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Sweetshrub

Calycanthus floridus

Found in moist to moderately dry forests and streambanks; in the East Gulf Coastal plain in moderately dry beech-magnolia bluff forests and lower slopes of sandhills. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

24
Good

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

Profile 100%

Height
6–12 feet
Spread
6–12 feet
Light
Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 9 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
April to May
Fruiting season
August to September

Recorded in 23 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 5

Moist forests

Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland
Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

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 Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 134 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

3CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Calycanthus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Zale calycanthataDouble-Banded Zale
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
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
Calycanthaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Brown/copper or red
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Carolina Allspice; Sweet Bubbybush

Conservation status

Virginia rankS1
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

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

Sources