Organic Forest Plants & More

Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)

Trees and Shrubs

Zones

: 3 - 7

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Tree / Shrub

Mature Size: Height: 25 - 35 ft. Diameter: 15 in.

Flowers: June - early July

Fruit: Summer - Fall

Common alternate names for sourwood: Sorrel tree, sour gum, elk tree, Lily of the Valley Tree.

Scientific name for sourwood:  Oxydendrum arboreum

Planting Information:

Needs full sun to partial shade (more sunlight produces a better fall color and better bloom). 

Prefers a moist, acidic, well-drained soil.

Colors: Leaves: deciduous, yellow, red, or purple in fall. Flowers: white or yellow, waxlike, conspicuous. Fruit: brown. Bark: greyish brown.

Edible - food uses of sourwood:

Not palatable for humans. However, the nectar taken from sourwood blooms make an excellent honey.

Healing medicinal qualities of sourwood: NA

Other uses for sourwood:

Landscape: Sourwood can be planted around the edge of woods and can be planted in small groves or clusters.

Ornamental: Sourwood has multi-season decorational value (conspicuous, aromatic flowers in spring and beautiful leaves in fall).

Timber: The reddish-brown wood is hard and heavy. It is used to make tool handles and is a source for fuel and pulp.

Wildlife:

Sourwood sprouts are a food-source for white-tailed deer.

Sourwood snags make a good nesting spot for a variety of birds in the southern Appalachian region.

General description and characteristics of sourwood:

Sourwood is a deciduous, small to mid-sized tree with a pyramidal shape. It has drooping branches of pointed oblong leaves that turn vibrant red, yellow, or purple in autumn. After cultivation, sourwoods usually only attain heights of 25 - 35 ft, but in the wild, they have been known to reach 50 - 75 ft.