.
Plumeria obtusa, the Singapore graveyard flower, is a species of the genus Plumeria (Apocynaceae). It is native to the Neotropics, but widely cultivated for its ornamental and fragrant flowers around the world, where suitably warm climate exists.
Symplocos tinctoria is a deciduous or evergreen shrub or tree. It is recognized by pith of twigs chambered; by foliage not notably aromatic when bruised, leaves finely hairy beneath. Shrubs or trees to 17 m tall by 36 cm diameter at breast height. The largest first-year twigs are under 3 mm across, terminal buds with acute tip, scales ciliate. Leaves are 7–15 cm long, margin entire or occasionally some teeth on the apical half, with a sweet taste that may be faint in old leaves. It is conspicuous when in flower; flowers opening before new leaves develop, fragrant, in clusters from axils of previous year's leaves or from just above the leaf scars if the leaves have fallen; the petals are creamy yellow to yellow, with one pistil. Fruits nearly cylindrical to ellipsoid drupes 8–12 mm long, with thin pulp and a hard stone containing one seed; the tip usually retaining parts of the sepals. Foliage is relished by browsing wildlife. A yellow dye may be obtained from bark and leaves. It flowers March to May.
Rhus aromatica, the fragrant sumac, is a deciduous shrub in the family Anacardiaceae native to North America. It is found in southern Canada and nearly all of the lower 48 states except peninsular Florida.
Ilex cornuta, commonly known as Chinese holly or horned holly, is a slow-growing, densely foliaged evergreen shrub in the Aquifoliaceae plant family. It is native to eastern China and Korea and attains a height of about 3 metres (9.8 ft). The leaves are usually 5-spined, between 3.5 cm and 10 cm long, oblong and entire. The fruits are red berries, which are larger than those of the European Holly.
Calycanthus chinensis, known as Chinese sweetshrub, is a species of flowering plant in the family Calycanthaceae, native to Southeast China. It was first given a valid scientific name in 1964. It is cultivated as an ornamental flowering shrub, and has been hybridized with two other species in the genus Calycanthus to combine its larger and broader tepalled flowers with their scented and more colourful ones.