Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus

Twigs glabrous or with scattered trichomes. Petiole and abaxial surface of leaf blade glabrous or with scattered trichomes.

Flowering late spring, fruiting mid fall. Deciduous or mixed woodlands, along streams and rivers, margins of woodlands; 0-1850 m; Ala., Fla., Ga., Ky., Miss., N.C., Ohio, Pa., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.

The nomenclature for Calycanthus floridus var. glaucus is somewhat confusing. (For an in-depth study, see D. E. Boufford and S. A. Spongberg 1981 and J. W. Hardin 1984.) Variation in the amount of pubescence is common, and determination of variety is not always possible.

The Cherokee are reported to have used this plant as a urinary aid (D. E. Moerman 1986, listed under C . fertilis , a synonym for C . floridus var. glaucus ).