{ "title": "Bloom and fruit calendar: the months every species flowers and fruits", "page": "https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/", "license": { "name": "Creative Commons Attribution 4.0", "short": "CC BY 4.0", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" }, "attribution": "Blue Whale Trees, https://bluewhaletrees.com/tools/calendar/", "updated": "2026-10-22", "row": "one tree or shrub the nursery grows", "rows_count": 364, "columns": [ { "name": "slug", "means": "the plant page's address, https://bluewhaletrees.com/plants//" }, { "name": "name", "means": "the common name the page uses" }, { "name": "bloom_first", "means": "the first month in flower, 1 to 12" }, { "name": "bloom_last", "means": "the last month in flower, 1 to 12" }, { "name": "fruit_first", "means": "the first month the fruit, nuts or seed ripen, 1 to 12" }, { "name": "fruit_last", "means": "the last month, 1 to 12" }, { "name": "kind", "means": "what ripens: acorns, nuts, berries, seed, cones and so on" }, { "name": "pollen", "means": "true for a conifer, whose bloom months are when it sheds pollen" }, { "name": "note", "means": "the calendar's own note on the plant, with the regions where the months differ" } ], "rows": [ { "slug": "alabama-azalea", "name": "Alabama Azalea", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of six to ten white funnels open in April and May, before or with the new leaves. The capsules ripen in fall." }, { "slug": "alabama-croton", "name": "Alabama Croton", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, yellow-green flowers open in clusters 1 to 2 inches long at the twig tips from late February into early April. The three-parted capsules, about a quarter inch across, ripen in May and June." }, { "slug": "alabama-snow-wreath", "name": "Alabama Snow-wreath", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 2 to 10 flowers open at the branch tips from late March into May. Small, dry fruits form from late spring into fall, but their seeds rarely if ever ripen, and no seedling has ever been found in the wild." }, { "slug": "alderleaf-buckthorn", "name": "Alderleaf Buckthorn", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish flowers without petals open from May to July. The fruit ripens black in late summer and early fall, a round drupe about a quarter inch across with three stones, and birds eat it." }, { "slug": "allegheny-chinquapin", "name": "Allegheny Chinquapin", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Bees article: Late May to July. The nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "allegheny-plum", "name": "Allegheny Plum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers half an inch across open in April and May in small clusters, and they fade to pink as they age. The plums are round, about half an inch across and dark reddish purple under a blue bloom, and they ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "allegheny-serviceberry", "name": "Allegheny Serviceberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers open in April, before the leaves. Allegheny serviceberry is the juneberry, so called because its fruit ripens to dark purplish black in June." }, { "slug": "american-basswood", "name": "American Basswood (Linden)", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nutlets", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant yellow-white flowers open for about two weeks in June and give an abundance of nectar for a choice honey, which is why beekeepers call it the bee tree. The nutlets ripen in September and October and fall soon after." }, { "slug": "american-beautyberry", "name": "American Beautyberry", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small pink flowers open in whorls at the leaf joints from June into July, and the fruit ripens from August to November on the same year's new growth. The berries ripen in September and hold into winter unless the birds find them first." }, { "slug": "american-beech", "name": "American Beech", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and the nuts ripen from September to November." }, { "slug": "american-chestnut", "name": "American Chestnut", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in June and July with creamy catkins 5 to 10 inches long. Each spiny bur, 2 to 2½ inches across, holds two or three sweet nuts that fall in September and October." }, { "slug": "american-crabapple", "name": "American Crabapple", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "crabapples", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant white to pink blossoms an inch to an inch and three quarters across open in May. The hard, waxy, yellow-green fruit runs three quarters of an inch to an inch and a half across, ripens from August into October, and tastes sour." }, { "slug": "american-fly-honeysuckle", "name": "American Fly Honeysuckle", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Yellow, tubular flowers open in pairs from April to June. Pairs of bright red berries ripen from June to August, and birds eat them." }, { "slug": "american-hazelnut", "name": "American Hazelnut", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "The male catkins, 2 to 4 inches long, open in late winter or early spring before the leaves. The half-inch brown nuts ripen from September to October inside a hairy husk with ragged edges." }, { "slug": "american-holly", "name": "American Holly, select line", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The berries run a quarter to half an inch across and hang from September into winter, and at least 18 kinds of birds eat them, including mourning doves and cedar waxwings. Bees article: May and June." }, { "slug": "american-hornbeam", "name": "American Hornbeam (Musclewood)", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nutlets", "pollen": null, "note": "Catkins open in April and May, and the ribbed nutlets ripen in October, each hanging under a three-lobed leafy bract about an inch long." }, { "slug": "american-mountain-ash", "name": "American Mountain Ash", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat creamy white flower clusters 3 to 6 inches across open from May to July. The bright red-orange berries, about a quarter inch across, ripen in August and hang on the tree all winter." }, { "slug": "american-persimmon", "name": "American Persimmon", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "persimmons", "pollen": null, "note": "Bees article: May and June. The fruit is a round berry three quarters of an inch to 2 inches across, yellow to orange or dark red, ripening from September to November." }, { "slug": "american-plum", "name": "American Plum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant white flowers an inch across open in April and May before the leaves. The red to yellow plums, three quarters of an inch to an inch and a quarter long with a single stone, ripen in August." }, { "slug": "american-smoketree", "name": "American Smoketree", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "The tiny yellow-green flowers open in May and June in clusters 6 to 10 inches long. The smoke comes afterward, when hairs on the spent clusters turn smoky pink through summer. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Cotinus chapter: fruit Jun–Sep: The kidney-shaped drupe ripens in the fall, which is usually August to October for common smoketree and June to September for American smoketree." }, { "slug": "american-snowbell", "name": "American Snowbell", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "They hang singly or in clusters of up to four from April into early June. The hairy gray fruit, about a quarter inch across, ripens in August and drops by November." }, { "slug": "arkansas-oak", "name": "Arkansas Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in spring. The acorns take two seasons to ripen, as in every red oak, and are ready in the fall of the second year." }, { "slug": "arrowwood-viburnum", "name": "Arrowwood Viburnum", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Creamy white flowers, each a quarter inch across, open in flat-topped heads up to 4 inches wide in May and June. The blue-black fruit, about a quarter inch across, ripens from July into September, and songbirds, grouse, wild turkeys and squirrels take it." }, { "slug": "ashe-magnolia", "name": "Ashe's Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open from April into June, cup-shaped and fragrant, 6 to 12 inches across. A reddish cone about 3 inches long follows and shows bright red seeds from early August." }, { "slug": "atlantic-white-cedar", "name": "Atlantic White Cedar", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in March and April. The round cones, about a quarter inch across, ripen from bluish purple to brown in September and October." }, { "slug": "bald-cypress", "name": "Bald Cypress", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Some seed comes every year and a good crop every 3 to 5 years, in round cones up to 1.4 inches across, ripe from October to December. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Taxodium chapter: flowering Mar–Apr: Flowering and fruiting. The monoecious flowers of baldcypress appear in March to April, before the leaves." }, { "slug": "bartram-serviceberry", "name": "Bartram's Serviceberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers three quarters of an inch to an inch across open with the leaves. They come two or three together, from May to August across the range. The fruit is dark purple and pear-shaped, about half an inch long, and ripens from July into September." }, { "slug": "beach-plum", "name": "Beach Plum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers half an inch across open in April or May before the leaves. Planted stock can bear from its third year, by the Rutgers account, with harvest from late August into October." }, { "slug": "beaked-hazelnut", "name": "Beaked Hazelnut", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Catkins open before the leaves, from February in the Carolinas to April and May in Minnesota. The nuts ripen in late August and September." }, { "slug": "bear-huckleberry", "name": "Bear Huckleberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Four to six greenish white bells hang in loose clusters in May and June. The glossy black berries, about a third of an inch across, ripen from July to September." }, { "slug": "bear-oak", "name": "Bear Oak (Scrub Oak)", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "Acorns take two seasons to ripen, and the first on New Jersey sprouts came at 3 years. It flowers from April to June, and the acorns ripen from August in the Carolinas to early October around New York." }, { "slug": "bigleaf-magnolia", "name": "Bigleaf Magnolia", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open in May and June, creamy white with a purple blotch at the base of the inner petals. A round, rose-red cone 2 to 3 inches long follows and ripens in late summer." }, { "slug": "bigleaf-snowbell", "name": "Bigleaf Snowbell", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "In April and May it bears sprays of up to 19 white bells. It ripens in August and September, and birds and small animals eat it." }, { "slug": "bigleaf-witch-hazel", "name": "Bigleaf Witch Hazel", "bloom_first": 12, "bloom_last": 2, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Flowers open from late December into early February. The capsules ripen over the summer and split in fall, throwing two glossy black seeds several yards." }, { "slug": "bitternut-hickory", "name": "Bitternut Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "black-cherry", "name": "Black Cherry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cherries", "pollen": null, "note": "Drooping spikes of small white flowers, 3 to 6 inches long, open from April into June, after the leaves. The cherries ripen from June in the South to September in the North, dark red turning black and about three eighths of an inch across." }, { "slug": "black-chokeberry", "name": "Black Chokeberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small white flowers with pink anthers open in May. The shiny purplish black fruit, about half an inch across, ripens from late August into September, and birds usually take it in mid to late winter." }, { "slug": "black-elderberry", "name": "Black Elderberry", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant creamy white flowers open from June into August in flat heads 4 to 10 inches across, and the purple-black berries ripen from late July into September." }, { "slug": "black-gum", "name": "Black Gum (Tupelo)", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish flowers open in May and June and feed bees well. The blue-black fruit, three eighths to half an inch long and quite sour, ripens in September and October." }, { "slug": "black-hickory", "name": "Black Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "black-huckleberry", "name": "Black Huckleberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Urn-shaped red to pink flowers open in May and June. The blue-black fruit, about a quarter to a third of an inch across with ten tiny seeds, ripens in July and August." }, { "slug": "black-locust", "name": "Black Locust", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant white pea flowers hang in clusters 5 to 8 inches long in May or June, and the flat pods, 2 to 4 inches long, ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "black-maple", "name": "Black Maple", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "Yellowish green flowers hang on long, hairy stalks in April and May, as the leaves open. Paired samaras about an inch long drop in late September and early October in New England." }, { "slug": "black-oak", "name": "Black Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April or May, and the acorns ripen from late August to late October of their second year." }, { "slug": "black-walnut", "name": "Black Walnut", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Juglans chapter: flowering Apr–Jun: J. nigra