One of the most well-known products from the sourwood tree is the hard-to-find and incredibly delicious honey. Just like the leaves, these flowers also have a fresh, acidic taste. List of pests, diseases and tolerances: There aren't any serious insect or disease problems. Honeybees pollinate the flowers and feed on the sweet nectar. Its vital to prune a sourwood tree when its young to help develop an attractive shape. They are low maintenance, adaptable, have no serious pest problems, is sun or shade tolerant and drought resistant once established. (sourwood), leaves, fall color, Oxydendrum arboreum (L.) DC. Come discover lush, green landscapes, and find respite and inspiration in the shade of towering trees. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 1324" per year. Its fall color is a spectacular deep red. Mountain climbers often use the leaves from sourwood trees to chew on their way or make tea out of it as a thirst quencher. 2023 Gardening Know How, Future US LLC, Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. This tree can easily be identified by their lush dark green foliage which turns a striking fiery red in . Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Louisiana and Ohio. It is reportedly sensitive to air pollution injury. Sourwood vector illustration. Occasionally young specimens have a more open spreading habit reminiscent of Redbud.Crown density: denseGrowth rate: slowTexture: medium, Plant Image Library / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0, Trunk/bark/branches: droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for vehicular or pedestrian clearance beneath the canopy; not particularly showy; should be grown with a single leader; no thornsPruning requirement: needs little pruning to develop a strong structureBreakage: resistantCurrent year twig color: green; reddishCurrent year twig thickness: medium; thin, Leaf arrangement: alternateLeaf type: simpleLeaf margin: entire; serrulate; undulateLeaf shape: lanceolate; oblongLeaf venation: banchidodrome; pinnateLeaf type and persistence: deciduousLeaf blade length: 4 to 8 inchesLeaf color: green Fall color: orange; red Fall characteristic: showy. After filling the hole and tamping down the soil, water the sourwood thoroughly and mulch around the root zone. 6,649 views. However, there seems to be agreement that the most difficult problems for sourwood arise because of its exacting cultural requirements as stated above. An Equal Opportunity University. Five-valved brownish dehiscent dry capsules , 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, that ripen to silver-gray in September and October. Gray bark with reddish tinges helps to identify sourwood trees. The flowers of the sourwood tree are white and blooming occurs in late spring or early summer. Then remove the rooted nursery plant from the container and untangle the roots. (sourwood), bark. U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness, Different Types Of Sorrel - Learn About Common Sorrel Varieties, Sorrel Plant Uses - Tips On Using Sorrel Herbs In Cooking, Using Sorrel Herbs - How To Prepare Sorrel Plants, Growing Hostas In Colorado And The Southwest US, Problems With Butterfly Bushes: Common Butterfly Bush Pests And Diseases, Pears And Fire Blight: How To Treat Pear Tree Blight, Hardy Kiwi Diseases: How To Treat A Sick Kiwi Plant, Feeding Amaryllis Plants Learn How And When To Fertilize Amaryllis Bulbs, Home & Garden Marketplace: Advertiser Info. Terminal inflorescences resemble the elongated, bony fingers of a witch. With proper care, sourwoods can be ornamental overachievers. And the honey made from the flowers of the sourwood tree is prized by beekeepers and is often sold at a higher price. Her thousands of published articles cover topics from travel and gardening to pet care and technology. You should remove dead or decaying branches in early spring. The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation and education organization. It produces small, persistent, tan, dry capsules. It prefers full sun to part shade. Natural hollows in these trees are refuge for climbing reptiles and amphibians, bats and other small wildlife. Provide the trees with generous irrigation all growing season when they are young. The mid- to late-summer flowers are borne in terminal clusters of racemes which curve upward, creating a graceful effect at flowering time. You can also use a tree fertilizer with an NPK rating of 10-10-10. Those panicles age into sweeping sprays of 1/3-inch oval, greenish-brown seed capsules which turn a silvery gray by . Sourwood trees are co-sexual (both male and female parts within each flower) with very noticeable and unique flowering structures. Your sourwood tree prefers acidic, organically rich, moist, well-drained soils. This tree is planted in groves for honey production; sourwood honey is delicious. Common Name: sourwood Type: Tree Family: Ericaceae Native Range: Eastern and southern United States Zone: 5 to 9 Height: 20.00 to 50.00 feet Spread: 10.00 to 25.00 feet Bloom Time: June to July Bloom Description: White Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Flowering Tree Flower: Showy, Fragrant Leaf: Good Fall This tree produces fragrant, white sprays of flowers in early summer. To take care of sourwood trees, dont stint on water. In addition, their relatively short stature provides plenty of interest at eye level and can be a great addition to your landscape. It gets its common name, Lily of the Valley Tree, because its flowers look similar to those of the Lily of the Valley plant. NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to Because sourwoods grow well in partial shade, they are excellent under-story trees. Plant the sourwood tree in full sun in a location that gets at least six hours of sunlight daily. It is at home in the eastern and southeastern United States in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. In the wild, its bark often looks blocky like that of persimmon. It goes by many other common or local names including sorrel tree, sorrel gum, sour gum, arrow wood, elk tree, lily-of-the-valley tree and titi tree. You can then dig your hole for planting a sourwood tree. Sourwood's bark is grayish brown tinged with red, and deeply furrowed with scaly ridges. Capsules contrast well with the red fall color and provide continuing ornamental interest after leaf drop into winter. University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; Native Tree Series; Sourwood, GoLocalProv Lifestyle: The Best Tree You Can Plant This Spring, University of Tennessee Extension: Fertilizing Landscape Trees, University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences: Pruning Ornamental Plants in the Landscapei, The most important gardening tools you didn't know you needed. They bloom during mid-summer. Trees in poor health seem to be more susceptible. Its place in the ecosystem as an understory tree really allows it to be the understated underdog while making a visual impression that will be sure to win your heart. Sourwood tree facts tell you that the scientific name is Oxydendrum arboretum. Unlike most ornamental trees, the sourwood does not have many cultivars. Mix peat, composted pine bark or other organic material into the removed soil and begin refilling the hole, stopping halfway to water the roots and let the tree settle. When fully grown, these products can reach 30-60 feet and prefer well-drained soils. Also, the sweet aroma of the flowers attracts bees that feed on the sweet nectar. Sourwood rarely needs pruning. Fragrant white blooms in July in elongated clusters. Oxydendrum arboreum, or Sourwood, is a deciduous smalltree that may grow 20 to 30feet tall and a trunk 8 to 12 inches in diameter. The hairy capsules ripen in late fall and contain tiny seeds. It helps to amend the soil with compost to increase acidity and add sand or gravel to improve drainage. Let your sourwood establish for a year before fertilizing. It is reportedly sensitive to air pollution injury. Sourwood is a pyramidal to oval tree that grows 25 to 30 feet high and 20 to 25 feet wide. Spread the fertilizer in a circle, beginning at the outer two-thirds of the branch spread. The scientific name for sourwood comes from the Greek words oxys (acid) and dendron (tree) and refers to the sour taste of its leaves. In its native habitat Sourwood can grow up to 60' x 100'. Sourwood is a tree for all seasons, rewarding you with year-round beauty, according to native plant enthusiast Helen Hamilton of Williamsburg. Pests are usually not a problem for Sourwood. The trunk of a sourwood tree is straight and slender, the bark fissured and gray, and the crown narrow. Help trees thrive in the Chicago region and around the world. Pruning should be done annually in the fall, and you will want to cut the branches to establish a narrow crown on a single slender leader. Bare root plants need to be planted within 2-3 days of receiving unless weather-related problems prohibit planting. Fertilize sourwood by adding aged compost to the dripline at least once a year. effective for aging men having kidney and bladder problems. The trunk of a sourwood tree is straight and slender, the bark fissured and gray, and the crown narrow. You might see the trees blooming in various regions also. The flowers are white and appear on the branches in summer. A sourwood tree's leaves can be chewed to help quench thirst, made into tea, or added to salads, soups, or stews. Sourwood grows well in confined soil spaces with good drainage making it a candidate for urban plantings but is largely untried as a street tree. Buy this plant from 2 Gardenality Business Profiles . Trees in poor health seem to be more susceptible. Irrigation is required during hot, dry weather to keep leaves on the tree. The Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) is also known as the lily of the valley because of its beautiful flowers. The leaves are used as a thirst-quencher by hikers and mountain climbers, and were once brewed to make a tonic. Sourwood grows well in confined soil spaces with good drainage making it a candidate for urban plantings but is largely untried as a street tree. Sourwood, (Oxydendrum Arboreum), excellent fall color, slightly