Sourwood

Oxydendrum arboretum

Size: 3 & 7 Gallon Availability

Tree
Max size: 30’ tall x 20’ wide
Average size: 25′ tall x 15′ wide

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry, Very Dry
Loam, Sand
Sun, Part Shade
No Salt Tolerance

AKA: Lily of the Valley Tree, Sorrel Tree

This deciduous tree makes a great specimen tree with its red fall foliage. In the spring it gets rows of showy white flowers that attract bees and other polinators. It is known for making good honey. The inedible red fruits ripen in the fall. It grows well on steep banks, ridges, hammocks, and bluffs.

It makes a good cooking wood because it has an acidic flavor that works well with the flavors of meat and fish. Historically it was useful for sled runners, arrow shafts, and pipestems. Modernly it was used for spoons, combs, and bowls. Medicinal uses include: an infusion was used as a menstrual and menopause aid by the Catawaba people; an infusion was used by the Cherokee people to stop diarrhea; a tonic for indigestion, nervousness, asthma, and spotting blood was used by the Cherokee; the bark was chewed for mouth ulcers.