SWEET SHRUB

any member of the genus Calycanthus of the family Calycanthaceae, with four species of small ornamental trees with aromatic bark and sweet-scented flowers, all native to North America. A sweet shrub has opposite, bright-green, simple, smooth-margined leaves. The petals of the brown to purple magnolia-like flowers, borne on the branch tips, are not distinct from the sepals. The pear-shaped or egg-shaped fruits contain many dry seeds (achenes). Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus), a shrub about 3 metres (10 feet) tall, and Calycanthus occidentalis, a similar shrub with light-brown flowers, are cultivated in North America.