To grow Oxydendrum arboreum, keep the ground well-watered during dry spells. WARNING: Some websites to which these materials provide links for the convenience of users are not managed by the University of Kentucky. Hardy in planting zones 4-9. . The Sourwood Tree is a slow grower with an upright oval crown that is 25-30 feet high and 20 feet wide. The white-shaped flowers get opened, and the tree is very easily recognized. Honeybees pollinate the flowers and feed on the sweet nectar. Winter rains help the roots absorb the fertilizer and feed spring growth. The flowers of the sourwood tree are white and blooming occurs in late spring or early summer. How to Manage and Maintain Paulownia tomentosa, Pros and Cons of Planting Mimosa in Your Yard, 20 Florida Native Plants That Thrive in the States Heat and Humidity, 18 Native Trees and Shrubs to Grow in Your Desert Backyard. To take care of sourwood trees, dont stint on water. (sourwood), bark. They won't put up a fuss like an alien species can. I'm also open to suggestion regarding other native trees that can tolerate a little shade and won't get much larger than the sourwood at maturity. There are two issues to consider when using sourwood trees in the landscape. Sourwood Honey comes from the nectar of the flower on the Sourwood Tree, which blooms in July/August of each year . Because sourwoods grow well in partial shade, they are excellent under-story trees. In mid-summer, small, white, urn-shaped flowers mature on panicles. The sourwood can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 59. While not incredibly high in nutrients, this organic material makes a great soil amendment that the sourwood thrives in naturally. Sourwoods are not drought-tolerant plants and require plenty of moisture during the growing seasons. The circle should extend beyond the drip line by one-half the distance between the trunk and the ends of the branches. Blooms are effective for 3 to 4 weeks. . A fountain of flowers cascading from the treetops is the best description of the native Sourwood Tree, Oxydendrum arboreum. 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. Family The Sourwood Tree is a member of the Heath family of which there are 70 Genera and 1800 species distributed through the temperate portions of the planet. Sourwood has a deep and fibrous root system and has a reputation for being difficult to transplant or move. It might hang over the front corner/porch a bit, leaning as even healthy sourwoods do. 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. Its said that sourwood leaves taste like sour apples. Help trees thrive in the Chicago region and around the world. Sourwood is important as a source of honey in some areas and sourwood honey is marketed locally. Flowers are fragrant and bloom poorly in the shade. sourwood. Wood is heavy, hard, and closegrained, but is seldom used as a commercial wood. The main consideration is watering newly transplanted trees in order to get them to establish themselves. Grows to 25'-30', 20' spread. Is used by bees to produce highly prized honey. Sourwood's wood is hard and has red-tinged brown heartwood and thick layers of pale sapwood. It does well with the protection of other tall shrubs and trees and does not tolerate drought or urban pollution. Trees are slow growing and sensitive to air pollution, poor drainage, root disturbance, and soil compaction. Julie Janoski. The Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) is also known as the lily of the valley because of its beautiful flowers. These flowers also provide the nectar for bees and the very tasty and sought out sourwood honey. It has a slow growth rate and no serious pest or disease problems. Your support is vital to the Arboretum, where the power of trees makes a positive impact on peoples lives. Being a tree which is native to Georgia they are adapted to our soil and want to live here. The normal standard of watering weekly for the first two seasons applies, at a rate of two to three gallons a week per trunk diameter measured by caliper at chest height. They are also a laxative. Sourwood trees near structures? The amber-colored sourwood honey also has an aroma of cinnamon and cloves. This plant blooms in early summer, and blooms up the axis. 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. Another great tree that will fill out any landscape! 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. It produces small, persistent, tan, dry capsules. Small Business. Grow it as a specimen, with a layer of mulch protecting its root zone from volunteering competitors. In addition, its attractive summer green and white colors and excellent fall colors create a focal point throughout the growing seasons. Sourwood tree facts tell you that the scientific name is Oxydendrum arboretum. The lack of cultivars is because the nursery trade has raised the breeding stock and found many significant mutations to breed. Another name for the sourwood tree is the lily of the valley treethis is because the bell-shaped flowers look like those of lily of the valley plant (Convallaria majalis). Sourwood tree bark has recognizable deep furrows with patterns resembling alligator hide. oxydendrum arboretum sourwood Share: facebook twitter pinterest googleplus linkedin James R. Fazio Individual sourwood flowers are small, regular, symmetrically shaped, fragrant, and showy. The simple leaves have a conspicuous midrib and fine feather-like veining. Sourwood Tree Seedlings produce white flowers during the Summer months. Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum. Prune out infected branch tips and fertilize. Profile Video: See this plant in the following landscape: Cultivars / Varieties: 'Chameleon' Colorful fall foliage display. Sycamore Diseases. Fall webworm can defoliate portions of the tree in summer and fall but usually control is not needed. They bloom during mid-summer. When a sourwood tree is young, it's important to trim it down so that it develops into a stunning form. The sweet nectar . A sourwood faced with combined heat and drought drops its leaves. . This specimen is located at a residence The hairy capsules ripen in late fall and contain tiny seeds. The canopy is high enough that there would be plenty of daylight and air circulation. It is native to North Carolina and can be found throughout the state, although more rarely in the low, alluvial plain. Prevent the problem with weekly watering during dry spells when its actively growing. Sourwood tree facts tell you that the scientific name is Oxydendrum arboretum. Irrigation is required during hot, dry weather to keep leaves on the tree. Techniques have been described for sourwood seed collection, storage, and germination (2,5,14). Fall foliage is red to reddish-purple. The trunk of a sourwood tree is straight and slender, the bark fissured and gray, and the crown narrow. By fall, brilliant red foliage covers the branches. If you are thinking of planting sourwood trees, you'll want to learn more sourwood tree information. You can then dig your hole for planting a sourwood tree. Enter keywords to search on the arboretum map. Provides great fall color, with leaves turning crimson, purplish-red and sometimes yellow in the fall. Honey made from the nectar of these flowers is highly prized for its color and flavor. If you are thinking of planting sourwood trees, youll want to learn more sourwood tree information. . In the late Summer, drooping clusters of fragrant Lily-of-the-Valley-like white flowers add an . There is a second act to the Sourwood season, when, with the onset of cooler weather and shortening days it bursts forth into a breathtaking display of burgundy and red. The sourwood grows to a height of 2530' and a spread of around 20' at maturity. 6,649 views. Plant Clinic Manager. This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 1324" per year. Its honey, which has a medium to light color with heavy body, is slow to granulate. 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. Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Louisiana and Ohio. This tree is especially common in Southeastern US. NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to The amazing honey from sourwood blossoms has a spicy aroma, sweet caramel taste, and pleasant aftertaste. Natural hollows in these trees are refuge for climbing reptiles and amphibians, bats and other small wildlife. 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. Honey Jar Mock-Up - Male hands holding a honey jar on a gray. Browse 168 sourwood tree stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. The best way to water the tree is to apply a trickle of water over several hours to irrigate the roots thoroughly. Reports show that using stem cuttings to propagate a sourwood rarely succeeds. 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 Sourwood ( Oxydendrum arboreum) is considered as an ornamental and shade tree. It has a few pest or disease problems such as webworm and twig blight, but is easily treated. A sourwood tree can live for 75 to 100 years with the proper care and attention. 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. Sourwood tree is a plant that is native to eastern North America. Caterpillar damage usually results in leaf loss. Come discover lush, green landscapes, and find respite and inspiration in the shade of towering trees. Keep the seedling tray in a warm place and under a fluorescent lamp for 24 hours a day. The Sourwood tree, also called the Oxydendrum arboreum in scientific terminology, is an aboriginal plant of North America. Sourwood has no serious pests or diseases. Pests are usually not a problem for Sourwood. Sourwood, also known as Lily of the Valley, is renowned by beekeepers for the high-quality honey that their pollen lends. Then make sure that the location is in full sun for best results. sourwood, also called sorrel, (species Oxydendrum arboreum ), deciduous ornamental tree, of the heath family (Ericaceae), native to southeastern North America. After filling the hole, press down the soil to remove air pockets and thoroughly water the ground. RF 2K10YG3 - A Sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) and its very red leaves is fronted by . To ensure healthy growth, its vital to choose a fertilizer for acid-loving trees. 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. When planting a sourwood tree, ensure that the soil is organically rich, acidic, and drains well. However, there seems to be agreement that the most difficult problems for sourwood arise because of its exacting cultural requirements as stated above. If you encounter issues loading this site, please refresh the page by using Ctrl + F5 if on Windows or Cmd + Shift + R if on Mac. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! "With no major pests or diseases, this native . Read on to learn about the planting and care of sourwood trees. Buds are lateral or axillary, small (less than an inch in size), are conical-globose, and sessile. Called Lily-of-the-Valley and Sorreltree also. The university does not review, control or take responsibility for the contents of those sites. Additionally, use nitrate-based fertilizer because ammonium ones will burn the roots. Bees produce a rich and popular honey from the nectar. Part of the issue is related to exacting cultural requirements. The flowers are white and appear on the branches in summer. As far as diseases, twig blight kills leaves at the branch tips. Bare root plants need to be planted within 2-3 days of receiving unless weather-related problems prohibit planting. Sourwood trees are co-sexual (both male and female parts within each flower) with very noticeable and unique flowering structures. The bitter-tasting leaves are alternate, stalked, rather oblong, and 12-20 cm (5-8 inches) long. Sourwood's bark is grayish brown tinged with red, and deeply furrowed with scaly ridges. