During the hot and lazy days of August, many of the area’s trees and shrubs bear the fruits of earlier blooms. This is the month that the town of Black Mountain hosts the Sourwood Festival (see story on page 42) in celebration of the sourwood tree.

The sourwood tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) is famous here in the Southern Appalachians, mostly because of the flavorful, popular, and sometimes rare honey that comes from its sweet blooms. Sourwood honey is perhaps more familiar to most people than the tree itself. It is extra-light to light amber in color and extremely aromatic, with a distinctively rich honey flavor.

This beautiful tree is a member of the botanical family Ericaceae (pronounced air-ih- kay-see-ee), or heath family. Relatives include rhododendrons, mountain laurel, and blueberry. Sourwoods get their name from the bitter taste of their leaves that is caused by the oxalic acid in the leaf tissues. Sourwood, however, does not have sour wood! Its other common names are Lily of the Valley Tree and Sorrell Tree.

There are many historical accounts of Native Americans and early settlers making use of Sourwood’s leaves, sap, and inner bark to treat a variety of ailments, including rubbing on itchy skin and chewing to alleviate mouth sores. If you have an interest in medicinal properties of wild plants, it is fun to learn about historical uses, but best not to experiment yourself without proper knowledge because relatives and sourwood look-alikes may have serious poisons in their various plant parts.

In July, the sourwood tree blooms with its distinctive long, narrow flower stalks swooping down from the ends of its branches. The small white flowers are heavy with fragrance to attract insect pollinators (mainly honeybees) that take the nectar back to their hives. Due to the relatively short bloom season, beekeepers have a small window of time to position their bees close to blooming sourwoods. In any given year, a shortage of rain or lower than normal temperatures can reduce the amount of honey available that season. Let’s hope that 2010 is a good sourwood honey year!

Laura and Hal Mahan are owners of The Compleat Naturalist, located at 2 Brook Street in the Historic Biltmore Village. To reach the shop, call 274.5430.
(In Photo: Laure & Hal Mahan)