Birch Trees: Types, Leaves, Bark - Identification (With Images), Types of Trees With Thorns (Pictures and Names) - Identification Guide, White Oak Tree: Leaves, Bark, Fruit (Acorn) (Picture) Identification, Tree Fertilizers: When and How (Including The Best Tree Fertilizers), Sourwood Tree (Oxydendrum arboreum): Leaves, Bark, Flowers Identification Guide (With Pictures), panicles of creamy-white, urn-shaped flowers, Small or Dwarf Weeping Trees for Landscaping, Small Trees for Landscaping Compact Spaces. The scientific name for sourwood comes from the Greek words oxys (acid) and dendron (tree) and refers to the sour taste of its leaves. Sourwood Honey comes from the nectar of the flower on the Sourwood Tree, which blooms in July/August of each year . An interesting feature of sourwood tree bark is that twigs and branches emerge bright red before turning gray. White fragrant flowers in early summer. They are dark green in color and have a sour, acidic taste. After two weeks, you can transplant the seedlings to the ground. Growing sourwood tree: Sourwood will be undaunted by pests, diseases, or minor cultural problems if it gets the well-drained, acid soil it requires. The nectar-laden flowers are also a source of honey. There arent any serious insect or disease problems. Occasionally young specimens have a more open spreading habit reminiscent of Redbud. 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 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. Also known as sorrel-tree or lily-of-the-valley-tree, its flowers are an important source of honey in some areas but it is of little value as a timber species. The Sourwood Tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) also know as the sorrel tree, is a deciduous understory tree that is native to the eastern United States. To get rid of webworms, you can cut the webs open to expose the larvae to birds that feed on them. Shop products from small business brands sold in Amazon's store. . A sourwood faced with combined heat and drought drops its leaves. Their shape is reminiscent of lily-of-the-valley. After filling the hole and. The Sourwood Tree has few disease or pest problems and it can be treated effortlessly for the ones it does come across. However, according to the Virginia Cooperative Extension at Virginia Tech, the sourwood tree can be difficult to start in your garden: "Despite its grace and beauty, sourwood trees are. Passionate for travel and the well-written word, Judy Wolfe is a professional writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Cal Poly Pomona and a certificate in advanced floral design. I want to preserve a nice mature sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum). It is at home in the eastern and southeastern United States in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. Sourwood Honey is one of the most sought after honeys in the world. The attractive features of a sourwood tree are its pretty urn-shaped white flower clusters (panicles), stunning foliage that turns shades of crimson-red to reddish-purple color in the fall, and attractive red-brown bark. Common: Sourwood Tree, Lily-of-the-Valley Tree or Sorrel Tree. If you are thinking of planting sourwood trees, youll want to learn more sourwood tree information. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Also called the sorrel tree, a unique feature of the sourwood tree is that its the only species in the Oxydendrum genus. 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. Leaf spot and twig blight infrequently occur on the Sourwood tree. There are few sights that are as striking as a row of Sourwood in fall color. You can also use a tree fertilizer with an NPK rating of 10-10-10. To care properly for sourwood tree, it requires well-drained organically rich acidic soil and full sun for best results. They won't put up a fuss like an alien species can. The bright red colors stand out from other deciduous landscape trees that may be golden yellow or coppery-bronze. Sourwood requires an acidic soil that is moist and well-drained. Descriptions and pictures of sourwood flowers, leaves, and fruit will help you see where to plant this stunning specimen tree. This site was last updated on March 3, 2023. Hardy in planting zones 4-9. The Sourwood ( Oxydendrum arboreum) is considered as an ornamental and shade tree. Her thousands of published articles cover topics from travel and gardening to pet care and technology. And the honey made from the flowers of the sourwood tree is prized by beekeepers and is often sold at a higher price. Sourwood was introduced into the landscape in 1747. Prevent the problem with weekly watering during dry spells when its actively growing. The flower panicles are long and slender and can curve upward, with the urn-shaped flowers dangling downward. They bloom during mid-summer. Provide the trees with generous irrigation all growing season when they are young. It needs 6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day and the sunniest spot in the yard gets 4-5. . Small creamy white or red lesions on branches could be a sign of nectria canker (Nectria galligena). Sourwood trees, also called sorrel trees, offer delight in every season, with flowers in summer, brilliant color in fall, and ornamental seed pods in winter. The brownish capsules measure up to 0.5 (1.2 cm) long and provide visual ornamental interest contrasting with the vibrantly colored red foliage. There are two issues to consider when using sourwood trees in the landscape. After the seedlings have developed two leaves, keep only the strongest ones and discard the rest. Spread the fertilizer in a circle, beginning at the outer two-thirds of the branch spread. It can be difficult to grow in northern Illinois because it requires acidic soil. This tree can easily be identified by their lush dark green foliage which turns a striking fiery red in . Winter rains help the roots absorb the fertilizer and feed spring growth. Depending on the fungal infection, cankers can form on the twigs or branches, or leaf spots can appear on the foliage. Sourwood grows slowly, adapts to sun or shade, and prefers a slightly acid, peaty loam. Scientific Name: Common Name: Scientific Name Pronounciation: Plant Type: Tree Plant Hardiness Zones: Plant Hardiness Zone (s): Usual Size: Flower: Bloom Time Notes: Leaf: Fruit: Wildlife: Natural Habitat: Propagation: Bloom Time: Each scented flower consists of five tiny petals fused to create a little bell. When fully grown, these products can reach 30-60 feet and prefer well-drained soils. Sourwood trees are co-sexual (both male and female parts within each flower) with very noticeable and unique flowering structures. Too much cool air, humidity, and ground moisture can cause leaf spot fungi to affect foliage. Additionally, the tree produces small urn-shaped flowers that look like lily-of-the-valley flowers. The