The genus Oxydendrum contains only one species native to North America. The word oxydendrum comes from the Greek, meaning sour and tree, from the acid taste of the leaves.
Other Common Names: arrowwood, elk tree, lily-of-the-valley tree, sorrel gum, sorrel tree, sour gum, titi, titi tree.
Distribution: From Pennsylvania to Ohio and Indiana, south to Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana, east to Florida, Georgia, Virginia and Maryland.
The Tree: Sourwood is a medium-size tree which grows at altitudes up to 3,500 ft (1,067 m) in well-drained gravelly soils. It grows scattered among oaks, sweetgum, hickories and pines. It produces white flowers which are bell-shaped like lily-of-the-valley flowers and capsule-shaped fruits. Sourwood attains a height of 60 ft (18 m) and a diameter of 2 ft (0.6 m).
General Wood Characteristics: The sapwood of sourwood is wide and yellowish brown to light pink-brown, while the heartwood is brown tinged with red, dulling with age. The wood has no characteristic odor or taste and is heavy and hard. It is diffuse porous.
Weighta
Weight
Moisture Specific lb/ft3 kg/m3
content gravity
Green 0.50 53 849
12% 0.55 38 609
Ovendry 0.59 NA NA
aReference (59).
Mechanical propertiesa
Property Green Dry
MOE 1.32 106 9.101 GPa 1.54 106 10.618 GPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
MOR 7.70 103 53.092 MPa 11.6 103 79.982 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C| | 3.25 103 22.409 MPa 6.19 103 42.680 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
C 0.68 103 4.689 MPa 1.08 103 7.447 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
WML 9.8 67.571 10.9 75.156
in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3 in-lbf/in3 kJ/m3
Hardness 730 lbf 3247.04 N 940 lbf 4181.12 N
Shear| | 1.16 103 7.998 MPa 1.50 103 10.342 MPa
lbf/in2 lbf/in2
aReference (59).
Drying and shrinkagea,b
Percentage of shrinkage
(green to final moisture
content)
Type of 0% MC 6% MC 20% MC
shrinkage
Tangential 8.9 NA NA
Radial 6.3 NA NA
Volumetric 15.2 NA NA
aSourwood is difficult to season.
bReference (59).
Working Properties: Sourwood is difficult to work.
Durability: No information available at this time.
Preservation: No information available at this time.
Uses: Paneling, bearings of machinery, sled runners, fuel wood and tool handles.
Toxicity: No information available at this time.
Additional Reading: 29, 55, 68, 74. 55, 66, 68, 74, 79. 28, 29, 42, 43, 44, 48, 50, 55, 56, 68, 72, 73, 74, 79, 92, 97, 102. 74, 75, 77, 99, 106. 101.