Oxydendrum (arboreum)

Quicksand USDA NRCS - Quicksand Plant Materials Center 175 Robinson Road Quicksand, Kentucky 41363 http://plant-materials.nrcs.usda.gov

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Family Scientific Name:	Ericaceae
Family Common Name:	Heath
Scientific Name:	Oxydendrum arboreum
Common Name:	Sour Wood
Species Code:	OXAR
Ecotype:	Great Smoky Mountains National Park
General Distribution:	Found in woods and clearings from Florida to Louisiana north to Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. In the Great Smoky Mountains NP, trees were found in wooded areas and clearings on steep slopes and flats.
Propagation Goal:	seeds
Propagation Method:	seed
ProductType:	Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.)
Time To Grow:	0
Propagule Collection:	Seed collections were made from October to December at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Propagule Processing:	EASE OF COLLECTION: Seed is not difficult to collect. As seed is small, many seeds can be collected from one tree. TYPE OF MATERIAL COLLECTED FOR PROPAGATION: Seed. METHOD OF CLEANING: Rub board, hand screens. UNUSUAL OR UNIQUE PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS: Data unavailable at date of publication. NUMBER OF SEEDS PER POUND: 1,816,000 - 5,448,000 (ibid.) PERCENT GERMINATION: Data not available at date of publication.
Pre-Planting Treatments:	PRETREATMENT USED: None.
Growing Area Preparation/ Annual Practices for Perennial Crops:	PROPAGATION METHOD: Seedlings propagated in the greenhouse and planted to raised beds in field. Better results possibly by transplanting seedlings in winter once plants are dormant.
Active Growth Phase:	METHOD OF GROWING: Seed was sown in flats in peat, covered with plastic to maintain humidity, and placed under continuous light. Germination was 75% in three weeks at Beltsville, Maryland. Seedings on 1:1:1 peat, perlite, vermiculite in cone-tainers and placed under continuous light also germinated successfully. Maintaining moisture and light appears important for germination. Seedlings are very slow to grow in the greenhouse once germinated. A few plants have been successfully transplanted to a raised bed in the field, but growth was minimal. Seed harvested in November of 1992 successfully germinated in the greenhouse by January 1993. Depending on size of seedlings in late spring, plants may be grown in containers for a year before planting to raised beds.
Harvesting, Storage and Shipping:	UNUSUAL OR UNIQUE HARVESTING OR DIGGING REQUIREMENTS: Production of adequate size trees for transplanting will require at least two growing seasons. SEED MATURITY DATE: September - October (Young & Young 1992, 235). STORAGE REQUIREMENTS: Data unavailable at date of publication. ESTIMATED PROPAGULE STORAGE POTENTIAL: Data unavailable at date of publication.
References:	Young, James A., and Cheryl G. Young. 1992. Seeds of Woody Plants in North America. Portland, Oregon: Dioscorides Press.

Citation:

2001. Propagation protocol for production of Propagules (seeds, cuttings, poles, etc.) Oxydendrum arboreum seeds USDA NRCS - Quicksand Plant Materials Center Quicksand, Kentucky. In: Native Plant Network. URL: https://NativePlantNetwork.org (accessed 2025/02/25). US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Center for Reforestation, Nurseries, and Genetic Resources.