Illinois Exotic Species:
pineapple bush or strawberry shrub or Carolina allspice
Calycanthus floridus

Pineapple bush is native to the southeastern United States. This deciduous shrub may attain a height of eight feet. It has opposite, simple, oval or elliptical leaves. The flowers are borne in the leaf axils, and in Illinois they appear in May and June. Each flower (one to two inches in diameter) is brown-maroon and has an odor similar to that of strawberries. The brown seeds are enclosed in an elongated, fibrous sac. This dense, bushy shrub is frequently used as an ornamental. It will grow in sun or shade. Large plants may have a width of about 12 feet. Pineapple bush tends to form suckers, which results in large colonies of the plants in the wild.

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