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Common Sweetleaf

Symplocos tinctoria

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in moist bottomland forests, pocosin edges, moist forests, ridgetop pine and oak/pine forests, pine flatwoods, longleaf pine sandhills. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

43
Good

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
15–35 feet
Spread
15–20 feet
Light
Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 17.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous or semi-evergreen
Bloom
March to May
Fruiting season
August to September

Recorded in 23 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 132 animals.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Symplocos

  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Epimecis hortariaTulip-Tree Beauty
  • Satyrium kingiKing's Hairstreak
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Symplocos

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Symplocaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Cream or yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Yellow-green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Horsesugar; Sweetleaf

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by rhizomes. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as rhizomatous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources