Sandhill rosemary is an evergreen shrub in the heather family (Ericaceae) and is the only species in this genus. It is native to the southeast coastal states from South Carolina to Florida and west to Mississippi. It is found in extremely dry sandhills and sand ridges along with sand pine and evergreen scrub oaks. The shrub grows 4 to 8 feet tall and wide in sandy, well-drained, dry soils in full sun. Propagation is by seed or stem cuttings. Sandhill rosemary grows in a dense, rounded form with evergreen needle-like leaves that smell like rosemary when crushed. In early spring to early summer small yellow to brown flowers appear in the leaf axils and may continue sporadically throughout the summer. The female shrubs produce a small, round, yellow-green fruit that benefits wildlife. This plant is used in naturalized areas of sand dunes and habitat restoration. It can also be used in coastal gardens, naturalized areas and winter gardens. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems.
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
Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Very Dry
Available space
3 feet-6 feet; 6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Rounded
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Needles; Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Whorled
Leaf shape
Linear
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
This plant has 5/8 inch, needle-like leaves in pairs set at right angles to each other and appear to be in whorls of 4 or 6 needles when viewed from the end of the twig. The foliage has a fragrance of rosemary.
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Separate male and female flowers are small, papery, yellow to brown, and clustered in the leaf axil. Bloom time is early spring to early summer with possible sporadic blooms throughout summer.
Bloom time
Fall; Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Tiny (3mm), round, fleshy yellow-green fruit has two seeds on female plants in the winter.
Bark color
Dark Gray; Light Gray
Bark detail
Gray shredding bark
Stem color
Gray/Silver
Stem detail
Young twigs have dense hairs. Older branches are gray, having rough leaf scars and shredding bark.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Unknown
Origin
South Eastern U.S.A
Distribution
AL , FL , GA , MS , SC
Wildlife value
The fruits are eaten by ants, mice and certain birds. It provides nesting habitats for birds.