Care
- Move plants only while young.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
16CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Oxydendrum
- Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
- Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
- Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
- Datana drexeliiDrexel's Datana
- Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
- Deidamia inscriptumLettered Sphinx
- Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
- Egira alternansAlternate Woodling
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Show all 16
- Lithophane unimodaDowdy Pinion
- Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Pangrapta decoralisDecorated Owlet
- Phyllonorycter diversellaHuckleberry Leafminer
- Xystopeplus rufagoRed-Winged Sallow
7BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Oxydendrum
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 claimNo records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic
- Flower color
- Cream or white
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Growth habit
- Single stem
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Flower color · “Cream or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “20–30 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- primary_flower_color · “white” · USDA PLANTS
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “10–15 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Sourwood
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your spot?
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Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications