Swamp titi is an evergreen, semi-evergreen or tardily deciduous shrub or small tree in the Cyrillaceae family that is native to SE North America and occurs in coastal and Piedmont NC. Its preference is for moist to wet well-drained sandy loam high in organic matter in full sun to partial shade. It tolerates drier sites as long as adequate moisture is provided during dry periods. It can form thickets providing cover for wildlife, especially in wet sites. Swamp titi will grow 8- 30 feet tall and spread 10-15 feet wide. It looks shrubby when young but can be trained into a small tree with contorted stems, smooth, cinnamon-colored young bark and flaky mature bark. Showy white clusters of summer flowers and orange-red fall color make this a nice ornamental tree for the home landscape. Plus the pollinators and birds will love you for planting it. Use this tree as a specimen, in a native garden, a pollinator garden or along ponds, streams, bogs, ditches or other wet sites. If you live in hurricane-prone areas, this is a great shrub to plant along the ditches to help prevent flooding. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: No significant pests or diseases. Toxic pollen from this plant is responsible for purple brood to honeybee colonies. This plant is not suitable for beekeepers.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Moist | Occasional Flooding | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12-24 feet; 24-60 feet
NC region
Coastal; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 8 ft. 0 in. - 30 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 15 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Rounded; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous; Semi-evergreen
Leaf color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Alternate, simple, oblanceolate (having a rounded apex and tapering base) to oval, rounded or pointed at the tip, narrowed to the base leaves. The leaves are thick, without teeth, smooth and sometimes nearly evergreen. They are also reticulate (net-like)-veined, up to 4 inches long, up to 1 inch wide. The leaves are bright green below and gradually becomes canary yellow to orange burgundy in the fall.
Fall color
Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
White
Flower value
Fragrant; Showy
Flower form
Raceme
Flower detail
Profuse 3-6 in. drooping sprays or racemes of white fragrant flowers late spring into summer (May, June, July) produced on stalks from last year's growth. The flower stalks are subtended by slender bracts. The pollen is toxic to honeybees.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
1-3 inches long
Fruit detail
Yellow-brown capsule ovoid, dry, 1/12 inch long, containing 1-5 seeds, but ending up with only 1 seed maturing. Persists into winter. Displays from September to October.
Bark color
Light Brown; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Smooth cinnamon-colored bark (maturing to grayish, exfoliating)
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
southeastern U.S.A., NC to Tropical America
Distribution
AL , DE , FL , GA , LA , MS , NC , SC , TX , VA
Wildlife value
It provides great cover during extreme weather. Butterflies, bees and other pollinators feed on the nectar from the flowers. Bees produce dark honey from this tree. Mammals and birds eat the fruits. Its foliage is browsed by white-tailed deer.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds