Dirca palustris (Eastern leatherwood)

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Dirca palustris L.

Eastern leatherwood, leatherwood

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Malvales	Includes cacao, balsa, lime, linden, basswood, daphnes, hibiscus, hollyhocks, okra, baobab, cotton, kapok, and many others
Family	Thymelaeaceae	Trees and perennial shrubs with fibrous bark, mostly tropical, mostly African
Genus	Dirca	From Greek dirke, “a fountain,” specifically a fountain northwest of Thebes in Boeotia, referring to its moist habitat
Species	palustris	“Growing in marshes”

About plant names...

Eastern leatherwood is native to the eastern United States. It prefers rich, moist deciduous woods.

Plants: Deciduous, 3-6' (91-182 cm) tall, with a single or few trunks and a branching pattern that looks a little like a candleabrum. Branches are extremely flexible, and difficult to break.

Leaves: Alternate, oval to elliptic, with very short leaf stalks (petioles), 1¾-3 ⨉ ⅞-2½" (5-8 ⨉ 2.5-7 cm). They are hairy when young, hairless when mature. Leaves are yellow in the fall.

Flowers: Flowers are yellow, shaped like narrow bells, hanging in small clusters. Flowers emerge from leaf axils or branch tips. 8 orange-tipped stamens hang well below each flower, along with a longer style. Flowers appear from March to April.

Fruits: A drupe that changes from pale green to red or purplish-red. They are oval-shaped, up to ½" (1.3 cm) long.

Edibility: Poisonous Skull & Crossbones Leaves and branches contain calcium oxalate, a poison and possible skin irritant.

Branches of leatherwood (Dirca palustris), with flowers, fruit and leaves.

Online References:

Www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org

Missouriplants.com

The North Carolina Native Plant Society

Www.carolinanature.com

The New England Wildflower Society’s GoBotany site

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 14 × 21" (34 × 52 cm)

4/23/2016 · Big Tree/Porcupine Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Massachusetts

4/29/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.4 × 10 cm)

Dirca decipiens Floden

Dirca mexicana G.L. Nesom & Mayfield

Dirca palustris description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Sep 2023.

4/23/2016 · Big Tree/Porcupine Trail, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, Massachusetts

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm)

4/29/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 4 × 4" (10 × 10 cm)

6/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 31" (52 × 78 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 14 × 21" (34 × 52 cm)

9/14/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 21 × 14" (52 × 34 cm)

Range:

About this map...