Horse Sugar Profile
Common name: Horse sugar
Latin name: Symplocos tinctoria
Other common names: Common sweetleaf, Sweetleaf, Yellowwood, Wild laurel
Meaning of Latin name: Symplokos: “interconnected”, tinctoria: a plant used for dye or who’s sap can stain
Family: Symplocaceae (Sweetleaf Family)
How did we ID this species? Sent picture to Columbus County Extension office
Where located on property: Wet forest edge
What the plant indicates about the microclimate it is growing in:
Wet/moist, sandy/alluvial, shady, acidic
Wildlife forage:
Leaves are sweet and are enjoyed by browsing animals, flowers contain nectar for insects to gather and birds eat the seeds, larval host plant for the Kings hairstreak butterfly.
Medicinal uses: Bark is bitter and aromatic and was used in tonics, a as a fever reducer
Other uses: Bark is used to make a yellow dye
Reference sites:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
PDF Download: Plants Used as Curatives