FIELD ID CHARACTERISTICS:
Look for glossy leaves with pronounced midribs beneath. Distinctive raised ridge under leaf scar. Racemes of dry fruits persist through the winter. Bark of older shrubs reddish.
Synonym(s): Cyrilla antillana
Description: Deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub or small tree to 8 m tall, often forming dense thickets.
Leaves: Alternate, usually narrow and obovate or elliptic, clustered near branch tips. Variable in size, up to 10 cm long and 2 to 3 cm wide and somewhat variable in shape. Glossy leaves have raised midribs beneath.
Flowers/Fruit: Racemes of white flowers from 5 to 15 cm long originate from the previous season's growth. Blooms May to July; fruits September/October.
Habit and Range: Pocosins, swamps, pine flatwoods and streambanks in acidic, sandy or peaty soils, chiefly in the Coastal Plain and sometimes in the Piedmont.
