''Symplocos tinctoria'' (the common sweetleaf, horse-sugar, or yellowwood) is a deciduous or evergreen shrub or tree. It is recognized by pith of twigs chambered; by foliage not notably aromatic when bruised, leaves finely hairy beneath. Shrubs or trees to 17 m tall by 36 cm

diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

. The largest first-year twigs are under 3 mm across, terminal buds with acute tip, scales ciliate. Leaves are 7–15 cm long, margin entire or occasionally some teeth on the apical half, with a sweet taste that may be faint in old leaves. It is conspicuous when in flower; flowers opening before new leaves develop, fragrant, in clusters from

axil A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

s of previous year's leaves or from just above the leaf scars if the leaves have fallen; the petals are creamy yellow to yellow, with one pistil. Fruits nearly cylindrical to ellipsoid drupes 8–12 mm long, with thin pulp and a hard stone containing 1 seed; the tip usually retaining parts of the sepals. Foliage is relished by browsing wildlife. A yellow dye may be obtained from bark and leaves. It flowers Mar to May.

Distribution and habitat

''Symplocos tinctoria'' is native to the southern and eastern United States, to an area from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

east to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and north to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. Occasional, plants are often scattered; uncommonly grouped; thin to dense woods of slopes, bluffs, broad-leaf woods of sandy soils, stream borders and stable dunes. It is the only representative of the genus in North America.

Ecology

The foliage is relished by browsing wildlife. The branches are parasitised by galls of ''Exobasidium symploci'' that visually resemble fruits of the plant.

Uses

A yellow dye was once made from the bark and leaves. The bark was used as a tonic by early American settlers.

References

Gallery

Symplocos tinctoria 1120593.jpg Symplocos tinctoria 1451050.jpg Symplocos tinctoria NRCS-4.png NAS-117 Symplocos tinctoria.png Symplocos tinctoria BB-1913.png Symplocos tinctoria NRCS-3.jpg

External links

* http://www.carolinanature.com/trees/syti.html * http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=364 * http://www.rnr.lsu.edu/plantid/species/sweetleaf/sweetleaf.htm * http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SYTI * http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Symplocos+tinctoria * https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/symplocos-tinctoria/ * http://garden.org/plants/view/85584/Sweetleaf-Symplocos-tinctoria/ {{Taxonbar, from=Q15315365 tinctoria Plant dyes Flora of Oklahoma Trees of the Southeastern United States Flora of Texas