Aphrodite Hybrid Sweetshrub

Common Name: Sweetshrub

Scientific Name: Calycanthus 'Aphrodite' (C. chinensis x C. occidentalis)

Origin: Calycanthus chinensis is native to China; Calycanthus occidentalis is native to southwestern U.S.

Family: Calycanthaceae

Bloom time: Late spring to early summer

A different form of sweetshrub than we all may have been used to. This hybrid of a Chinese species and a western U.S. native species forms a rather large shrub up to 8 feet in height or larger. The blooms start in summer and continue on and off throughout the season. It boasts very large flowers that resemble red magnolias, which appear amid glossy, tropical-looking foliage.