Calycanthus floridus

Carolina allspice is an exceptional shrub native to the Southeastern U.S. It can be quite ornamental if planted in the right spot and pruned. It is often vigorous in the wild, growing tall and suckering. It can grow in a myriad of conditions - sun to shade, clay to sand, wet to dry.

The flowers emerge in late spring/early summer. They are curiously colored, like a merlot wine, and they smell faintly of fermenting fruit. These floristic qualities attract flies and beetles as pollinators.