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Thymelaeaceae
Leatherwood
Dirca palustris
Flexibility and adaptability.
- Family
- Thymelaeaceae
- Genus
- Dirca
- Native to
- Eastern North America
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 3-6 ft
- Sunlight
- partial shade to full shade
- Soil
- moist, rich, acidic
- Water
- moderate to high
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Its branches are so pliable they can be tied in knots without breaking, inspiring the name leatherwood.
- Native Americans wove its flexible bark into ropes, bow strings, and basket handles.
- The small yellow flowers appear in early spring before the leaves emerge, providing early bee forage.
- It is one of the rarest native shrubs in the eastern deciduous forest understory.
- The bark and berries are toxic if ingested, containing the irritant compound daphnin.
Color meanings
0
flexibility
1
adaptability
2
hidden strength