Sourwood is a deciduous, small to medium tree in the blueberry family (Ericaceae). It is native to the eastern and southern United States, from Pennsylvania to northern Florida and west to Ohio and Louisiana. It can be found throughout North Carolina, although more rarely in the low, alluvial plain. It grows 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide. This plant prefers acidic, peaty, moist, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade. It is tolerant of shade and dry soils and moderately tolerant of salt. It is intolerant of pollution and urban areas. A very ornamental plant, it will flower in 4 to 5 years after planting from seed. This plant does not like to be transplanted so only do so with young plants. The bark is red-brown with deep vertical furrows that separate flat, pointed ridges. In mid-summer, fragrant, white, urn-shaped flowers mature on panicles. Fall foliage is red to reddish-purple. Sourwood makes an excellent understory tree or planted in small groups in a woodland garden. It also serves well as a shade or flowering specimen in a native, pollinator, butterfly, or children’s garden. Insects, Diseases, or Other Plant Problems: Fall webworm is an occasional problem. Leaf spot and twig blight infrequently occur.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
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)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Oval; Pyramidal; Rounded
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate; Oblong
Leaf margin
Entire; Serrate
Leaf feel
Glossy; Rough
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate, simple, finely-toothed, glossy green leaves (3 to 6 inches long to 1 to 3 inches wide) entire to serrate margin shiny and glossy, reminiscent of a peach or laurel leaf. Young leaves have fine marginal hairs. They are elliptic to oval or oblong-lanceolate, acute, minutely serrulate, accuminate, and broadly cuneate. They have a sour taste, hence the common name. They produce consistently excellent fall color, typically turning crimson red, but sometimes yellow and purple.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Cream/Tan; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Panicle
Flower shape
Bell
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Waxy, lily-of-the-valley-like, white bell-shaped flowers that bloom on slender, second on axis, drooping, one-sided slender terminal panicles (4 to 8 inches long) from June to July. Flowers have a 5 lobed calyx and an urceolate corolla that is finely downy, white, 5-lobed, and minute. The flowers themselves have a slight fragrance and are 1/4" long. The panicles persist after flowers drop and resemble long fingers.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long
Fruit detail
Five-valved brownish dehiscent dry capsules , 1/3 to 1/2 inch long, that ripen to silver-gray in September and October. Capsules contrast well with the red fall color and provide continuing ornamental interest after leaf drop into winter.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Gray
Bark detail
Dark, thin, gray bark on mature trees is has light gray fissures, ridged and scaly, becomes blocky with age. On first-year shoots, the bark is often bright red.
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Stems are slender, glabrous or sparingly pubescent, and do not go dormant in the winter. Twigs are seemingly terminated by a leaf and bud, but bud is axillary and minute stem growth is adjacent. Buds are lateral or axillary, small (less than an inch in size), are conical-globose, and sessile. Branches are narrow, elongate, decurved then swept upright, and persist after leaves.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern and southern United States
Distribution
Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Louisiana and Ohio.
Wildlife value
The flowers are attractive to butterflies and other insects. Natural hollows in these trees are refuge for climbing reptiles and amphibians, bats and other small wildlife. Old fall webworm tents attract invertebrates that birds often eat during late fall and winter. Flowers are quite attractive to bees and the honey is highly sought after.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds