Flora of North America species comparison

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Oxydendrum arboreum

sorrel tree, sourwood
Habit Plants to ca. 25(–35) m, with sour-tasting sap.
Stems

terete.
Leaf

blades turning red in autumn, 5.5–23.5 × 2–8 cm, base cuneate to rounded, apex acute to acuminate.
Flowers

calyx lobes 1–2 × 0.7–1.4 mm;

corolla 4–7 × 2.5–5.5 mm;

filaments 2–3.5 mm;

anthers with locules narrowed distally, tubulelike;

style strongly impressed into apex of ovary.
Capsules

3.5–8.5 × 2–4 mm, unicellular-hairy;

placentae basal.
2n

= 24.

Oxydendrum arboreum
Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Usually well-drained, acid, broadleaved forests on slopes, bluffs, in ravines, or along streams, ecotone areas in pinelands, swamp margins
Elevation 0-1700 m (0-5600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; IN; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; PA; SC; TN; VA; WV
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Oxydendrum arboreum is often used as an ornamental; it sometimes persists after cultivation (or rarely escapes from cultivation) in regions north of its native range; specimen-based records from New Jersey and southern New York appear to represent such escapes from cultivation.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 8, p. 497.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Vaccinioideae > Oxydendrum
Synonyms Andromeda arborea
Name authority (Linnaeus) de Candolle: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 7: 601. (1839)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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