Flower profile

Carolina sweetshrub

Calycanthus floridus

Native in the lower 48

Carolina sweetshrub is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 4 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in March–June.

20states

4of our state lists

9,928U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee

Quick look

Calycanthus floridus, or commonly known as the eastern sweetshrub, Carolina allspice, or spicebush, is a species of flowering shrub in the family Calycanthaceae. It is identifiable by its dark red flowers and fragrant scent. It is non-invasive and is found in the Southeastern United States. The Nature Conservancy considers its conservation status to be G5, globally secure, indicating it is at low risk of extinction.
From Wikipedia's article Calycanthus floridus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Calycanthaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 20 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
In Tennessee, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in April–June. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,858 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #56 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2,173 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #44 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,994 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #29 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

Carolina sweetshrub gift ideas

Handmade carolina sweetshrub gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (980 records)

Bloom time in each of our 4 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Native	April–June	2,858
Tennessee	Native	April–June	2,173
Georgia	Native	March–May	1,994
South Carolina	Native	March–May	615

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in South Carolina.
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: FL (S2), KY (S2), OH (S1), VA (S1). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: low). Poisonous parts: seeds. Symptoms they list: “Convulsions, elevated blood pressure” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Carolina sweetshrub in 20 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alexander, Anson, Avery, Beaufort, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Cumberland, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Gaston, Graham, Greene, Guilford, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Montgomery, Moore, Orange, Polk, Randolph, Richmond, Rowan, Rutherford, Stanly, Stokes, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Claiborne, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Grundy, Hamilton, Hardin, Hickman, Johnson, Knox, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Sumner, Unicoi, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, White.

Georgia counties with USDA records: Baldwin, Barrow, Bartow, Burke, Carroll, Clarke, Cobb, Columbia, Dade, DeKalb, Decatur, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Fulton, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Hall, Hancock, Haralson, Harris, Hart, Jackson, Jenkins, Lumpkin, Madison, McDuffie, Meriwether, Morgan, Murray, Oglethorpe, Peach, Pickens, Putnam, Quitman, Rabun, Randolph, Screven, Spalding, Stephens, Talbot, Taylor, Union, Upson, Walker, Washington, White, Whitfield, Wilkes.

More North Carolina flowers

Crane-fly orchid

Tipularia discolor

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American pokeweed

Phytolacca americana

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Striped wintergreen

Chimaphila maculata

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🌼 Blooms in NC: May–July

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CAFL22.
iNaturalist, Calycanthus floridus: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Calycanthus floridus (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
Georgia: Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed).
South Carolina: South Carolina State Plant Pest List, plants (S.C. Code Regs. 27-135; Clemson Dept. of Plant Industry).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Calycanthus floridus (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Evan M. Raskin via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.