Sourwood is a medium-sized deciduous tree with small, imbricate, winter buds that have three outer scales. Leaves are alternate and ovate to lanceolate in shape with slightly toothed margins. Flower are perfect, showy, and borne in terminal panicles. Fruit is a capsule.
| I. | Leaves are large, peach-like, and 31/4—8 inches (81/2—20 cm) long with finely toothed margins. The petiole is usually less than 3/5 inch (15 mm) long. Flowers are white and open in July or August. Fruit is gray and matures in September or October. Fall foliage color is scarlet. |
| Oxydendrum arboreum–Sourwood (Sorrel Tree) |
Sourwood (Sorrel Tree)–Oxydendrum arboreum
The sourwood is a tree of moderate dimensions, 8—12 inches (20—301/2 cm) in trunk diameter and 40—60 feet high. It is found only in the southeastern portion of the state, from Fairfield County southward. Sourwood is usually found along ridge tops and upper slopes capped with sandstone, although it thrives on more favored soil sites as well. Large specimens have been observed growing in coves and richer slopes mixed with tuliptree, chestnut oak, hickory, and red oak. Sourwood, sumac, black tupelo, scarlet oak, and sassafras are the major sources of red color fall color in the Ohio landscape.
The simple, alternate leaves are 31/4—81/2 inches (8—20 cm) long. Leaves are ovate to lanceolate in shape with slightly toothed margins. The petiole is usually less than 3/5 inch (15 mm) long. Leaves are glabrous, lustrous green on the upper surface, and lighter green and slightly pubescent on the veins beneath. Foliage generally turns a deep crimson in the fall and has a decidedly acid taste.
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| Sourwood (Sorrel Tree) |
Winter buds are small and imbricate with three outer scales. The strong, straight first year twigs are often a bright red. The bark is thin, light gray, and divided into narrow, shallow ridges.
The perfect flowers are small, white or cream-colored, and borne in drooping, terminal racemes 5—10 inches (13—25 cm) long. Flowers open in July or August. They provide storehouses of nectar from which bees make excellent honey. The fruit is a conical, dry capsule, 1/3—1/2 inch (8-13 mm) in length, containing numerous small seeds. Fruit is grayish and matures in September or October. These capsules hang in drooping panicles into the winter.
The wood is heavy, hard, very close-grained, compact, brown in color, and sometimes tinged with red. It is used for turnery, handles, and some other uses.