Native to Al, Ct, DC, De, Fl, Ga, Il, Ky, La, Ma, Md, Mo, Ms, NC, NY, Oh, Pa, SC, Tn, Va, WV.

Leaves are opposite, simple, have smooth margins, oblong, glossy, aromatic & leathery, 4 - 6" long & 2-3" wide. Blooms are axillary with straplike petals.Very resistant to disease & insect problems.
It is recommended that you purchase or obtain your plant while it is in bloom as strength of fragrance varies greatly from individual to individual.
The plant suckers prolifically. It has a moderate growth habit. It adapts to many types of soil, but it naturally grows as an understory plant along streams & moist woodlands, where it is inclined to a more open shape. It does grow well in full sun, where it blooms more prolifically & has a more rounded habit although shaping is required to maintain such, and in full sun it has a slower growth rate.
The leaves, seed pods, stems & bark are spicily aromatic, reminiscent of cinnamon.
It prefers moist soil, but it will survive periods of drought.
Often planted near doorways or outdoor spaces in order to take advantage of the wonderful fragrance.
An easy to grow plant & much underused. Pollinated by insects.

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The native range of this Common Sweetshrub is from spots in southern Pennsylvania down into central and western North & South Carolina into north Georgia to northwest Florida, most of Alabama, spots in Mississippi, and eastern Tennessee in lowland wet mesic to upland mesic to upland mesic dry in and around woods on hillsides and on banks of fast moving streams and creeks. The leaves are glossy and leathery and aromatic when crushed and turn a good yellow in autumn. The flowers are red-brown with over-lapping strap-like petals and are borne mostly in late April and May, but some sporadically through July. The wonderful ripe banana-strawberry scent varies from plant to plant; some stronger and others weaker, and I think the younger blooms carry more scent. It bears a brown fig-shaped dry capsule about 2 inches long in fall into winter. It grows at medium rate of about 1.5 feet/year when young. Its root system is shallow and fibrous and many ground suckers will come up some feet away from the base. Easy to transplant. Common Sweetshrub is offered by many larger conventional nurseries and native plant nurseries, and I find it occasionally in some landscapes in upscale neighborhoods, besides use by landscape designers.

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