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Oxydendrum arboreum

Common name:	Sorrel Tree	Family:	Ericaceae
Author:	(L.)DC.	Botanical references:	11, 43, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-eastern N. America - Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Louisiana and Ohio.
Habitat:	Well-drained gravelly soils on ridges rising above the banks of streams[82].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Andromeda arborea[G] Oxydendron arboreum[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Sorrel Tree [H,E], Sorreltree [H], Sourwood [FEIS,P,H,B,DEN1,E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	arboreum = tree like;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Heath family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us; Us(Amerindian)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious tree growing to 10m by 6m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen in September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Canopy, Secondary, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - raw[11, 105, 161]. A pleasant acid flavour[82]. They allay thirst[61].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Cardiac; Diuretic; Refrigerant; Tonic.

The leaves are cardiac, diuretic, refrigerant and tonic[61, 82]. A tea made from the leaves has been used in the treatment of asthma, diarrhoea, indigestion and to check excessive menstrual bleeding[222, 257]. It is diuretic and is a folk remedy for treating fevers, kidney and bladder ailments[82, 222].
The bark has been chewed in the treatment of mouth ulcers[222, 257].

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - heavy, hard, attractive, very close grained. It weighs 46lb per cubic foot and is sometimes used for panelling, tool handles, bearings etc[82, 229, 235].

Cultivation details

Requires a moist well-drained lime-free soil[200]. Prefers a pH in the range of 4 to 6[200]. Succeeds in light dappled shade or in full sun[200], it appreciates the protection of other tall shrubs and trees[1, 200].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is rather slow growing, especially when growing at the limits of its hardiness[200].
Plants can flower in 4 - 5 years from seed. The flowers are sweetly scented[245].
Transplant with care, plants may take some time to re-establish themselves[200].
The flowers are very attractive to bees[49, 229].

Propagation

Surface sow the seed[113] in a shady place in a greenhouse either as soon as it is ripe in the autumn[200] or in late winter[78]. Germination is variable[78]. Put outside in a shady position as soon as it germinates and overwinter in a frame[78]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seedlings are susceptible to damping off and so should be kept well-ventilated and should not be over-watered.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[200].
Layering.

Scent

Flowers: Fresh: The flowers are sweetly scented[245].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[FEIS] Data (Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.

References for Oxydendron arboreum (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Ericaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data for parts of family Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
Trees and shrubs that grow well in &ndndndnd and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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