common sweetleaf Symplocaceae Symplocos tinctoria

Leaf:Alternate, simple, entire margin or nearly so, oblong or narrowly elliptical, broadest near or above middle, thick, 2 to 6 inches long, tardily deciduous, shiny green above, yellow-green below. Sweet tasting.
Flower:Species is monoecious; small and clustered, white petals and numerous stamens, appear before the new leaves.
Fruit:Dry drupes, 1/2 inch long, egg-shaped, orangish brown, mature in late summer.
Twig:Moderate, reddish brown, chambered pith, leaf scar with one-bundle scar, buds large, sharp pointed, scales fringed.
Bark:Grayish green or brown, initially smooth but later develops warty lenticels and shallow splits.
Form:A shrub or small tree up to 30 feet, branches curve upward.

leaf flower fruit twig bark form map

Notes: