Calycanthus floridus

This easy to grow shrub has many names and all of them say something about the beautiful perfume of the flowers: sweetshrub, strawberry shrub, or even pineapple shrub. They really smell like a few types of fruit: strawberry, apple, and even melon. Sweetshrub is native to much of the eastern USA and even though one species is called sinocalycanthus chinensis (= of China), recent molecular data indicates that it is more accurately suited for the genus calycanthus i.e. American group of calycanthus. The first plants were discovered, described, and depicted by Mark Catesby (1683-1749) with the help of Professor of Botany at Oxford University William Sherard, and introduced in a book Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands (1729-1747), then without its current name calycanthus.

Its epithet floridus is often erroneously connected to Florida but it means floriferous. Still, in respect of its origin either translation could be considered acceptable because the state’s name etymology has a lot to do with flowers. From 1513, when the Spanish first landed there during their Easter celebration known as Pascua Florida – The Feast of Flowers, the state was simply called Florida.

Flowers on the species are 3-5 cm across, fully double, composed of numerous strap-shaped petals. Their colour varies with soil conditions and amount of everyday sunlight: it is deep maroon to deep purple or even crimson red. They come out from hot days of May which is usually mid May in CE climate and continue blooming until late June. They are sweetly scented releasing a strawberry to apple-like perfume. Pollinated flowers may be followed by unique seed capsules of green and purple colour in August/September.

Deciduous leaves are large, 12-15 cm long, broadly elliptic to ovate, acuminate, bright green and glossy, changing to yellow in autumn. The plant grows slowly to moderately into a dense shrub reaching slightly over 2 meters in maturity (15-20 years). Well-established plants naturally form handsome, dense and bushy shrubs.

The whole plant contains fragrant oils in all its parts. On the other hand, it also contains calycanthine, a toxin structurally similar to strychnine, therefore it is dangerous to animals, mostly ruminants. Humans would be endangered only if large doses of the plant were consumed or if calycanthine was isolated in its concentrated form. In the past dried bark was used in place of cinnamon without any side effects.

Sweetshrub comes from North American moist woodlands so it will require a moist (not wet) place in your garden, too. And preferably full sun for best results. We recommend spring pruning of young plants once or twice after planting to achieve a compact shape with regular habit, which the plant then holds without further care. Hardy to about -29 °C (USDA zone 5).

Last update 21-01-2008; 26-01-2022