swamp titi
Cyrilla racemiflora · Cyrillaceae
swamp titi (Cyrilla racemiflora) is a perennial tree in the Cyrillaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 6 and warmer, down to about -6°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 30 ft USDA |
| Light | shade USDA |
| Growth rate | moderate USDA |
| Soil pH | 4.9–6.8 USDA |
| Bloom | July USDA |
| Flower color | Yellow USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 6 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | understory Derived |
| Nursery availability | No Known Source USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It tolerates full shade. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It tolerates saturated, poorly drained ground well (USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance high). It is recorded on soils from pH 4.9 to 6.8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 6.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 30 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows at a moderate rate.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of July. Flowers are yellow.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is yellow-green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. It carries conspicuous autumn colour. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 40 to 70 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 218 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches. Fertility requirement: high.
Propagating it
Propagate it from seed and cuttings. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a rapid rate. It spreads vegetatively at a moderate rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals find it highly palatable, so expect deer and rabbits to take an interest. Its fire tolerance is rated medium, and it can resprout after damage. Its growth form is recorded as thicket forming.
Role in a guild
Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Similar role and hardiness
- big bluestem Andropogon gerardii
- may hawthorn Crataegus aestivalis
- Chinese magnolia Magnolia ×soulangiana
- star magnolia Magnolia stellata
- ravennagrass Saccharum ravennae
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol CYRA, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, vegetative spread rate.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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