Apr-June Sept-Oct After leaf-fall | fruit Sep–Oct: J. nigra Apr-June Sept-Oct After leaf-fall" }, { "slug": "blackhaw", "name": "Blackhaw Viburnum", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of white flowers 4 to 5 inches across open in May and June. The fruit ripens blue-black in September and October, an oval about a third of an inch long that can be eaten off the bush or cooked into jam." }, { "slug": "blackjack-oak", "name": "Blackjack Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and the acorns ripen from September to November of their second season." }, { "slug": "bladdernut", "name": "Bladdernut", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "The drooping clusters of greenish-white bells open in April and May, each flower about a third of an inch long, and bees and butterflies work them. By late summer the flowers have become papery inflated pods 1 to 2 inches long, green at first and light brown by fall, hanging on into early winter." }, { "slug": "blue-ash", "name": "Blue Ash", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Fraxinus chapter: flowering Mar–Apr: Table 2--Fraxinus, ash: flowering habit and phenology of flowering and fruiting F. quadrangulata -- Mar-Apr Perfect June-Oct -- | fruit Jun–Oct: Table 2--Fraxinus, ash: flowering habit and phenology of flowering and fruiting F. quadrangulata -- Mar-Apr Perfect June-Oct --" }, { "slug": "blue-ridge-st-johns-wort", "name": "Blue Ridge St. John's-wort", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Golden yellow flowers about an inch across open at the branch tips in June and July, sometimes into August. Fruit months as Lloyd's St. John's-wort (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "blueberry-hawthorn", "name": "Blueberry Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 15 to 25 white flowers, each about half an inch across, open in April, sometimes into May, and the petals turn orange as they age. The fruit is waxy blue in late August and ripens black from September into November, a third to a half inch across." }, { "slug": "bluejack-oak", "name": "Bluejack Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May. The acorns take two seasons to ripen and are ready in September and October of the second year." }, { "slug": "bluff-oak", "name": "Bluff Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and as in every white oak the acorns ripen the same year, in mid to late fall." }, { "slug": "bog-spicebush", "name": "Bog Spicebush", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small, pale yellow flowers open on bare twigs from February to April, before the leaves. Female plants carry oval, bright red fruit about 0.4 inch long from July to September." }, { "slug": "bottlebrush-buckeye", "name": "Bottlebrush Buckeye", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "buckeyes", "pollen": null, "note": "Upright spikes of small white flowers, up to 12 inches long, open in June and July. The smooth, pear-shaped husks split from late September into November, each holding a glossy brown seed with a pale scar." }, { "slug": "box-huckleberry", "name": "Box Huckleberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small white to pink bells hang in clusters of two to five in May and early June. The light blue berries are juicy and sweet, and they ripen by mid-August." }, { "slug": "boynton-oak", "name": "Boynton Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and collectors gathered ripe acorns in late September and October." }, { "slug": "bracted-arrowwood", "name": "Bracted Arrowwood", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters about 2 inches across, of small white flowers with an unpleasant smell, open from mid-April to mid-May. The fruit ripens blue-black from July into October, an oval drupe about 0.4 inch long, and birds eat it." }, { "slug": "rose-locust", "name": "Bristly Locust (Rose Locust)", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Rose-pink pea flowers hang in clusters 2 to 4 inches long in May, and the name rose locust comes from that bloom. It seldom sets seed, spreading instead by root suckers, which holds a bank and overruns a border. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Robinia chapter: fruit Jul–Sep: R. hispida May-June July-Sept --" }, { "slug": "broom-crowberry", "name": "Broom Crowberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Small heads of flowers open at the shoot tips from late April into May." }, { "slug": "buckthorn-bully", "name": "Buckthorn Bully", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of tiny white flowers open from June to August. The fruit ripens in fall from red to purplish black, an oval berry about half an inch long, edible and sometimes made into jelly." }, { "slug": "buckwheat-tree", "name": "Buckwheat Tree", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "winged fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Upright spikes of small, fragrant white or pink flowers open from March into May, from February in the Florida Panhandle. The dry fruits ripen in summer, each a quarter inch long with two to five wings." }, { "slug": "bur-oak", "name": "Bur Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from April in the South to mid-June in the North as the leaves open, and the acorns ripen the same year, dropping from August to November." }, { "slug": "butternut", "name": "Butternut", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from April to June, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "buttonbush", "name": "Buttonbush", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 9, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "nutlets", "pollen": null, "note": "Round white flower heads open from June to September, each an inch to an inch and a half across. The fruiting heads ripen reddish brown in September and October. Many hang on through winter, when birds eat the nutlets." }, { "slug": "canada-buffaloberry", "name": "Canada Buffaloberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Tiny yellowish flowers open on bare twigs in April and May, before the leaves. On female plants, bright red or sometimes yellow berries about a quarter inch across ripen from June into August." }, { "slug": "canada-plum", "name": "Canada Plum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers open from April into June, two to four together, before or with the leaves, and they often fade to pink. The plums ripen in August and September, red, orange or yellowish and about an inch long." }, { "slug": "canada-yew", "name": "Canada Yew", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "arils", "pollen": true, "note": "Its tiny male and female cones open in April and May. Each female cone becomes a single seed held in a bright red, cup-shaped aril up to 3/8 inch long, ripe from July into September." }, { "slug": "carolina-bog-laurel", "name": "Carolina Bog Laurel", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 4 to 12 pink cups, rarely white, open in April and May along the stems below the new shoots. The minute, winged seeds ripen in capsules in September and October and scatter on the wind." }, { "slug": "carolina-buckthorn", "name": "Carolina Buckthorn", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small creamy-green flowers open in May and June. It turns bright red in late summer and ripens black in September and October, when birds strip it." }, { "slug": "carolina-hemlock", "name": "Carolina Hemlock", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in March and April, and the cones ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "carolina-laurelcherry", "name": "Carolina Laurelcherry", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "cherries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, creamy white flowers open in short, dense spikes among the leaves from February into April, and they are fragrant. The shiny black fruit, about half an inch long, ripens in September and October, and some hangs on through winter." }, { "slug": "carolina-silverbell", "name": "Carolina Silverbell", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "winged fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "The white bells are half to three quarters of an inch long, open in late April and May, and draw crowds of bees. The dry four-winged fruit that follows is 1 to 2 inches long and holds on into winter. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Halesia chapter: fruit Aug–Sep: height (Dirr and Heuser 1987). The fruit, which matures in August and September, is an oblong or oblong-ovate, dry, 4-" }, { "slug": "carolina-st-johns-wort", "name": "Carolina St. John's-wort", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 3 to 15 yellow flowers, each about half an inch across, open at the branch tips from April into July. Fruit months as golden St. John's-wort (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "catawba-rhododendron", "name": "Catawba Rhododendron", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Trusses of 15 to 20 lilac-purple flowers, marked green to yellow-brown in the throat, open from April to June. The capsules show from July to October and ripen in fall." }, { "slug": "catberry", "name": "Catberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, pale yellow flowers with narrow petals open in May and June. On female plants, bright red berries a quarter to a third of an inch across ripen in July and August." }, { "slug": "cedar-elm", "name": "Cedar Elm", "bloom_first": 8, "bloom_last": 9, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in August and September, and the samaras ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "chalk-maple", "name": "Chalk Maple", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish yellow flowers open in March and April. The paired samaras, under an inch long, hang on the tree from May to September and turn brown as they ripen, and birds and small mammals eat the seeds." }, { "slug": "chapman-oak", "name": "Chapman Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and as in every white oak the acorns ripen the same year, in the fall." }, { "slug": "chapman-st-johns-wort", "name": "Chapman's St. John's-wort", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Bright yellow flowers about half an inch across open from June into August, one to three at the branch tips. Fruit months as golden St. John's-wort (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "cherrybark-oak", "name": "Cherrybark Oak, Wye Island line", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from February to May, depending on latitude, and the acorns ripen from September to November of their second year." }, { "slug": "chestnut-oak", "name": "Chestnut Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May as the leaves open, and the acorns ripen in a single season, dropping from early September to early October." }, { "slug": "chickasaw-plum", "name": "Chickasaw Plum", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "Small white flowers open in clusters of two to four from February into April, before the leaves. The plums follow from May into August, about half an inch across, red or yellow and tart, best in jelly and preserves." }, { "slug": "chinese-chestnut", "name": "Chinese Chestnut", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "The burs open from mid or late September through October, usually with 2 or 3 nuts apiece. It flowers in June, and into early July as far north as Boston." }, { "slug": "chinquapin-oak", "name": "Chinquapin Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from April to early June as the leaves open, and the acorns ripen the same year, in September or October." }, { "slug": "chokecherry", "name": "Chokecherry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cherries", "pollen": null, "note": "Slender spikes of fragrant white flowers, 3 to 6 inches long, open from April into June. The cherries ripen from July to September, a quarter to three eighths of an inch across and dark red to nearly black." }, { "slug": "cinnamon-clethra", "name": "Cinnamon Clethra", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Drooping spikes 3 to 8 inches long of small, spicy-scented white flowers open from June to August, from the base toward the tip. The brown capsules show from September, but in North Carolina clethra seed ripens only in November, long after the leaves fall." }, { "slug": "clammy-locust", "name": "Clammy Locust", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 10 to 15 flowers, pale rose with a yellow blotch and no scent, open from March into June. The pods, 2 to 3½ inches long and sticky with glands, ripen in fall." }, { "slug": "climbing-fetterbush", "name": "Climbing Fetterbush", "bloom_first": 12, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "White, narrow bells about a third of an inch long hang in short sprays from December into May. Fruit months as mountain fetterbush (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "climbing-prairie-rose", "name": "Climbing Prairie Rose", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "hips", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of rose-pink flowers 2 to 3 inches across open from May to August across the range, mostly from mid-June through July, later than most roses. Female plants set bright red hips about a third of an inch across, ripe from late summer into fall." }, { "slug": "clusterspike-indigobush", "name": "Clusterspike Indigobush", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Four to twelve slender spikes, each 4 to 7 inches long, cluster at the top of the stems from May into July. Like other amorphas, it bears tiny pods with a single seed each, which ripen brown in mid to late summer." }, { "slug": "coastal-azalea", "name": "Coastal Azalea", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 4 to 13 white flowers, often flushed pink, open in April and May, before or with the new leaves. The capsules mature from August to October." }, { "slug": "cockspur-hawthorn", "name": "Cockspur Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers about half an inch across open in flat clusters in May and June. The dull red fruit, a third to half an inch across, ripens in September and October and often hangs on the tree until January." }, { "slug": "common-hackberry", "name": "Common Hackberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Each berry is a quarter to a third of an inch across and ripens dark red to purple. