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common sweetleaf
Scientific Name: Symplocos tinctoria
Family: Symplocaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Tree, Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Other Names: TN (horse-sugar)
Common Sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria)
Symplocos tinctoria, commonly known as Common Sweetleaf or Horsesugar, is a versatile plant found in various habitats across the southern United States.
Considerations for Pets
- The common names Sweetleaf and Horsesugar originate from the foliage being palatable to livestock.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Symplocos tinctoria (L.) L'Hér.
- Family: Symplocaceae
- Synonym: Symplocos tinctoria (L.) L'Hér. var. ashei Harbison
Distribution and Habitat
- Common Sweetleaf can be found in the southern United States, ranging from Delaware and the Carolinas south to northern Florida.
- It thrives as an understory shrub in mesic woods, such as Troupville Woods in Lowndes County, Georgia.
- Its distribution includes the coastal plain, chiefly from southern Delaware and southeastern Maryland, down to Florida.
Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits
- It is a semi-evergreen large shrub or small tree, reaching up to 8 meters (26 feet 3 inches) in height.
- The leaves are thick, leathery, and yellow-green. They are simple, alternate, and persistent.
- Flowering occurs in May, and the seeds ripen in September. The flowers are hermaphrodite.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- The foliage is consumed by livestock.
- It serves as a larval host plant for the King's Hairstreak butterfly. It's recommended to search for the King's Hairstreak around Sweetleaf in the early morning.
- It is the only North American native of the sweetleaf family (Symplocaceae) that caterpillars utilize.
Other Common Names
- Horse-sugar
- Yellowwood
- Boneo
- Katuk
- Star gooseberry