THE FOLKLORE OF PLANTS: Sourwood

Lisa Karen Miller

“Most honey is made by bees. Sourwood is made by bees and angels.”

Carson Brewer

          Bees are faultless botanists.  They instinctively seek out plants with the best nectar, and the sourwood tree doesn’t disappoint.

          All sourwood honey is reckoned to be delicious by connoisseurs, but every ten years or so comes along a batch that is rare. Its taste is buttery, with a hint of caramel and gingerbread. Among mountain dwellers, it is like manna from heaven.

          Oxydendrum arboretum (meaning sharp or acidic tree) grows from Pennsylvania to the Florida panhandle, right along the Appalachian chain. The Cherokee used its wood to make spoons, combs, sled runners (the curved trunk was excellent for this purpose), arrow shafts, and pipe stems. They also used an infusion to treat indigestion, nervousness, and asthma.

          Chewing the leaves quenched thirst, and a decoction of bark and leaves treated kidney and bladder issues. The fragrant flowers, whose scent makes the tree a bee magnet, were used to make jelly. Appalachians gathered the scarlet leaves in the fall, when they were “filled with sun power” and mixed them with anvil dust to cure dropsy.  The leaves also yield a black dye.

          Some say it is bad luck to burn sourwood for fuel.  At the very least it will bring on bad weather or trouble in the family. If a sourwood limb cut the exact height of an asthmatic child was cut and put under the doorstep, when the child outgrew the stick, his asthma would be cured.

          The flowers are called Angel Fingers, and the tree is sometimes known as Sorrel Tree, or Lily of the Valley tree, as its blooms are similar. It has a long blossom time, and you can witness a host of bees sipping in a sourwood grove, even in a rainstorm.

          In the hot summer days of hay making, a concoction called switchell was made with half of cup each of sourwood honey and cider vinegar. Four teaspoons were added to a glass of water for a nourishing and cooling drink.

          Sourwood honey is also reputed to improve rheumatism and arthritis. Combined with wild cherry or white pine, it featured in homemade cough mixtures. Mixed with moonshine, it treated stomach complaints; mixed with flaxseed, it treated whooping cough. Sage, honey, and vinegar were combined to soothe sore throats, while honey and alum relieved hoarseness.

          Next time you head for the mountains, keep your eyes peeled for sourwood honey.           

          Just look for the angels.

© Copyright 2023 Lisa Karen Miller