Calycanthus floridus (“Coastal Georgia” Sweetshrub) 1G

Description

Up to 12′ Tall Native deciduous shrub spreads by underground stems to form large colonies. Spicily aromatic stems are covered with maroon flowers from with March to July. AL , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , IL , KY , LA , MA , MD , MS , NC , NY , OH , PA , SC , TN , VA , WV.  This species usually grows in moist hillsides and steam edges. We propagated our plants from ones that had spread from an abandoned  garden within site of the salt water in Coastal GA. The site was sunny and the soil was very well drained.

Sweet shrubs are usually disease free and deer-resistant. However,  It took over 5 years for us to figure out how to keep them alive and have them multiply under nursery conditions.

Their flowers smell like fruit and produce protein rich bodies to attract beetles for pollination.