x Gordlinia grandiflora (gord-LIN-ee-uh gran-dih-FLOR-uh)
Family: TheaceaeUnknownUnderstory (15-40 ft)
Understory (15-40 ft)Unknown
As if × Gordlinia grandiflora (a rare intergeneric hybrid between Franklinia and Gordonia) wasn’t unusual enough, ‘Sweet Tea’ is a polyploidy form with extra sets of chromosomes. Why ‘Sweet Tea’? Well, it’s a member of the tea family, the flowers have a light sweet fragrance, and it comes from the South where sweet tea runs in our veins. Okay, it’s not the toughest tree on the planet, so give it a good site with well-drained soil and even moisture. More resistant to Phytophthora but it’s still a bit finicky. Best grown in full sun or a little afternoon shade as long as it’s not too dry. It deserves a prominent location in the landscape as a specimen planting. Mature height is estimated to be 20-30 feet. Not patented or trademarked. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Wilt and root rot. Can be a challenging tree to grow. More information on x Gordlinia grandiflora .
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.
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
Available space
12-24 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 20 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Lanceolate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The 4-8 inch long narrow oval leaves have serrated margins and are dark green on the upper surface and pale green below. The fall color is red-yellow. They are semi-evergreen
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Head
Flower shape
Radial; Saucer
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
5" wide white showy flowers with 5 petals and yellow centers of stamens that resemble camellia blooms. Late summer blooms July-September are valued.
Bloom time
Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Wildlife value
Attracts butterflies
Attracts
Butterflies
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Small Space
Landscape theme
Garden for the Blind; Pollinator Garden
Design feature
Flowering Tree; Specimen
Garden tags
#showy flowers #deciduous #flowering tree #small tree #nci #fragrant flowers #large flowers #flowers late summer