fragrant flowers, low maintenance, planting zones 5-9, blooms June-July WoodenFishFarms (703) $31.95 100 Lily of the Valley Sourwood Seeds (Oxydendrum arboreum) | Honey Bee Tree AllSunshineGardening (2,374) $2.95 FREE shipping To care properly for sourwood tree, it requires well-drained organically rich acidic soil and full sun for best results. It is the ideal ornamental tree when it reaches maturity when it can bloom after about its fifth season. This plant blooms in early summer, and blooms up the axis. 96. Sourwood Tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) - 7 Gallon Pot Truly a tree with 4-season appeal, the Sourwood has lovely, lily-of-the-valley-like flowers and long-lasting fall foliage color that rivals the best of the hybrid red maples. Sourwood grows well in confined soil spaces with good drainage making it a candidate for urban plantings but is largely untried as a street tree. Another great tree that will fill out any landscape! Excellent fall color. They produce consistently excellent fall color, typically turning crimson red, but sometimes yellow and purple. Their trunk will grow as large as 50 cm in diameter. It makes an excellent specimen or focus of the center of a garden surrounded by native perennials. FORUMS. If you are thinking of planting sourwood trees, you'll want to learn more sourwood tree information. . A native tree of North America, the sourwood is one of the few endemic trees that is not found in other continents unless planted and has no related species. The tree does reasonably well in dry, neutral soils. They won't put up a fuss like an alien species can. Why such a poor transplant survival rate? Called Lily-of-the-Valley and Sorreltree also. Fruits on sourwood trees are small oval, egg-shaped capsules with a yellowish or greenish color that mature to grayish-brown color. If someone has sourwood trees on their farm, they are fortunate. Honey from the sourwood tree is known as North Carolina's most famous . 2023 Gardening Know How, Future US LLC, Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. Attributes This tree: Blooms from June to early July, with fragrant white flowers on drooping stalks that look very similar to lilies-of-the-valley. The trees typically grow 25 feet (8 m.) tall in your backyard but can shoot up to 60 feet (18 m.) tall in the wild. The sour-tasting leaves have short petioles and grow alternately on the trees stems. This type of natural fertilizer helps increase the soils acidic content, which is what sourwood trees prefer. The trees characteristic growth habits are a slender trunk, narrow, irregular crown, and branches that droop slightly. If you are considering planting sourwood trees, youll be glad to learn that the foliage produces excellent fall color, consistently turning a bright crimson. Your support is vital to the Arboretum, where the power of trees makes a positive impact on peoples lives. Place the young tree in the center, ensuring that it grows at the same height as before. They are elliptic to oval or oblong-lanceolate, acute, minnutely serrulate, accuminate, and broadly cuneate. In addition, the leaves of the sourwood are said to have medicinal benefits, helping with: Fever reduction Dysentery Asthma Nausea Kidney and bladder problems Cooperative Extension, which staffs local offices in all 100 counties and with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Yields an oval-shaped fruit that is under " in diameter. The bitter-tasting leaves are alternate, stalked, rather oblong, and 12-20 cm (5-8 inches) long. Prune an older tree to maintain its shape and remove pest-damaged, broken, rubbing or downward-growing limbs. Order Your Sourwood Tree From TN Nursery Today It is an early summer bloomer and gives fresh flower color after most flowering plants have faded. The leaves provide a tangy, tart flavor to stews when cooked. The fall color of sourwood is a striking red and orange and associated with blackgum and sassafras. . The sourwood is the only species in the genus Oxydendrum. Sourwood tree can be identified by its large, glossy green lanceolate leaves that turn bright red to reddish-purple color in the fall. WARNING: Some websites to which these materials provide links for the convenience of users are not managed by the University of Kentucky. However, it can do significant damage to your trees leaves. Happiest in cool-summer areas of U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 8b, sourwoods pair airily cascading clusters of bell-shaped, white spring-to-early-summer flowers with lustrous, deep-green foliage. You can find the sourwood from the coast of Virginia to North Carolina, over into Southern Ohio and Indiana, and down to Mississippi and Louisiana. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status. Full Sun or Shade for a Crimson Queen Maple. The simple leaves have a conspicuous midrib and fine feather-like veining. Locate the tree away from other plants, where its showy characteristics get the attention they deserve. Copyright 2023, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Grow sourwood trees in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 through 9. Gardening For Bees In Nebraska And West North Central Region, Ornamental Grasses Ohio Valley Gardeners Should Grow, Problems With Butterfly Bushes: Common Butterfly Bush Pests And Diseases, Pears And Fire Blight: How To Treat Pear Tree Blight, Hardy Kiwi Diseases: How To Treat A Sick Kiwi Plant, Feeding Amaryllis Plants Learn How And When To Fertilize Amaryllis Bulbs, Home & Garden Marketplace: Advertiser Info. It is perhaps most commonly found on rocky wooded slopes in the Appalachian Mountains, often growing in combination with other heath family members that share the same acidic soil preferences. The bark is red-brown with deep vertical furrows that separate flat, pointed ridges. Sourwood Honey ~ Pure, Raw, Delicious. Sourwood Care. Click this article to learn about the planting and care of sourwood trees. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Fall webworm is an occasional problem. For graduate student information, contact Dr. Mark Williams at (859) 257-1758, or mark.williams@uky.edu. The best way to water the tree is to apply a trickle of water over several hours to irrigate the roots thoroughly. The flowers droop from the stem and have a pleasant, sweet fragrance. Fertilizing before maturity will create more work for you and weaker wood on the branches. For general undergraduate student information, contact Dr. Rick Durham at (859) 257-3249, or rdurham@uky.edu. Common: Sourwood Tree, Lily-of-the-Valley Tree or Sorrel Tree. Sourwoods are not drought-tolerant plants and require plenty of moisture during the growing seasons. Prevent the problem with weekly watering during dry spells when its actively growing. Native Americans utilized sourwood branches for arrow shafts. Sourwood usually grows as a pyramid or narrow oval with a more or less straight trunk at a height of 25 to 35 feet but can reach 50 to 60 feet tall with a spread of 25 to 30 feet. Fall webworm can defoliate portions of the tree in summer and fall but usually control is not needed. Sourwood Tree. Origin: US native - Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee - grows along stream banks. A study by Markus Glocker at the University of Vienna, Austria found that sourwood honey is effective against "the opportunistic pathogen Enterococcus hirae", which can cause infections in people with weakened immune systems. The name Sourwood is derived from the acrid taste of its leaves, but tea made from these leaves is widely used by mountain climbers as a thirst-quencher. Sourwood Honey is one of the most sought after honeys in the world. Sourwood Honey comes from the Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) a member of the Ericaceae family, also called the Sour gum, Sorrel tree or Lily-of-the-Valley tree.This showy, USA native tree is the lone species of its genera. Several fungal diseases can affect the growth of a sourwood tree. The juice from these flowers is usually used to make sourwood jelly. The sweet nectar and sap of the sourwood led to early colonists and Native Americans utilizing it for a variety of things. After its leaves drop in fall, scatter a fertilizer for acid-loving plants on the soil. Sourwood tree fruit: immature (left) and mature (right). Sycamore Diseases. Fall foliage is red to reddish-purple. Most if not all issues that come up will either resolve themselves or be so minor that they can be overlooked as simply a nuisance. This tree grows to be 25-30 feet in height and has a spread of about 20 feet at full maturity. An interesting feature of sourwood tree bark is that twigs and branches emerge bright red before turning gray. Click this article to learn about the planting and care of sourwood trees. The best way to deal with canker diseases is to prune and destroy infected limbs. Keep the fertilizer at least 1 foot away from a young trees trunk; expand the clear zone to 1 1/2 feet for an older sourwood. Unfortunately, this feeding habit causes new sprouts and stems to die back, resulting in poor growth. It is reportedly sensitive to air pollution. Find on the Map. It is not snobby like some ornamentals which require fussing and tending. Enter keywords to search on the arboretum map. Lets look in more detail at caring for a sourwood tree. The canopy is high enough that there would be plenty of daylight and air circulation. Small sourwood trees are usually planted as specimen trees to provide multi-season interest. One of the things that make the sourwood so appealing is the real lack of care that needs to be done to maintain this beautiful ornamental tree. Native Range: Eastern and southern United States Zone: 5 to 9 Height: 20.00 to 50.00 feet Spread: 10.00 to 25.00 feet Bloom Time: June to July Bloom Description: White Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Flowering Tree Flower: Showy, Fragrant Leaf: Good Fall Fruit: Showy Tolerate: Deer Just the Facts. Sourwood, also known as Lily of the Valley, is renowned by beekeepers for the high-quality honey that their pollen lends. There arent any serious insect or disease problems.

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