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Celtis chapter: flowering Apr–May: C. occidentalis Apr-May Sept-Oct Oct-winter | fruit Sep–Oct: C. occidentalis Apr-May Sept-Oct Oct-winter" }, { "slug": "common-hoptree", "name": "Common Hoptree (Wafer Ash)", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "The 2 to 3 inch clusters of fragrant yellow-green flowers open in May and June. The round papery wafers that follow are about an inch across and stay on the branches into winter. Seed comes in the wafer: pick the clusters in fall when they turn tan and sow whole wafers a quarter inch deep in a screened, mulched bed." }, { "slug": "common-prickly-ash", "name": "Common Prickly Ash (Toothache Tree)", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Flowers open in April on last season's twigs before the leaves. The fruit is a cluster of reddish-brown capsules that split to show one or two shiny black seeds. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Zanthoxylum chapter: fruit Jun–Aug: Z. americanum Apr-May June-Aug" }, { "slug": "conjurers-nut", "name": "Conjurer's-nut", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, pale yellow-green flowers open in April and May, the male ones in little clusters and the female ones single. Fruit is seldom set, but where it forms, a round, fleshy, greenish-yellow fruit about half an inch across ripens from June into August." }, { "slug": "corkwood", "name": "Corkwood", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Catkins open in February and March, before the leaves, yellowish brown on male plants and dark red on female ones. Females then bear leathery, one-seeded fruit up to an inch long, ripe from late spring into July." }, { "slug": "creeping-blueberry", "name": "Creeping Blueberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of pinkish white bells open along the stems in April and May. The black berries, about a quarter inch across, ripen in June and July." }, { "slug": "creeping-juniper", "name": "Creeping Juniper", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berrylike cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Tiny pollen and seed cones open in April and May. On female plants, the berrylike cones take a year or two to ripen, turning dark blue with a white bloom from August into November, and they hang on through winter. Deer, elk and bighorn sheep browse it in winter, and birds eat the cones and spread the seed." }, { "slug": "cucumber-magnolia", "name": "Cucumber Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "The knobby fruit reddens in late summer and birds clear the seeds quickly. It flowers between early April and early July, depending on location." }, { "slug": "cumberland-azalea", "name": "Cumberland Azalea", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of three to seven red to orange funnels open in June and July, after the leaves are out and later than other azaleas. Its capsules show from July to October." }, { "slug": "cumberland-rosemary", "name": "Cumberland Rosemary", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "nutlets", "pollen": null, "note": "Two-lipped, lavender-pink flowers up to an inch long, spotted purple in the throat, open in May and June. Tiny nutlets ripen in June and July, and few of them hold a fully formed seed." }, { "slug": "dahoon", "name": "Dahoon", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, greenish-white flowers open from April into June. On female trees, round berries a quarter inch across ripen red, or now and then orange or yellow, in fall. Many hang on through winter and some until spring, and birds, squirrels and other mammals eat them." }, { "slug": "dangleberry", "name": "Dangleberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish white to pink bells hang two to four together on long, slender stalks from March to June. The berries ripen from June into August, a quarter to a third of an inch across." }, { "slug": "deerberry", "name": "Deerberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The open greenish-white bells are a quarter inch across and hang from April into early June. Deerberry appears to need pollen from another plant to set a full crop, so plant two or more within a few yards and let the bees work. The berries ripen from August into September and hang until the birds and deer take them." }, { "slug": "delta-post-oak", "name": "Delta Post Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in spring, from March to May. The acorns ripen from September to November and drop soon after." }, { "slug": "devils-walking-stick", "name": "Devil's Walking Stick", "bloom_first": 7, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The white flower heads open in July and August and run up to 2 feet long. The purple-black fruit ripens from late August into October, and birds, foxes, raccoons and black bears strip it." }, { "slug": "devilwood", "name": "Devilwood", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "fleshy fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small, creamy white flowers open from March into May on last year's growth, and they are strongly fragrant. On female trees the dark blue fruit, half an inch to an inch long and shaped like a small olive, ripens from August into October. It can hang on until spring, and birds and small mammals eat it." }, { "slug": "downy-arrowwood", "name": "Downy Arrowwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat to slightly domed clusters of creamy white flowers, 1.5 to 3 inches across, open from May into July, and they smell faintly unpleasant. The fruit ripens from July into October, an egg-shaped, somewhat flattened drupe a quarter to half an inch long and nearly black." }, { "slug": "downy-hawthorn", "name": "Downy Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of white flowers about an inch across open in April and May, among the first hawthorns to bloom. The fruit is a red, downy haw up to an inch across that ripens in August and September and falls early." }, { "slug": "downy-serviceberry", "name": "Downy Serviceberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The white flowers open in March and April, before or with the leaves, and the fruit ripens in June." }, { "slug": "durand-oak", "name": "Durand Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and as in every white oak the acorns ripen the same year, in October." }, { "slug": "dwarf-chinquapin-oak", "name": "Dwarf Chinquapin Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April in the Southeast and from May into mid-June around New York. The acorns ripen the same year, from August into October." }, { "slug": "dwarf-hackberry", "name": "Dwarf Hackberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish flowers open in April and May, with the new leaves. The fruit, about a quarter inch across, ripens from August to October with a thin, sweet, edible flesh. It hangs on after the leaves fall, and birds eat it through the winter." }, { "slug": "dwarf-live-oak", "name": "Dwarf Live Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in early spring before the new leaves, from March to May, and it bears acorns every fall." }, { "slug": "dwarf-pawpaw", "name": "Dwarf Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Brownish-purple flowers about three quarters of an inch across sit singly along last year's shoots in April and May, before the leaves. The fruit is a greenish-yellow berry 1 to 3 inches long that ripens from July to September." }, { "slug": "dwarf-tupelo", "name": "Dwarf Tupelo", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, greenish white flowers open in spring on long stalks among the leaves, with male and female flowers borne separately." }, { "slug": "dwarf-witch-alder", "name": "Dwarf Witch Alder", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "In April and May, before the leaves, spikes 1 to 2 inches long open at the branch tips. The small capsules split in September and October to fling their seeds." }, { "slug": "eastern-leatherwood", "name": "Eastern Leatherwood", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Eastern leatherwood opens its pale lemon-yellow bells, only a quarter inch long, in March and April. The green fruit that follows the flowers is up to half an inch across, ripens toward red in June and July, and goes to birds and small mammals." }, { "slug": "eastern-red-cedar", "name": "Eastern Red Cedar", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berrylike cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Male trees shed clouds of yellow pollen from late winter into spring. On female trees, the berrylike cones ripen from green to frosted blue between September and November, about a quarter inch across. They hang on through winter, and waxwings, bobwhite, wild turkeys and many other birds eat them, along with foxes, raccoons and opossums." }, { "slug": "eastern-redbud", "name": "Eastern Redbud", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Bees article: Late March to May. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Cercis chapter: fruit Jul–Sep: Table 3--Cercis, redbud: phenology of flowering and fruiting C. canadensis Mar-May Magenta-purplish pink July-early autumn" }, { "slug": "eastern-wahoo", "name": "Eastern Wahoo", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, dark purple flowers open in May and June in loose clusters of 7 to 20. Pink to red, four-lobed capsules ripen in September and October and split to show seeds in scarlet coats, which hang on into winter." }, { "slug": "elliott-blueberry", "name": "Elliott's Blueberry", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White to pink bells open from February to April, before or with the first leaves. The black berries, about a third of an inch across, ripen in May and June and taste sweet." }, { "slug": "farkleberry", "name": "Farkleberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White bells a quarter inch long hang in short sprays from April to June, and bees work them for nectar. The shiny black berries ripen from September to December and hang on into winter." }, { "slug": "fevertree", "name": "Fevertree", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "It blooms from May into August. A round brown capsule about half an inch wide ripens in fall and hangs on through winter." }, { "slug": "flag-pawpaw", "name": "Flag Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Large white flowers with a lemony scent, up to 4 inches across, open from late winter into early summer." }, { "slug": "flame-azalea", "name": "Flame Azalea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Trusses of 5 to 10 flowers open in May and June, before or with the new leaves. Each funnel is about 2 inches across, with five long stamens. The capsules ripen from July to September." }, { "slug": "flatwoods-plum", "name": "Flatwoods Plum", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small white flowers open in March and April, before or with the leaves. The plums ripen in August and September, purple to nearly black and half an inch to an inch across, and they range from very tart to sweet." }, { "slug": "florida-anise", "name": "Florida Anise", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Nodding, dark red flowers up to 2 inches across open from late March into May, each with 20 to 30 narrow petals and a somewhat fishy smell. The star-shaped pods, 1 to 1.5 inches wide, ripen from late summer into fall and fling their seeds when they split." }, { "slug": "florida-bully", "name": "Florida Bully", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of tiny white flowers open from April to June. Fruit months as Georgia bully (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "florida-flame-azalea", "name": "Florida Flame Azalea", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 8 to 15 flowers open in March and April, before or with the leaves. The capsules split open when ripe in late summer." }, { "slug": "florida-leucothoe", "name": "Florida Leucothoe", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant, creamy white bells hang in clusters beneath the branches from April into June. The new leaves emerge red and turn glossy green, and the capsules split in September and October." }, { "slug": "florida-maple", "name": "Florida Maple", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "Small yellow-green flowers hang from long stalks in late March and April, about two weeks before sugar maple's. The paired samaras, about three quarters of an inch long, hang on the tree from June to October." }, { "slug": "florida-swamp-privet", "name": "Florida Swamp Privet", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Tiny yellowish green flowers in tight clusters open along last year's twigs in February and March, before the new leaves. The fruit ripens from late spring into summer, a waxy blue-black oval a quarter to three eighths of an inch long." }, { "slug": "florida-torreya", "name": "Florida Torreya", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "seeds", "pollen": true, "note": "Male cones and female flowers open in March and April. On female trees the seed takes two seasons to ripen, from August into early November, inside a leathery, purple-streaked green covering 1 to 1.6 inches long." }, { "slug": "florida-willow", "name": "Florida Willow", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 5, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Catkins open from February into April as the leaves come, the males with showy yellow stamens. The fruit ripens in April and May, a capsule about a quarter inch long that splits to release cottony seed." }, { "slug": "florida-yew", "name": "Florida Yew", "bloom_first": 1, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "arils", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed from January to March. On female trees the fruit ripens from August into October, a hard seed about a quarter inch long set in a fleshy red cup." }, { "slug": "flowering-dogwood", "name": "Flowering Dogwood", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Bees article: April. Fall color comes early, often the first red in the woods. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Cornus chapter: fruit Sep–Oct: Table 2--Cornus, dogwood: phenology of flowering and fruiting C. florida Mar & Apr (S US)-May (N US) Sept (N US)-Oct (S US) Sept-Nov" }, { "slug": "four-petal-pawpaw", "name": "Four-petal Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Nodding flowers about an inch across open from late March through July. Oblong, lumpy, greenish-yellow fruits 2 to 5 inches long ripen in late summer and smell of bananas." }, { "slug": "fragrant-sumac", "name": "Fragrant Sumac", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Yellowish flowers open from March to May, before the leaves, from catkins formed the summer before. On female plants the fuzzy red fruit, a quarter inch across, ripens from June to August and can hang on into March." }, { "slug": "franklin-tree", "name": "Franklin Tree", "bloom_first": 7, "bloom_last": 10, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from July until frost, and at its peak the tree is covered day after day with blooms. The seed takes a year to ripen, so last year's woody capsules split in October and November." }, { "slug": "fraser-fir", "name": "Fraser Fir", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "It flowers from mid-May to early June, and the upright cones ripen from September to mid-October." }, { "slug": "fraser-magnolia", "name": "Fraser Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "The creamy white flowers, 8 to 10 inches across, open from April into June as the leaves unfold. A rosy red cone 3 to 4 inches long follows and ripens in late summer, holding bright red seeds." }, { "slug": "georgia-bully", "name": "Georgia Bully", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small, mildly fragrant white flowers open in May and June on short spur shoots, and many kinds of insects visit them. The fruit ripens from August into October, a round black berry about a third of an inch across." }, { "slug": "georgia-indigobush", "name": "Georgia Indigobush", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Spikes up to about 3 inches long open from mid April into early May. They ripen light brown in mid to late summer, and some stay on until the next April." }, { "slug": "georgia-oak", "name": "Georgia Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May. The acorns take two seasons to ripen, as in every red oak, and are ready in the fall of the second year." }, { "slug": "georgia-plume", "name": "Georgia Plume", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Racemes 6 to 12 inches long stand upright at the branch tips from June to August, each with 40 to 80 white flowers whose narrow petals curl back. The few capsules that form ripen in September and October and split to shed small winged seeds." }, { "slug": "godfrey-swamp-privet", "name": "Godfrey's Swamp Privet", "bloom_first": 1, "bloom_last": 2, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 5, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flowers open from mid-January to mid-February, earlier than any other native privet. The fruit ripens quickly, from late April into early May, a waxy dark blue oval up to half an inch long." }, { "slug": "golden-heather", "name": "Golden Heather", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Bright yellow flowers about a third of an inch across open from May into July, each on its own slender stalk near the branch tips. The small capsules ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "golden-st-johns-wort", "name": "Golden St. John's-wort", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Golden yellow flowers 1 to 1.75 inches across open in June and July, alone or a few together at the branch tips. The reddish-brown capsules ripen in September and hang on well into winter, and songbirds eat some of the seed." }, { "slug": "granite-gooseberry", "name": "Granite Gooseberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers hang singly or in clusters of up to four from March to May, with white sepals and long stamens. The berry ripens in June and July, greenish to reddish purple, a third to half an inch across, smooth or glandular-hairy." }, { "slug": "gray-birch", "name": "Gray Birch", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Yellowish male catkins hang from the twig tips in April and May, while the small female catkins stand upright. The slender cones ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "gray-dogwood", "name": "Gray Dogwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of white flowers open from late May into June. The white berries are about a quarter inch across and ripen from August into October on bright red stalks that stay on through winter." }, { "slug": "green-hawthorn", "name": "Green Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of white flowers about half an inch across open in April and May. The fruit, a quarter to a third of an inch across, turns bright red or orange-red in September and October and often hangs on well into winter." }, { "slug": "gum-bumelia", "name": "Gum Bumelia", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small, fragrant white flowers open in June and July. The fruit, a shiny black berry up to half an inch long, ripens in September and October and hangs on into winter." }, { "slug": "hairy-blueberry", "name": "Hairy Blueberry", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Short clusters of white bells tinged with pink open in early summer, hairy outside, each about a third of an inch long. Fruit months as hillside blueberry (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "hairy-laurel", "name": "Hairy Laurel", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Pink saucers about half an inch across open singly or a few together along the stems from May into July. Fruit months as sand myrtle (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "harbison-hawthorn", "name": "Harbison's Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of five to twelve white flowers, each three quarters of an inch to an inch across, open in early May. The haws ripen orange-red to red from September into November, downy and about half an inch to nearly an inch across." }, { "slug": "hercules-club", "name": "Hercules' Club", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Small yellow-green flowers open in April and May in large clusters at the branch tips, and male and female flowers grow on separate trees. On female trees the seed pods ripen from July to September, splitting to show shiny black seeds that birds and small mammals eat." }, { "slug": "hillside-blueberry", "name": "Hillside Blueberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Greenish white to pink bells hang in tight clusters from March to May. The sweet berries, dull blue to black and a quarter to half an inch across, ripen from June into August." }, { "slug": "hobblebush", "name": "Hobblebush", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat heads 3 to 5 inches across open in May and June, with a ring of showy sterile flowers around small fertile ones. The fruits ripen from red to purple-black in August and September, each a third of an inch long." }, { "slug": "honeycup", "name": "Honeycup", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The bells open in May and June, each up to half an inch wide, in short clusters along bare stems. The five-valved capsules ripen in September and October, each holding 40 to 200 tiny seeds." }, { "slug": "hop-hornbeam", "name": "Hop Hornbeam", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nutlets", "pollen": null, "note": "Male catkins hang on the twigs all winter. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Ostrya chapter: flowering Mar–Jun: Both flowers mature and open in March and April in the South and May and June in the North (Brown and Kirkman 1990; Metzger 1990). | fruit Aug–Oct: The fruits ripen from the end of August in Michigan to October in the South." }, { "slug": "hortulan-plum", "name": "Hortulan Plum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers up to an inch across open in clusters of two to four in April and May, before or as the leaves emerge. The plums ripen in August and September, about an inch across, red to yellow with small white dots and little bloom." }, { "slug": "indigobush", "name": "Indigobush (False Indigo)", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "The purple spikes run 3 to 6 inches long and open in June, and the small warty pods that follow are under half an inch long, each holding a single seed. Bees article: May and June. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Amorpha chapter: fruit Aug: A. fruticosa May-June Aug Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "inkberry", "name": "Inkberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, greenish white flowers open in May and June, earlier in the far South and later in New England. On female plants, shiny black berries about a quarter inch across ripen from September into November. They hang on through winter into early spring." }, { "slug": "kentucky-coffeetree", "name": "Kentucky Coffeetree", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "The pods are thick and woody, 5 to 10 inches long, with 4 to 8 dark seeds about three quarters of an inch long, and they hang on unopened until late winter. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Gymnocladus chapter: flowering May–Jun: Flowering and fruiting. The greenish white, dioecious flowers appear in May and June (after the leaves) and are borne in terminal racemose clusters. | fruit Sep–Oct: The fruit is a tardily dehiscent, flat, thick, woody legume (pod) that ripens in September or October and usually persists unopened on the tree until late winter or early spring (Van Dersal 1939)." }, { "slug": "lanceleaf-buckthorn", "name": "Lanceleaf Buckthorn", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": null, "fruit_last": null, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish yellow flowers open from April to June in clusters of two to four along the twigs, and small bees and flies carry their pollen." }, { "slug": "laurel-oak", "name": "Laurel Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in March, and the acorns ripen in October and November of the following year." }, { "slug": "leadplant", "name": "Leadplant", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "A grown plant can carry up to 30 flowering stems and 3,000 flowers in late June and July. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Amorpha chapter: fruit Aug–Sep: A. canescens June-late July Aug-Sept Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "little-walnut", "name": "Little Walnut", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and the nuts ripen from August to October." }, { "slug": "littlehip-hawthorn", "name": "Littlehip Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Dense, flat-topped clusters of 20 to 30 white flowers, each about a third of an inch across, open in April, from March to May across its range. The fruit is a small, bright red, oblong haw about a quarter inch long, ripe in September and October." }, { "slug": "littleleaf-buckbrush", "name": "Littleleaf Buckbrush", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Small clusters of white flowers open from March to June, their sepals, petals and nectar disk all white. Fruit months as New Jersey tea (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "live-oak", "name": "Live Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May as the new leaves come out, and the acorns ripen the same year, maturing in September and falling before December." }, { "slug": "lloyd-st-johns-wort", "name": "Lloyd's St. John's-wort", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 9, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Small clusters of golden yellow flowers, a third to half an inch across, open at the branch tips from June into September. Tiny capsules follow from June into October." }, { "slug": "loblolly-bay", "name": "Loblolly Bay", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 9, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open a few at a time from June into September, white and 2 to 3 inches across, each lasting a day or two. The woody capsules turn brown and split in September and October, and the last are open by mid-December." }, { "slug": "long-stalked-holly", "name": "Long-stalked Holly", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, pale yellow-green flowers open in May and June, a few together along the twigs. On female plants, shiny bright red berries a quarter to half an inch across ripen from August. Each hangs on a stalk up to an inch long, and they stay on until late winter." }, { "slug": "longleaf-pine", "name": "Longleaf Pine", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed from late February to early April, and the cones ripen in September and October of their second year. The seed falls from mid-October through November." }, { "slug": "maleberry", "name": "Maleberry", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers come in June in crowded clusters along last year's twigs, each a white bell about a quarter of an inch across. The capsules that follow are dry, ripen in September and October and stay on the twigs through winter. