Swamp Cyrilla, or Titi, is an evergreen, semi-evergreen or tardily deciduous tree that is native to SE North America and occurs in coastal and Piedmont NC.
It looks shrubby when young but will eventually develop 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.
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.
Use this tree as a specimen, in a native garden, along ponds, streams, bogs or other wet sites.
In the upper mountain forests of Puerto Rico, Leatherwood is a large dominant tree known as palo colorado ("red tree") because of its reddish-brown bark and wood. Bees produce a dark honey from the flowers.