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. It is a small to medium-sized deciduous tree that grows to be 20-30 feet tall. This tree grows to be 25-30 feet in height and has a spread of about 20 feet at full maturity. If you are considering planting sourwood trees, youll be glad to learn that the foliage produces excellent fall color, consistently turning a bright crimson. Additionally, its helpful to remove any suckers or branches that grow near the trunks base. 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. Finally, backfill the hole using the amended native soil. It is reportedly sensitive to air pollution injury. 96. To care properly for sourwood tree, it requires well-drained organically rich acidic soil and full sun for best results. This type of natural fertilizer helps increase the soils acidic content, which is what sourwood trees prefer. Fragrant white blooms in July in elongated clusters. Click this article to learn about the planting and care of sourwood trees. Sourwood Common Problems. Twig borers lay eggs in the trees stems, and when the larvae hatch, they feed on new tissue growth inside the branches. 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. Juice from its blooms is used to make sourwood jelly. There are many interesting facts regarding the sourwood tree. Below are common attributes associated to Sourwood Tree. Space sourwood 15 to 20 feet apart; the tree grows 25 to 35 feet tall and 15 to 20 feet wide. The botanical name means acidic tree. Despite its grace and beauty, sourwood trees are notorious for being difficult to establish in landscapes. 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. The flower panicles are long and slender and can curve upward, with the urn-shaped flowers dangling downward. 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. 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. Native to the rocky hills and understory of the Appalachians, the sourwood enjoys the cooler weather of the upland eastern seaboard but can also do well as far south as Louisiana. Green leaves in the summer in Moore County. 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. Blooms from June to early July, with fragrant white flowers on drooping stalks that look very similar to lilies-of-the-valley. Instead, you can collect the seeds from the brown seed capsules and start to germinate them in January. Sourwood is not too site-demanding and has very few insect or disease problems, making it a low maintenance landscape plant. Steve Nix is a member of the Society of American Foresters and a former forest resources analyst for the state of Alabama. 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. After the seedlings have developed two leaves, keep only the strongest ones and discard the rest. The leaves are dark green in summer and change to red or a mix of red and orange in fall. Plant the sourwood tree in full sun in a location that gets at least six hours of sunlight daily. Sourwood Honey ~ Pure, Raw, Delicious. He founded and runs Urban Loggers, LLC, a company offering residential tree services in the Midwest and Connecticut. The abundant fragrant flowers give the sourwood tree a soft textured appearance when blooming in midsummer. Keeping the tree healthy and stress-free with proper siting, irrigation and feeding is the most effective deterrent for these pests. Provide the trees with generous irrigation all growing season when they are young. Fertilize sourwood by adding aged compost to the dripline at least once a year. Second, the trees dont perform well in compact soil or cope with drought. 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. Occasionally young specimens have a more open spreading habit reminiscent of Redbud. Sourwoods require a well-drained acid soil. Sourwood trees are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. Full sun is the ideal condition for this tree, meaning it should get at least six hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight each day. It makes an excellent specimen or focus of the center of a garden surrounded by native perennials. It is tolerant of shade and dry soils and moderately tolerant of salt. Fertilizing before maturity will create more work for you and weaker wood on the branches. They can grow to 8 inches (20 cm.) It is the ideal ornamental tree when it reaches maturity when it can bloom after about its fifth season. This tree has vivid red autumn foliage and tiny, woody fruit that persists into fall. Catch up on Prairifire Flowering Crabapple: Rose of the Tree World. Leaves are dark, lustrous green and appear to weep or hang from the twigs. Sourwood's shallow root system resents competition from nearby grass or plants. They are dark green in color and have a sour, acidic taste. If you are planting sourwood trees, youll do best to grow them in well-draining, slightly acidic soil. An interesting feature of sourwood tree bark is that twigs and branches emerge bright red before turning gray. If youve never heard of sourwood trees, you have missed out on one of the most beautiful native species. Plant damage by borers like the dogwood twig borers or azalea stem borers can cause new twigs to die off or leaves to curl downward. The best care you can give it is knowing what it likes and doesn't like. 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. The leaves are heavily charged with acid and can be chewed (but should not be swallowed) to help alleviate a dry-feeling mouth. Grows in Zones 5-9, Deciduous. . Fall webworm can defoliate portions of the tree in summer and fall but usually control is not needed. Sourwood honey also has antibacterial properties. Bare root plants need to be planted within 2-3 days of receiving unless weather-related problems prohibit planting. Prune sourwood in early spring before its new growth starts. This plant does not like to be transplanted so only do so with young plants. The best way to propagate sourwood trees is by collecting seeds, but even then, the seeds can be difficult to germinate. The flowers themselves have a slight fragrance and are 1/4" long. Sourwood leaves look like laurel leaves with finely toothed margins. Keep the soil evenly moist.