Carolina Allspice is a new plant I just discovered and would love to have in the garden. It’s a fragrant flowering shrub with dense leaves and suckers that can grow up to 9 feet tall. It is native to the woodlands of the south eastern United States. Including Virginia, Missippi, and Florida.
Here is a photo of the pretty blooming Carolina Allspice. It has dark maroon to purple petals that bloom at the end of short branches. Image from rareplants.de
The scent is what intrigues me. As it carries fruity notes of pineapple, strawberry and banana. Even the leaves are described to be aromatic when bruised.
Scientific name is Calycantus Floridus and common names include:
Sweetshrub
Carolina Spicebush
Carolina Sweetshrub
Spicebush
Common Spicebush
Strawberry Bush
Yellow Sweet Betsy
Floridata has more useful facts about growing the Carolina Allspice.
