Carolina Allspice

Carolina Allspice (Calycanthus floridus). Keep that scientific name handy since I discovered if you Google “Carolina Allspice” you will get all sorts of things that are not this shrub.

Carolina Allspice grows to 6 – 9 feet tall, and is native to the southeastern US, where it is found at woodland edges and openings. Its blooms are about 2 inches across. Those blooms have a pleasant fruit scent which varies from bush to bush.

The leathery leaves grow to 6 inches long and turn yellow in autumn. Deer don’t find Carolina Allspice tempting. Amazing. Surely if they’re really hungry they’ll nibble on it.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.

2 thoughts on “Carolina Allspice”

  2. I have 2 of these bushes in my yard and they are so pretty. Sadly, they do not have that sweet smell. I wonder why. Thanks for your post.

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