Sourwood is one of the first trees to turn colors in the eastern North American forest. By late August/early September it is common to see the foliage of young sourwood trees along roadsides beginning to turn red. Sourwood is well named as the leaf does have a sour taste.
The fall color of sourwood is a striking red and orange which is rivaled by only a few other trees such as blackgum, Chinese pistache, the pears, and Chinese tallowtree. There are few sights as striking as a patch of Sourwood in fall color. Sourwood honey is often available where the trees are plentiful.
Virginia Tech Dendrology Photo
Comments
I’m an okie too! Cowboy country! (OSU) i live in payne county and Mr. Holt is right , about having big trees in OK. , we own 140 acres by the cimmaron river here in ne. Ok. and we have a variety of species of trees that are “Huge” mainly oak,hichory, some shagg back also, alot of cotton woods, but I have a sicamore tree on our place that is huge, i have some pictures of it I use to work for the pleasent hill ranger district in clarksville ar. on timber crew and I measured this tree and my estimation it is about 89 to 91 feet tall if i was to estimate the dbh i would say about 50 to 60 inches. its a big tree!
For fall color in sunny dry soil locations I think Cotinus obovatus is top notch. Of coourse a third of a mile away there is a creek with constant flow that could be home to several Oxydendrons and sweet gums, and if I could get my paws on some I’d like to try out Pistacia in dry spots. Most of eastern MA is well drained and we need to reduce our use of NaCl on the roads so droutght resistance is the biggest virtue for most of our trees. We have had approx. 3/4 of an inch of rain each week this summer until the middle of August and then the rain switch was turn3ed off. We are turning many street trees int9 firewood combining road salt and some drought6. I hope my hometown listens to some certified arborists about the next planting efforts.