Oxydendrum arboreum / Sourwood
Family: Ericaceae
Native: Eastern and Southern United States
Mature Size: 50-60ft height; 10-25ft spread
Habitat: acidic, moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in full sun
Hardiness Zone: 5-9
Leaf Color: glossy green leaves; crimson red in the fall
Flower color/Bloom time: white; June to July
Enclosure:
The Sourwood tree has a short, straight, slender trunk before branching off into a crooked irregularity. The irregular branches are strong and thick and create unique opportunities to support treehouse structures, with various angles of branches in all directions. Large structures may be supported at the intersection of large, lower branches on the Sourwood tree. Additionally, large branches will grow not far from the ground, making any structure in the tree relatively accessible. The accessibility is helped by the irregularities of the branches, as they can create a natural circulation ladder through the tree, depending on the configuration.
Treehouse Structure Precedents:
Simple Decking. The decking situated on the branches of a Northern Catalpa would be simple in structure as shown below, but would be smaller in area and located next to the central trunk rather than surround it completely. This would be built using the Tadashi Kawamata method.
Photo Source
Sources:
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=OXAR
Missouri Botanical Garden http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a887
North Carolina Plant Toolbox https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxydendrum-arboreum/
Plants for a Future https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Oxydendrum+arboreum
American Conifer Society https://conifersociety.org/search/?snaptcha=6qOPmklyV3gV63MZLUzeaZC4xq68oLxBkAVt&q=Oxydendrum+arboreum
USDA Plants Database https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=OXAR