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: bloom spring and summer." }, { "slug": "maple-leaf-oak", "name": "Maple-leaf Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and as a red oak it ripens its acorns at the end of the second season. Collectors have gathered them from mid-September on Mount Magazine and nearby peaks, and some ripen as late as November." }, { "slug": "mapleleaf-viburnum", "name": "Mapleleaf Viburnum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of tiny white flowers, up to 3 inches across on long stalks, open from April to June. The berries ripen from red to blue-black from August to October and may hang on into winter." }, { "slug": "may-white-azalea", "name": "May White Azalea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of five to ten white funnels, about 2 inches across, open in May and June after the leaves have expanded." }, { "slug": "mayhaw", "name": "Mayhaw", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers up to an inch across open in February and March, earlier than most hawthorns, in clusters of two to four. The fruit ripens mostly in early May, which gave the tree its name, and on some trees as late as June." }, { "slug": "mexican-plum", "name": "Mexican Plum", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers open in March and April, before the leaves. The plums ripen from August into October, about an inch across and purplish red to dark blue under a gray bloom." }, { "slug": "miccosukee-gooseberry", "name": "Miccosukee Gooseberry", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 5, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Pale greenish flowers hang singly or in pairs on long stalks from late February into April, with cream sepals swept back and long stamens tipped in pink. The fruit ripens in April and May, a round berry about half an inch across, covered in gland-tipped spines." }, { "slug": "michaux-sumac", "name": "Michaux's Sumac", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Dense, upright clusters of small greenish-yellow to white flowers open at the stem tips from April into August, male and female on separate plants. On female plants, dense clusters of hairy red fruit about a quarter inch across ripen from August to October." }, { "slug": "minnie-bush", "name": "Minnie-bush", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Small nodding bells open with the new leaves from May into July, a quarter to a third of an inch long, yellowish white to greenish and flushed with red. The glandular capsules ripen from August to October." }, { "slug": "mockernut-hickory", "name": "Mockernut Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Carya chapter: flowering Apr–May: C. alba Apr-May Sept-Oct Sept-Oct | fruit Sep–Oct: C. alba Apr-May Sept-Oct Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "mountain-bush-honeysuckle", "name": "Mountain Bush-honeysuckle", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Crowded clusters of pale yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers open from June to August on the new shoots. Small, hairy seed capsules ripen from July to September." }, { "slug": "mountain-camellia", "name": "Mountain Camellia (Mountain Stewartia)", "bloom_first": 7, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Mountain camellia opens its flowers in July, when few other trees are in bloom. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox: bloom summer, fruit fall. The capsules ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "mountain-doghobble", "name": "Mountain Doghobble", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Racemes 2 to 3 inches long of waxy, white, urn-shaped flowers hang from the leaf axils from late April into June, with a pungent scent. The capsules ripen in mid to late fall." }, { "slug": "mountain-fetterbush", "name": "Mountain Fetterbush", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant white urns open in upright clusters from late March to early May, and the show lasts 4 to 6 weeks. The capsules ripen in mid to late fall." }, { "slug": "mountain-indigobush", "name": "Mountain Indigobush", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Dense spikes 4 to 7 inches long, alone or in clusters of two to four at the branch tips, open from May into July. The smooth pods ripen light brown in mid to late summer." }, { "slug": "mountain-laurel", "name": "Mountain Laurel", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open from late April into June, from buds formed the previous summer. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Kalmia chapter: fruit Sep–Oct: The fruit is a brown, 5-valved, globular dehiscent capsule about 6 mm in diameter, borne in clusters, that matures in September and October (figure 1)." }, { "slug": "mountain-maple", "name": "Mountain Maple", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish yellow flowers stand in upright spikes 3 to 6 inches long in May and June, after the leaves are grown. The paired samaras ripen from mid-September to mid-October." }, { "slug": "mountain-sweetbells", "name": "Mountain Sweetbells", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "White, urn-shaped bells about a third of an inch long hang from curved, one-sided sprays from April into June, before the leaves. The round capsules turn from green to brown from August to October, and birds eat the seeds." }, { "slug": "mountain-winterberry", "name": "Mountain Winterberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish-white flowers, a quarter inch across, open in May and June. On female trees, round fruit up to half an inch across ripens orange-red to red in September." }, { "slug": "mountain-witch-alder", "name": "Mountain Witch Alder", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "In April, as the leaves unfold, spikes 1 to 3 inches long open at the branch tips. The capsules ripen in fall and burst to fling their two seeds." }, { "slug": "myrtle-dahoon", "name": "Myrtle Dahoon", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 11, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, fragrant, greenish-white flowers open from April into June. On female trees, berries a quarter inch across ripen red, now and then orange or yellow, in late fall. They often hang on until spring, and birds eat them." }, { "slug": "myrtle-oak", "name": "Myrtle Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and the acorns take two seasons, ripening in August and September of the following year." }, { "slug": "nannyberry", "name": "Nannyberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers come in late May in flat-topped creamy clusters 3 to 4 inches across. Nannyberry's half-inch oval fruits hang in clusters and turn from green through yellow and pink to blue-black in September, sweet and edible with a single flat stone." }, { "slug": "nantucket-serviceberry", "name": "Nantucket Serviceberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flowers open in late April or May, 6 to 8 to a short upright cluster, with white, spoon-shaped petals. The berries turn dark purple-blue in June and July, three eighths of an inch across and edible, and birds take them as they ripen." }, { "slug": "netted-pawpaw", "name": "Netted Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 12, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Nodding flowers 2 to 3 inches across open from December into May, most in late winter and spring. The fruit is a yellow-green berry 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, edible, and it ripens in spring and summer." }, { "slug": "new-jersey-tea", "name": "New Jersey Tea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open from May into July in fragrant creamy panicles 2 to 5 inches long, made of blossoms an eighth of an inch across. The three-lobed capsules that follow ripen from August into early October and eject three seeds apiece." }, { "slug": "ninebark", "name": "Ninebark", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers come in late May and June in rounded white to pinkish clusters 1 to 2 inches across, like a spirea's, and they have special value to native bees and honey bees. By July they ripen into drooping clusters of reddish inflated capsules that stay on the plant until they shatter in winter, and seed-eating birds pick at them." }, { "slug": "northern-bayberry", "name": "Northern Bayberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 4, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The fruit is a round drupe under a quarter of an inch across, densely hairy under its coat of wax, carried on female plants from late summer until April. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Myrica chapter: flowering Apr–Jul: Myrica pensylvanica Apr-July Sept-Oct Covered with grayish" }, { "slug": "northern-catalpa", "name": "Northern Catalpa", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in late spring in upright clusters 4 to 8 inches tall of white bells striped orange and spotted purple, good for honey. The pods that follow run 10 to 24 inches long, turn dark brown in fall and split in spring to drop winged seeds. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Catalpa chapter: flowering May–Jun: Attractive clusters of showy, white perfect flowers with purplish and orange blotches and stripes in the throat are borne in May and June on southern and northern catalpas (Brown and Kirkman 1990; Sargent 1965). | fruit Oct: Fruits of these species ripen in October, and good crops are borne every 2 to 3 years beginning at about age 20 (Bonner and Graney 1974; Sargent 1965; Vines 1960)." }, { "slug": "pecan", "name": "Northern Pecan", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Carya chapter: flowering Mar–May: C. illinoensis Mar-May Sept-Oct Sept-Oct | fruit Sep–Oct: C. illinoensis Mar-May Sept-Oct Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "northern-pin-oak", "name": "Northern Pin Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May. The acorns take two seasons to ripen and drop from late August to early December." }, { "slug": "northern-red-oak", "name": "Northern Red Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April or May, and the acorns ripen from late August to late October of their second year." }, { "slug": "northern-white-cedar", "name": "Northern White Cedar", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed from late April to early June, and the small cones ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "nutmeg-hickory", "name": "Nutmeg Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "nuttall-oak", "name": "Nuttall Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in March and April as the leaves unfold, and the acorns ripen in September and October of their second year." }, { "slug": "oconee-azalea", "name": "Oconee Azalea", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Trusses of 6 to 11 funnel-shaped flowers open in April and May, as the new leaves unfold." }, { "slug": "odorless-bayberry", "name": "Odorless Bayberry", "bloom_first": 1, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Tiny golden-brown flowers open from January to April, packed into rounded clusters. On female plants, dark, warty fruits about a quarter inch across ripen in summer and fall, with white wax between the bumps." }, { "slug": "ogeechee-tupelo", "name": "Ogeechee Tupelo", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "fleshy fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "The small greenish flowers open from late March into May, and the males in particular pour out nectar for the bees. The red fruit, an inch to an inch and a half long and the largest of any tupelo, ripens in July and August and hangs on into December." }, { "slug": "oglethorpe-oak", "name": "Oglethorpe Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in early April, and late frost often damages the female flowers, so acorn crops are usually small. They fall in October and November and sprout at once, and birds and mammals eat them." }, { "slug": "ohio-buckeye", "name": "Ohio Buckeye", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "buckeyes", "pollen": null, "note": "Upright clusters of greenish yellow flowers, 4 to 7 inches long, open from March to May, after the leaves. The prickly husk splits in September and October to drop one to three glossy brown seeds, each with a pale eye." }, { "slug": "ouachita-indigobush", "name": "Ouachita Indigobush", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Slender spikes 4 to 8 inches long, alone or in clusters of two to four, open from April into June. Like other amorphas, it bears small pods that ripen light brown in mid to late summer." }, { "slug": "overcup-oak", "name": "Overcup Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May as the new leaves appear, and the acorns ripen in September and October and fall soon after." }, { "slug": "ozark-chinquapin", "name": "Ozark Chinquapin", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in late May and June, after the danger of frost. The nuts ripen from September into November across the chinquapins' range." }, { "slug": "ozark-witch-hazel", "name": "Ozark Witch Hazel", "bloom_first": 1, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open on bare branches from January into March, each with four crinkled, ribbon-like petals about a third of an inch long around a red cup. The woody capsules split in September and October and can throw their black seeds up to 30 feet, and turkey and grouse eat them." }, { "slug": "pagoda-dogwood", "name": "Pagoda Dogwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of fragrant, creamy white flowers open in May and June. The fruit ripens blue-black on red stalks from July into September." }, { "slug": "painted-buckeye", "name": "Painted Buckeye", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "buckeyes", "pollen": null, "note": "Flowers open in April and May, in upright clusters 4 to 8 inches long. The husk holds one to three glossy brown seeds and splits in July and August." }, { "slug": "parsley-hawthorn", "name": "Parsley Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of three to ten white flowers, half an inch to two thirds of an inch across, open in March and April. The fruit is a glossy red haw a sixth to a third of an inch long, ripe from September into November." }, { "slug": "pawpaw", "name": "Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "The maroon flowers, 1½ to 2 inches across, open in April or May before the leaves. The fruits ripen from August to October, 3 to 6 inches long and 5 to 16 ounces, the largest edible fruit native to America." }, { "slug": "pear-hawthorn", "name": "Pear Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 12 to 45 white flowers with pink or red anthers open late, in early May in the South and into mid-June in the North. The haws ripen orange-red to scarlet in September and October, oval, soft and only a quarter to a third of an inch long." }, { "slug": "piedmont-azalea", "name": "Piedmont Azalea", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 5 to 9 fragrant flowers open from March to May, as the leaves begin to unfold. Slender capsules about 1/2 inch long ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "piedmont-rhododendron", "name": "Piedmont Rhododendron", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Trusses of 5 to 10 flowers open from April to June. The capsules ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "pignut-hickory", "name": "Pignut Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Carya chapter: flowering Apr–May: C. glabra Apr-May Sept-Oct Sept-Oct | fruit Sep–Oct: C. glabra Apr-May Sept-Oct Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "pin-cherry", "name": "Pin Cherry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cherries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of white flowers open with the leaves from April into June. The cherries ripen from July to September, bright red, a quarter inch across and sour." }, { "slug": "pin-oak", "name": "Pin Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May as the leaves unfold, and the acorns ripen in their second year and fall from September to November." }, { "slug": "pinkshell-azalea", "name": "Pinkshell Azalea", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 5 to 15 flowers open in April and May, before the leaves. The capsules ripen from August to October." }, { "slug": "pinxterbloom-azalea", "name": "Pinxterbloom Azalea", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Pinxterbloom azalea flowers in April and May just before the leaves, each funnel about 1½ inches across with five long curved stamens, soft pink to white or lavender. The seed follows in slender capsules that ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "piratebush", "name": "Piratebush", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "fleshy fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish flowers open in April and May at the tips of the new shoots, the male ones in little clusters and the female ones single, with four narrow green bracts. On female plants the fruit ripens in August and September, a fleshy, one-seeded oval about an inch long, turning from green to yellow-orange with the four bracts still at its tip." }, { "slug": "plateau-live-oak", "name": "Plateau Live Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and as in every white oak the acorns ripen the same year, in September and October." }, { "slug": "plumleaf-azalea", "name": "Plumleaf Azalea", "bloom_first": 7, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of four to seven funnel-shaped flowers open in July and August, orange-red to red with long stamens." }, { "slug": "pond-cypress", "name": "Pond Cypress", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in March and April, and the round cones ripen from October to December." }, { "slug": "pond-pine", "name": "Pond Pine", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen flies in March and April, and the cones ripen about 18 months later, in September and October of the next year." }, { "slug": "pondberry", "name": "Pondberry", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of small, pale yellow flowers open on the bare stems from February to April, before the leaves. Female plants carry bright red, oval to round fruit about 0.4 inch long, ripe from late summer into October." }, { "slug": "pondspice", "name": "Pondspice", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of tiny yellow flowers open at the tips of the bare twigs in March and April, before the leaves. Its round, bright red fruit, up to 0.4 inch across, ripens from May or June and shows into fall." }, { "slug": "possumhaw", "name": "Possumhaw", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small white flowers open from March into May. On female plants, berries a quarter inch across ripen orange-red in September and hang on the bare branches until mid-March." }, { "slug": "possumhaw-viburnum", "name": "Possumhaw Viburnum", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of fragrant, creamy white flowers open from April to June. The fruit ripens from August to October, turning from green to pink to blue and purplish black, with every color in one cluster at once." }, { "slug": "post-oak", "name": "Post Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March in the South to May farther north, and the acorns ripen in a single season, dropping from September through November." }, { "slug": "prairie-crabapple", "name": "Prairie Crabapple", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "crabapples", "pollen": null, "note": "Deep pink buds open to fragrant white or pale pink flowers, about an inch and a half to two inches across, in April and May. The fruit is a hard, waxy apple about an inch across that ripens in September and October." }, { "slug": "prairie-redroot", "name": "Prairie Redroot", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Dense, rounded clusters of tiny white flowers open from April to June at the tips of the leafy shoots. In late summer the three-lobed capsules split and throw their seeds, and birds eat the seed and nest in the shrub." }, { "slug": "pygmy-fringetree", "name": "Pygmy Fringetree", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "fleshy fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Dense clusters of fragrant white flowers, each with four narrow petals about half an inch long, open in March and April. The olive-like fruit, about an inch long, ripens purplish brown in late summer and can hang on well into winter." }, { "slug": "pyramid-magnolia", "name": "Pyramid Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open in April and May, creamy white and 5 to 7 inches across. A bright red cone up to 3 inches long follows and ripens in August." }, { "slug": "rabbiteye-blueberry", "name": "Rabbiteye Blueberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White or pink bells open from March to May. The berries ripen from June into August, black or dusted blue." }, { "slug": "red-buckeye", "name": "Red Buckeye", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "buckeyes", "pollen": null, "note": "Upright clusters of tubular red flowers, 4 to 10 inches long, open in March and April in the South and in May and June farther north. The smooth, light brown husks ripen in September and October and split to drop one to three glossy seeds." }, { "slug": "red-chokeberry", "name": "Red Chokeberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of white to pale pink flowers with red anthers open in April and May. The glossy red fruit, a quarter to a third of an inch across, ripens from September to November and hangs on into January." }, { "slug": "red-elderberry", "name": "Red Elderberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The white flowers open in May and June as the leaves unfold, in dome-shaped clusters. The fruit follows in upright clusters of dark red drupes with 2 to 4 seeds apiece, ripe from late June into August." }, { "slug": "red-hickory", "name": "Red Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "red-hills-azalea", "name": "Red Hills Azalea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Shortened clusters of 8 to 10 flowers open in early to mid May, after the leaves have expanded." }, { "slug": "red-mulberry", "name": "Red Mulberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "The fruit is a blackberry-like cluster 1 to 1¼ inches long, reddish then dark purple, ripe from June into August, and most birds, opossums, raccoons and squirrels favor it. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Morus chapter: flowering Apr–May: E US Apr-May June-Aug" }, { "slug": "red-osier-dogwood", "name": "Red Osier Dogwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of small creamy white flowers, about 2 inches across, open in May and June, and often again in late summer. Round white berries a quarter to a third of an inch across ripen from July into October, on stalks that turn maroon." }, { "slug": "red-spruce", "name": "Red Spruce", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in late April and May, and the cones ripen from mid-September to mid-October." }, { "slug": "redbay", "name": "Redbay", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of pale yellow flowers open from April into June. The dark blue fruit, about half an inch long, ripens from August into October and can hang on into winter." }, { "slug": "rhodora", "name": "Rhodora", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 3 to 9 rose-purple flowers, rarely white, open on bare twigs before the leaves, from April and May in the south of its range to mid June in the north and on mountains. The capsules split in late summer and fall, and the wind scatters the dust-fine seed." }, { "slug": "river-birch", "name": "River Birch", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Catkins open in early spring, and the seed ripens and falls in May and June." }, { "slug": "rock-elm", "name": "Rock Elm", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open from March to May, about two weeks before the leaves, and the hairy samaras ripen in May or June." }, { "slug": "rosebay-rhododendron", "name": "Rosebay Rhododendron", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Trusses of pink to white flowers about 2 inches across open from late May in the south to August in the north, and only twigs in full sunlight flower. Bees article: June to August. The capsules ripen in September and October and shed their seed in November." }, { "slug": "roughleaf-dogwood", "name": "Roughleaf Dogwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of creamy white flowers, 2 to 4 inches across, open in May and June. The white berries, a quarter inch across, ripen from August to October on red stalks." }, { "slug": "roundleaf-dogwood", "name": "Roundleaf Dogwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of small, creamy white flowers about 2 inches across open from May into July. Pale blue berries about a quarter inch across ripen from late August into October, on stalks that turn red." }, { "slug": "roundleaf-serviceberry", "name": "Roundleaf Serviceberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Drooping clusters of usually 7 to 10 white flowers with long, narrow petals open as the leaves unfold, from late March in the south to June in the north. The fruit is under half an inch across, dark purple to nearly black, juicy and sweet, and it ripens from late May in the south to August or September in the north." }, { "slug": "runner-oak", "name": "Runner Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in March and April. Unlike most red oaks, it ripens its acorns in a single season, by fall." }, { "slug": "rusty-blackhaw", "name": "Rusty Blackhaw", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Rounded clusters of small white flowers up to 5 inches across open from March in the South to May in the North. The fruit ripens dark blue in September and October, an oval about three eighths of an inch long, sweet and mealy." }, { "slug": "sand-cherry", "name": "Sand Cherry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cherries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of two to five white flowers, about half an inch across, open from April into June with the young leaves. The cherries ripen from late July into September, purple-black and a third to half an inch across." }, { "slug": "sand-hickory", "name": "Sand Hickory", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in March and April, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "sand-myrtle", "name": "Sand Myrtle", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Crowded clusters of 6 to 8 small flowers open at the branch tips from late March into June, rosy pink in the bud and white when open. The small capsules ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "sand-pine", "name": "Sand Pine", "bloom_first": 11, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in winter, from November in south Florida to March in the Panhandle. The cones ripen in September of their second year, and those of the Choctawhatchee race shed their seed from September through November." }, { "slug": "sand-post-oak", "name": "Sand Post Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May. The acorns run about a half inch to an inch long and ripen from September to November, and turkeys and other game birds, songbirds and small mammals eat them." }, { "slug": "sandhill-oak", "name": "Sandhill Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, one to two weeks after myrtle oak. The acorns take two seasons and ripen in the fall of the second year." }, { "slug": "sarvis-holly", "name": "Sarvis Holly", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 4, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, fragrant, greenish-white flowers open in April and May in clusters along the twigs. On female trees, pea-sized berries ripen a dull, velvety rose red from late summer into fall, and they can last into the next spring." }, { "slug": "sassafras", "name": "Sassafras", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Sassafras chapter: flowering Mar–Apr: Flowering and fruiting. The dioecious, greenish yellow flowers, 12 mm in length, are borne in 5-cm-long axillary racemes in March and April as the leaves appear. | fruit Jun–Sep: The fruits mature from June to September, depending on latitude, and