A Treelike Plant

(Question)

Good day,

I was given a plant, see attached, and I have no idea what kind it is. No one knows.

It is about 5 ft and has rusty brown flowers growing single upwards. The buds look a bit like Sumac buds.

Can you please advise me?

Thank you so much.

(Answer)

Thank you for contacting the Toronto Master Gardeners.

You have a beautiful specimen of Calycanthus floridus commonly called Carolinian Allspice. This plant is usually grown as a shrub however can be trained and pruned into a tree-like form.

This deciduous shrub has a dense, rounded habit, growing 6 to 9 feet tall and as wide. Its unusual, waterlily-like, fragrant flowers combine the scent of strawberries and as a result this shrub is sometimes referred to as sweetshrub. Flowers appear in May and continue blooming on and off into June and July. The dark green leaves and bark release a clove or camphor-like scent when crushed. This shrub is adaptable to many soil types and grows in sun or shade, though it blooms more when grown in full sun.

This website gives additional information on this beautiful plant.