bell-shaped, 1/4- to 1/3-inch white flowers crowd into panicles up to 10 inches long which dangle from the tips of drooping branches in midsummer. Its said that sourwood leaves taste like sour apples. This means that with the proper care, you can grow the landscape trees in states like Florida, Texas, and the Carolinas and as far north as Iowa, Illinois, and New York State. Prepared by Mary P. Tucker for the Georgia Native Plant Society. Small sourwood trees are usually planted as specimen trees to provide multi-season interest. It produces small, persistent, tan, dry capsules. Mountain climbers often use the leaves from sourwood trees to chew on their way or make tea out of it as a thirst quencher. this difficulty can be overcome by studying the conditions under which it grows best. Pests are usually not a problem for Sourwood. Native Americans utilized sourwood branches for arrow shafts. Sourwood - Oxydendrum arboreumHeath Family (Ericaceae). The main types of pests affecting a sourwood tree are borers, weevils, webworms, and caterpillars. The Arboretum offers something for everyone in an unforgettable, tree-filled setting. How to Water and Feed Sourwood. This native tree grows throughout the Eastern United States from Florida, Louisiana, and North Carolina north to Pennsylvania. The Sourwood Tree is a slow grower with an upright oval crown that is 25-30 feet high and 20 feet wide. Sourwood Common Problems. Informational table showing disease name, symptoms, pathogen/cause, and management of Sycamore diseases. Their larvae eat through and overwinter in the stem tissue. (zones 5-9). Flowers on sourwood trees are panicles of creamy-white, urn-shaped flowers that grow on one side of the stems and bloom in June and July. Your support is vital to the Arboretum, where the power of trees makes a positive impact on peoples lives. Sourwood tree bark has recognizable deep furrows with patterns resembling alligator hide. Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum. Ewing is located in USDA Zone 6b. Sourwood is a tree for all seasons and is found in the forest understory, along roadsides and a pioneering tree in clearings. The sourwood grows in acidic, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay soils. A fountain of flowers cascading from the treetops is the best description of the native Sourwood Tree, Oxydendrum arboreum. Twig borers lay eggs in the trees stems, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on new tissue growth inside the branches. It is not snobby like some ornamentals which require fussing and tending. The growth rate is 2-3 feet each year. Sourwood tree is a plant that is native to eastern North America. It makes an excellent specimen or focus of the center of a garden surrounded by native perennials. In the early summer, the Sourwood blooms white fragrant flowers. 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. Send mail to cgcass0@uky.edu with questions about this site. It helps to amend the soil with compost to increase acidity and add sand or gravel to improve drainage. Called Lily-of-the-Valley and Sorreltree also. Enter keywords to search on the arboretum map. Leaf spots can discolor some leaves but are not serious other than causing premature defoliation. Plant the trees in full sun. Then remove the rooted nursery plant from the container and untangle the roots. Oxydendrum arboreum, or Sourwood, is a deciduous smalltree that may grow 20 to 30feet tall and a trunk 8 to 12 inches in diameter. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree that grows to be 20-30 feet tall. Blooms are effective for 3 to 4 weeks. The midsummer flowering and beautiful fall foliage make sourwood an attractive ornamental. They are also a laxative. 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. Excellent fall color. The forest floor is covered in fallen leaves, which break down into leaf mold; this is the fungal material of decomposing leaves. By late August, it is common to see foliage of young sourwood trees along roadsides beginning to turn red. Two long-horned beetle species, twig girdlers (Oncideres cingulata) and dogwood stem borers (Oberea tripunctata) chew their way around sourwood's stems and deposit their eggs in the crevices. Its honey, which has a medium to light color with heavy body, is slow to granulate. Sign up for our newsletter. Read our Commitment to Diversity | Read our Privacy Statement. Sourwood Tree Facts: Learn About The Care Of Sourwood Trees By Teo Spengler Sourwood trees offer delight in every season. Bees produce a rich and popular honey from the nectar. The tree does reasonably well in dry, neutral soils. The leaves are heavily charged with acid and can be chewed (but should not be swallowed) to help alleviate a dry-feeling mouth. Branching patterns and persistent fruit give the tree an interesting look in the winter. Finally, backfill the hole using the amended native soil. It is an early summer bloomer and gives fresh flower color after most flowering plants have faded. 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. The sourwood can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 59. The panicles persist after flowers drop and resemble long fingers. It does well with the protection of other tall shrubs and trees and does not tolerate drought or urban pollution. This plant prefers acidic, peaty, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. This plant does not like to be transplanted so only do so with young plants. The common name derives from the sour taste of the leaves, which are finely toothed and glossy. The largest known sourwood in North America is in Robbinsville, N.C. Sourwood is a tree for all seasons, rewarding you with year-round beauty, according to native plant enthusiast Helen Hamilton of Williamsburg. . The range of trees does well within its USDA hardiness zone 5-9, but there is little margin for error if you push outside the zone. 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. Sourwood honey is very popular where this tree is found in abundance. Click this article to learn about the planting and care of sourwood trees. Sourwood tree facts tell you that the scientific name is Oxydendrum arboretum. Sourwood trees are bee magnets! Being a tree which is native to Georgia they are adapted to our soil and want to live here. Again, its native habit will inform you greatly to its preferred environment. For graduate student information, contact Dr. Mark Williams at (859) 257-1758, or mark.williams@uky.edu. The f lowering Sourwood can be difficult to transplant and performs best when purchased as container grown plants. HU-278742553. View Map. Fall webworm can defoliate portions of the tree in summer and fall but usually control is not needed. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful home and garden ever. Help trees thrive in the Chicago region and around the world.