are dispersed within a month." }, { "slug": "scentless-mock-orange", "name": "Scentless Mock Orange", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers 1 to 2 inches across open in April and May, alone or in threes at the ends of short shoots, each with four petals and 60 to 90 stamens. Dry, four-parted capsules about half an inch long follow and split open from June into August." }, { "slug": "schwerin-indigobush", "name": "Schwerin's Indigobush", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "One or two spikes up to 6 inches long top the strongest shoots from April into June. The hairy pods, about a quarter inch long and each holding one seed, ripen from June into October." }, { "slug": "scrub-hickory", "name": "Scrub Hickory", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in early spring, and the nuts ripen in fall." }, { "slug": "scrub-plum", "name": "Scrub Plum", "bloom_first": 1, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 3, "fruit_last": 5, "kind": "plums", "pollen": null, "note": "Small white flowers with yellow stamens open on bare twigs from late January into March, before the leaves. The fruit is a small plum half an inch to an inch long that ripens dull red to soft reddish purple from March into May." }, { "slug": "seaside-alder", "name": "Seaside Alder", "bloom_first": 8, "bloom_last": 9, "fruit_first": 12, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Its catkins open in August and September, after every other native alder has finished. The small woody cones take about a year to ripen, and the seed falls from December to March (Graves and Schrader)." }, { "slug": "september-elm", "name": "September Elm", "bloom_first": 9, "bloom_last": 9, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open in September, in slender hanging clusters, and the samaras ripen in late October or early November." }, { "slug": "shadblow-serviceberry", "name": "Shadblow Serviceberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers open from March to May in erect clusters, before the leaves are half unfolded. The berries turn from green to red to purplish black between May and July, sweet and juicy, a quarter to three eighths of an inch across." }, { "slug": "shagbark-hickory", "name": "Shagbark Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Woody Plant Seed Manual, Carya chapter: flowering Apr–Jun: C. ovata Apr-June Sept-Oct Sept-Oct | fruit Sep–Oct: C. ovata Apr-June Sept-Oct Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "shellbark-hickory", "name": "Shellbark Hickory (Kingnut)", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "Male and female flowers share a tree, opening after the leaves in April and May; a second shellbark nearby gives a bigger crop of better nuts. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Carya chapter: fruit Sep–Nov: C. laciniosa Apr-June Sept-Nov Sept-Oct" }, { "slug": "shingle-oak", "name": "Shingle Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May, and the acorns ripen in September and October of their second year." }, { "slug": "shining-indigobush", "name": "Shining Indigobush", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Erect spikes 2 to 10 inches long open from April into June. The smooth pods, about a quarter inch long with a single seed, ripen from June into August." }, { "slug": "shumard-oak", "name": "Shumard Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in March and April, and the acorns ripen and fall in September and October of their second year." }, { "slug": "silky-camellia", "name": "Silky Camellia", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Silky camellia flowers in May and June, sometimes from late March into August. The round, woody capsule, about half an inch long, ripens in early fall, and birds and small mammals spread the shiny brown seeds." }, { "slug": "silky-dogwood", "name": "Silky Dogwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of tiny creamy flowers up to 2½ inches across open in May and June, and the quarter-inch fruit turns from white to blue as it ripens in August and September." }, { "slug": "silverleaf-hydrangea", "name": "Silverleaf Hydrangea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Domed heads 3 to 6 inches across open from May into July. Dry, ribbed capsules follow in October and November and hold seed as fine as dust." }, { "slug": "slimleaf-pawpaw", "name": "Slimleaf Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Nodding white or cream flowers 1 1/4 to 3 inches long open from April into July, and into fall where the plants have been disturbed. The fruit is a yellow-green berry up to 4 inches long, ripe from summer into fall." }, { "slug": "smooth-alder", "name": "Smooth Alder (Swamp Alder)", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Male catkins 1½ to 2½ inches long and half-inch red female catkins open in March and April. The female catkins ripen into inch-long cones that turn dark brown in fall and hang on through winter, and birds feed on the seed." }, { "slug": "smooth-winterberry", "name": "Smooth Winterberry", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small white flowers open from April in the South into June in the North. On female plants, orange-red berries about a third of an inch across ripen in September and October and hang on into February." }, { "slug": "smooth-bark-st-johns-wort", "name": "Smooth-bark St. John's-wort", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 10, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Bright yellow flowers half an inch to three quarters of an inch across open from May until frost, each with about 200 stamens. Fruit months as golden St. John's-wort (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "softleaf-arrowwood", "name": "Softleaf Arrowwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat clusters of small white flowers, 2 to 4 inches across on long stalks, open in May and June. The fruit ripens from July into September, a flattened, oval, blue-black drupe up to half an inch long." }, { "slug": "sourwood", "name": "Sourwood", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The white bell flowers hang in drooping sprays 4 to 8 inches long from late June into August, and bees make a rich, sought-after honey from the nectar. The capsules, a quarter to a half inch long, ripen in September and October and shed tiny seed all winter." }, { "slug": "southern-bush-honeysuckle", "name": "Southern Bush-honeysuckle", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Crowded clusters of sulfur-yellow, trumpet-shaped flowers, each about half an inch long, open on the new shoots from June to August. Small brown capsules follow and show from August to October." }, { "slug": "southern-catalpa", "name": "Southern Catalpa", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Upright clusters of bell-shaped flowers, each about 1.5 inches across, open in May and June. The slender pods, up to 15 inches long, ripen from October into December and hang on through winter, splitting in spring to drop papery, winged seeds." }, { "slug": "southern-crabapple", "name": "Southern Crabapple", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "crabapples", "pollen": null, "note": "Pink flowers about an inch across open from March into May and carry a strong scent of violets. The fruit is a sour, yellow-green apple three quarters of an inch to an inch across on a long stalk, ripe in August and September." }, { "slug": "southern-magnolia", "name": "Southern Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Creamy white flowers 8 to 12 inches across open from April to June, with a few more through the summer. The cone-like fruit ripens from September into late fall, and its red seeds hang on silky threads before they drop." }, { "slug": "southern-pawpaw", "name": "Southern Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Maroon flowers, sometimes mixed with white or green, open from March into June." }, { "slug": "southern-red-oak", "name": "Southern Red Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May, and the acorns ripen in September and October of their second season." }, { "slug": "southern-shagbark-hickory", "name": "Southern Shagbark Hickory", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to May, and the nuts ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "spicebush", "name": "Spicebush", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Spicebush blooms before its leaves, in March, when clusters of tiny, fragrant, greenish-yellow flowers open along the bare twigs and male plants carry the larger, showier ones. The glossy red drupes, up to a half inch long, ripen in August and September, and songbirds take them during fall migration. Bees article: March and April." }, { "slug": "spruce-pine", "name": "Spruce Pine", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 10, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in February and March, and the small cones ripen in October of their second year. Seed falls in October and November." }, { "slug": "squashberry", "name": "Squashberry", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, rounded clusters of white flowers, about an inch across, open from May into July. The fruit ripens red from August into October, a juicy drupe a quarter to half an inch across with one seed." }, { "slug": "staggerbush", "name": "Staggerbush", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Nodding clusters of white or pinkish bells, a third to half an inch long, open from April into June on the leafless ends of last year's shoots. The oval capsules ripen in September and October." }, { "slug": "staghorn-sumac", "name": "Staghorn Sumac", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Panicles of tiny greenish-white flowers 4 to 8 inches long open from May to July on separate male and female plants, and a colony generally sets at least some seed every year. The fruit is a cone of tiny drupes covered in red hairs that ripens by September and hangs on through winter, when pheasant, quail and turkey eat it." }, { "slug": "strawberry-bush", "name": "Strawberry Bush", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Small flowers with five greenish yellow petals and purple stamens, a third of an inch across, open in May and June. The warty capsules, up to three quarters of an inch across, ripen in September and October and split to show orange-red seeds." }, { "slug": "streambank-mock-orange", "name": "Streambank Mock Orange", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers about an inch across open from April into June, one to three together on short side shoots. Small, dry capsules about a quarter inch long follow and split open from June into August." }, { "slug": "striped-maple", "name": "Striped Maple", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "Yellow-green bells, a quarter inch across, hang in strings 4 to 6 inches long in May and June, after the leaves are nearly grown. The winged seeds ripen in September and October and fall through November." }, { "slug": "sugarberry", "name": "Sugarberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 1, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish flowers open with the new leaves, from March to May depending on latitude. The fruit, a quarter to half an inch across, ripens orange-red to deep purple in September and October and often hangs on until midwinter." }, { "slug": "swamp-azalea", "name": "Swamp Azalea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 4 to 9 white or pale pink flowers open from May to July, after the leaves, one of the last native azaleas to flower. The capsules follow from July to October." }, { "slug": "swamp-chestnut-oak", "name": "Swamp Chestnut Oak, select line", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May as the leaves unfold, and the acorns ripen and fall in September and October." }, { "slug": "swamp-cottonwood", "name": "Swamp Cottonwood", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 7, "kind": "cottony seed", "pollen": null, "note": "Catkins open from March to May, before the leaves. From April into July, female trees shed tiny seeds on tufts of cotton that ride the wind and float on floodwater." }, { "slug": "swamp-doghobble", "name": "Swamp Doghobble", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant white bells about a third of an inch long hang in sprays up to 4 inches long from April into June, and bees and butterflies work them. The flowers give way to five-parted light brown capsules that ripen in September and October. In fall the leaves turn red, orange and yellow." }, { "slug": "swamp-privet", "name": "Swamp Privet", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "fleshy fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Yellow flower clusters open along the bare branches in late March and April, before the leaves. Female trees ripen purple, olive-like fruit half an inch to an inch long in June." }, { "slug": "swamp-tupelo", "name": "Swamp Tupelo", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish flowers open with the leaves from April into June, and bees are their main pollinators. The dark blue fruit, about half an inch long, ripens from August to October and falls through December." }, { "slug": "swamp-white-oak", "name": "Swamp White Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from April to June as the leaves open, and the acorns ripen the same year, falling in September and October." }, { "slug": "sweet-azalea", "name": "Sweet Azalea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 3 to 7 white or pale pink flowers open from May to July. The egg-shaped capsules, about 3/4 inch long, follow from July to October." }, { "slug": "sweet-birch", "name": "Sweet Birch (Black Birch)", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Flowers open in April and May, and a bearing tree drops a large seed crop every 1 or 2 years. