Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice)
Calycanthus floridus
Family Calycanthaceae
Sweetshrub's odd maroon blossoms hide one of the garden's great perfumes — a spiced-fruit drift of strawberry, pineapple, and allspice that rides the warm air of late spring. Old Southern dooryards were planted around exactly this scent, and it still stops people mid-sentence.
Easygoing in sun or shade, deer-resistant, and golden in fall, it's an aromatic shrub through and through — even the bark is spicy, though it's one to smell rather than eat. Fragrance strength varies plant to plant, so choose yours in bloom, nose first, and give it a doorway to perfume.
Where to buy sweetshrub (carolina allspice) — 3 nurseries compared
Full Sun to Part Shade
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Deer-resistant
Native to North America
Attracts butterflies
From the print shop
Growing sweetshrub (carolina allspice)? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries sweetshrub (carolina allspice) — Calycanthus floridus, print Nº 470, “Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice).”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it thrive where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what sweetshrub (carolina allspice) actually needs.
Hardy inZones 4-9Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) · Common problems
Common sweetshrub (carolina allspice) problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) · Growing & propagation
Growing sweetshrub (carolina allspice)
- Light
- Full Sun to Part Shade
- Water
- Moderate; adaptable
Soil- Rich, moist, well-drained · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- None
Pruning- After flowering
A tough, adaptable native shrub grown for its remarkable maroon flowers that smell of a blend of strawberry, pineapple, and spice (scent varies plant to plant — buy one in bloom to sniff first). The crushed bark and leaves are aromatic too. Golden fall color. Deer-resistant and trouble-free in sun or shade.
Spacing- 6-8 ft
How to plant & propagate sweetshrub (carolina allspice)
- Propagate
- Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) · Yearly calendar
The sweetshrub (carolina allspice) year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomMay to June
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Calycanthus floridus
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) in the garden system
- Shrub layer shrub
- Nectary/insectary
- Attracts
- Butterflies
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
- Deer
- Resistant
A safer unfenced choice
- Origin
- Native to North America
What sweetshrub (carolina allspice) is grown for
! Some parts toxic — see notesAromatic but not for eating (seeds contain toxic alkaloids)
Use- Fragrant native shrub
- Use
- Shade-tolerant
- Use
- Deer-resistant
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a sweetshrub (carolina allspice) variety
'Athens' (yellow, fruity-scented); 'Aphrodite' (large red); 'Michael Lindsey' (reliably fragrant)
Sources & plant identity
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Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice)
Calycanthus floridus
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Calycanthus floridus
- Plant family
- Calycanthaceae
- Growth habit
- Shrub · Perennial
- Origin
- Native to North America
- USDA plant symbol
- CAFL22
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Sweetshrub (Carolina Allspice) questions, answered straight.
Do deer eat sweetshrub (carolina allspice)?
Rarely — sweetshrub (carolina allspice) is considered deer-resistant, which makes it one of the safer unfenced choices in deer country. Hungry deer in a hard winter test every rule, but it's a low-risk pick.
Is sweetshrub (carolina allspice) safe for kids and pets?
With care. Aromatic but not for eating (seeds contain toxic alkaloids) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.
How do you propagate sweetshrub (carolina allspice)?
Seed (stratify), cuttings, or layering.
Elsewhere
Where sweetshrub (carolina allspice) sits in the library.
Buttonbush
New Jersey Tea
Virginia Creeper
Black Locust