? Calycanthus | ||||||||||||
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| [image] Calycanthus floridus | ||||||||||||
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Calycanthus (sweetshrub, spicebush or strawberry-bush) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Calycanthaceae, endemic to North America. The genus includes two to four species depending on taxonomic interpretation; two are accepted by the Flora of North America.
They are Deciduous shrubs growing to 2-4 m tall. The leaves are opposite, entire, 5-15 cm long and 2-6 cm broad. The flowers are produced in early summer after the leaves, 4-7 cm broad, with numerous spirally-arranged narrow dark red tepals (resembling a small Magnolia flower); they are strongly scented. The Fruit is an elliptic dry Capsule 5-7 cm long, containing numerous seeds.