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Betula chapter: fruit Aug–Sep: B. lenta Mid-range Apr-May Aug-Sept Sept-Nov" }, { "slug": "sweet-pepperbush", "name": "Sweet Pepperbush (Summersweet)", "bloom_first": 7, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Few native shrubs bloom as late as sweet pepperbush, whose fragrant white spikes 3 to 6 inches long open on the current season's growth from July into August. Dry brown capsules an eighth of an inch across ripen in September and October and hang on through winter. Birds pick out the seed." }, { "slug": "sweetbay-magnolia", "name": "Sweetbay Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Creamy white flowers 2 to 3 inches across open from April into July. The fruit is a cone 1 to 2 inches long that splits in late summer to dangle scarlet seeds on threads for gray squirrels, turkeys, quail and songbirds." }, { "slug": "sweetleaf", "name": "Sweetleaf", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "dry fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "Fragrant clusters of 6 to 14 cream to pale yellow flowers, fluffy with stamens, open along last year's twigs from March into May, before the new leaves. The dry, orange-brown fruit, about half an inch long, ripens in August and September." }, { "slug": "sweetshrub", "name": "Sweetshrub", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Maroon to reddish-brown flowers about 2 inches across open from April into May, and a few more follow into July. The leathery, urn-shaped pods ripen in September and October and hang on through winter." }, { "slug": "table-mountain-pine", "name": "Table Mountain Pine", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed from late March through April, and the cones ripen in September and October of their second year." }, { "slug": "tamarack", "name": "Tamarack", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": true, "note": "Pollen is shed in late April and early May as the new needles appear, and the cones ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "texas-red-oak", "name": "Texas Red Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from March to June. The acorns take two seasons to ripen, as in every red oak, and are ready in the fall of the second year." }, { "slug": "three-flower-hawthorn", "name": "Three-flower Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers about an inch across, with many yellow stamens, open from late April into early May, and in Louisiana as early as March. The fruit is a round red haw about half an inch across, ripe from September into November, with juicy orange flesh." }, { "slug": "titi", "name": "Titi", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "They open from May into July, sometimes again in September or October. The tiny capsules ripen from late August into early October. They hang on into winter. Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit." }, { "slug": "tough-bully", "name": "Tough Bully", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of up to 40 tiny, fragrant white flowers open in May and June, and bees, wasps, flies and butterflies swarm to them. The fruit ripens purplish black in late summer and fall, a third to half an inch long and sweet." }, { "slug": "toughleaf-dogwood", "name": "Toughleaf Dogwood", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small white flowers open from April into June in clusters 1 to 2 inches across. Pale blue to whitish blue berries about a quarter inch across ripen in August and September, on stalks that turn maroon." }, { "slug": "turkey-oak", "name": "Turkey Oak", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April or late spring, and the acorns take two seasons to ripen, ready in September and October of the second year." }, { "slug": "two-wing-silverbell", "name": "Two-wing Silverbell", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "winged fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open from March to May, a week or two after Carolina silverbell's, in clusters of three to six. The dry fruit, an inch and a half to 2 inches long with two broad wings, ripens in late summer and fall, and some hangs on into winter." }, { "slug": "umbrella-magnolia", "name": "Umbrella Magnolia", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers open in April and May as the leaves unfold, creamy white and 6 to 10 inches across. A cone-like fruit 4 to 6 inches long follows, green turning rose-red, and splits in August and September to show red seeds." }, { "slug": "upland-swamp-privet", "name": "Upland Swamp Privet", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 8, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Tiny yellowish flowers without petals open from June to August, after the leaves are out. The blue-black fruit ripens in early fall, and it is shorter and plumper than the fruit of our swamp privet." }, { "slug": "virginia-spiraea", "name": "Virginia Spiraea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Rounded or flat clusters of tiny cream-white flowers, 1 to 3 inches across and sometimes up to 8, open from late May into July. Small, shiny seed pods ripen in August and September." }, { "slug": "virginia-sweetspire", "name": "Virginia Sweetspire", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "The flowers are the show: fragrant white spikes 3 to 6 inches long that droop from the branch tips in late May and June, worked by butterflies and other pollinators. The fruit is a small brown capsule of dust-fine seed that ripens from August to October and hangs on through the winter, and songbirds pick at the seed." }, { "slug": "walter-viburnum", "name": "Walter's Viburnum", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Domed clusters of small white flowers, about 2 inches across, open from February to April as the new leaves unfold. The quarter-inch fruit ripens from red to shiny black from late summer into fall, and birds eat it in quantity." }, { "slug": "washington-hawthorn", "name": "Washington Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "Bloom comes in June, late enough to miss frost. The glossy red fruit, about a quarter inch across, colors in September and hangs on through winter, when cedar waxwings, quail, turkeys and small mammals eat it." }, { "slug": "water-elm", "name": "Water Elm", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 5, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "The small green flowers open with the leaves from March into May, and the warty fruit ripens in spring." }, { "slug": "water-hickory", "name": "Water Hickory", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 11, "kind": "nuts", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers in April and May as the leaves unfold. The nuts ripen from September to November and fall by December." }, { "slug": "water-locust", "name": "Water Locust", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Greenish white flowers open in slender clusters about 2 inches long from April into June. The pods ripen from August into October and fall through December." }, { "slug": "water-tupelo", "name": "Water Tupelo", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 12, "kind": "fleshy fruit", "pollen": null, "note": "The small greenish flowers open in March and April, before or with the leaves. The oblong fruit, dark purple with pale dots and up to an inch and a half long, ripens in September and October and falls through December." }, { "slug": "weeping-hawthorn", "name": "Weeping Hawthorn", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers a little over half an inch across open in March and April, one to three together. The haws ripen in July and August, about a third of an inch across, yellow, yellow blushed red or red." }, { "slug": "western-mayhaw", "name": "Western Mayhaw", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 3, "fruit_first": 5, "fruit_last": 6, "kind": "haws", "pollen": null, "note": "White flowers open in February and March, before or with the new leaves, in small clusters. The fruit ripens in May and June, red or sometimes yellow, about half an inch across, fragrant and juicy." }, { "slug": "white-fringetree", "name": "White Fringetree", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Fleecy clusters of fragrant, strap-like white flowers 4 to 8 inches long open in May, and male trees carry the showier flowers. Only the females set the olive-like fruit, about a half inch long, which ripens dark bluish black from July to September." }, { "slug": "white-oak", "name": "White Oak", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from late March to late May as the leaves open, and the acorns ripen in a single season, dropping in September and October." }, { "slug": "white-wicky", "name": "White Wicky", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Clusters of 3 to 10 cup-shaped flowers open from late May to mid June near the tips of last year's shoots. Fruit months as Carolina bog laurel (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "wild-black-currant", "name": "Wild Black Currant", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Drooping clusters of 6 to 15 yellow-green to greenish white flowers open from April to June. The glossy black berries ripen from July into September, a quarter to half an inch across and full of tiny seeds." }, { "slug": "wild-hydrangea", "name": "Wild Hydrangea", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Flat to domed heads 2 to 8 inches across open from May into July, with scattered blooms into September. Small, ribbed brown capsules ripen from July into September, and the dried heads stand through winter." }, { "slug": "willow-oak", "name": "Willow Oak", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "acorns", "pollen": null, "note": "It flowers from February to May, about a week before the leaves open, and the acorns ripen from August to October of their second year." }, { "slug": "winged-elm", "name": "Winged Elm", "bloom_first": 2, "bloom_last": 4, "fruit_first": 4, "fruit_last": 5, "kind": "winged seeds", "pollen": null, "note": "The small reddish flowers open from February into April, before the leaves. The hairy samaras, about a third of an inch long, ripen and fall in April and May." }, { "slug": "winterberry", "name": "Winterberry Holly", "bloom_first": 6, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 3, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small greenish-white flowers open in the leaf axils in June and July, and one male within 50 feet pollinates a group of females. The berries ripen from August into fall and hang on the bare stems through the winter and often into early spring." }, { "slug": "witch-hazel", "name": "Witch Hazel", "bloom_first": 10, "bloom_last": 12, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Witch hazel flowers in late fall, from October into December, with fragrant yellow blooms of four crinkled, ribbon-like petals a half to three quarters of an inch long. The woody capsules ripen the next fall and burst to fling two shiny black seeds 10 to 20 feet, rarely 40." }, { "slug": "woolly-beach-heather", "name": "Woolly Beach Heather", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 7, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "capsules", "pollen": null, "note": "Bright yellow flowers about a quarter inch across crowd the tips of short side branches from May into July. Each flower opens in the morning, and its petals fall the same day. The tiny capsules ripen from July into September and shed their seed quickly." }, { "slug": "woolly-huckleberry", "name": "Woolly Huckleberry", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 7, "fruit_last": 8, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "White or pinkish bells hang four to eight together from March into May. Fruit months as black huckleberry (the same genus, growth form and size; borrowed 2026-10-20)." }, { "slug": "woolly-pawpaw", "name": "Woolly Pawpaw", "bloom_first": 3, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 6, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pawpaws", "pollen": null, "note": "Creamy white flowers open from March into June, one to four together along last year's twigs. The fruit is a cylindrical berry up to 3 inches long that turns from light green to dark brown as it ripens, from summer into fall." }, { "slug": "yaupon", "name": "Yaupon", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 2, "kind": "berries", "pollen": null, "note": "Small, fragrant greenish-white flowers open in April and May. On female trees, shiny red berries a quarter inch across ripen in September and October and hang on into winter. Birds usually eat them only late in winter, after freezes and thaws." }, { "slug": "yellow-anise", "name": "Yellow Anise", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "Nodding, cup-shaped, pale yellow flowers about half an inch wide open in May and June, with a faint, pleasant scent. The star-shaped pods, about an inch across, ripen from late summer into October and fling their seeds when they split." }, { "slug": "yellow-birch", "name": "Yellow Birch", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 10, "kind": "cones", "pollen": null, "note": "Slender male catkins hang from the twig tips in April and May, while the small upright female catkins open with the leaves. Plump, hairy cones ripen from August to October." }, { "slug": "yellow-buckeye", "name": "Yellow Buckeye", "bloom_first": 4, "bloom_last": 6, "fruit_first": 9, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "buckeyes", "pollen": null, "note": "Upright clusters of yellow flowers, 6 to 7 inches long, open from April to June. The smooth, leathery husk, 2 to 3 inches long, drops one to three glossy brown seeds with a pale eye in September." }, { "slug": "yellowwood", "name": "Yellowwood", "bloom_first": 5, "bloom_last": 5, "fruit_first": 8, "fruit_last": 9, "kind": "pods", "pollen": null, "note": "In May the tree hangs out fragrant white pea flowers in wisteria-like clusters 8 to 14 inches long, and flat papery pods 2½ to 4 inches long follow, each holding four to six seeds. Woody Plant Seed Manual, Cladrastis chapter: fruit Aug–Sep: the fruit ripens in August or September of the same year." } ] }