The colors below indicate the kind of documentation available for this species
in the California counties where it occurs.
Spicebush Calycanthus occidentalis (Calycanthaceae)
This large deciduous shrub is noted for its aromatic fragrance. Some people describe the fragrance as sweet and pleasant while others find it disagreeable. Descriptions of the odor range from "similar to the inside of a wine barrel" to "pleasantly bitter". The conspicuous flower parts consist of similarly colored sepals and petals arranged in several overlapping series with a gradual transition from sepals to petals. The outermost in the series are distinctly scale-like, the remainder showy and petal-like. The fruits are one-seeded achenes enclosed in an enlarged leathery receptacle.
DISTRIBUTION: Moist shady places, canyons, and streambanks from the southern Cascade Ranges, Inner and Outer N Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada Foothills, and central and southern High Sierra Nevada; < 1500 m.
