Common Sweetleaf
About Common Sweetleaf
Sweetleaf is a deciduous shrub or small tree that may grow 20 feet tall. It can be found in moist bottomland forests, pocosin edges, mesic forests, ridgetop forests, and sandhills. The leaves are edible and sweet to the taste. In early spring, small, white flowers mature. The small tree produces a 1/2-inch, orange-brown drupe that matures in late summer.
Taxonomy
Symplocos tinctoria
Symplocos
Symplocaceae
Ericales
Also known as
common sweetleaf, horse-sugar and yellowwood
How to care for Common Sweetleaf
How often to water your Common Sweetleaf
every 9
Common Sweetleaf needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Common Sweetleaf in your home
a window
Common Sweetleaf love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.
Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Common Sweetleaf does not tolerate low-light 🚫.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Common Sweetleaf in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Common Sweetleaf
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Common Sweetleaf after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
Care Summary for Common Sweetleaf
Common Sweetleaf
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 1ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.