How Old Can a Sourwood Tree Become?

Characteristics

Also known as sorrel or lily of the valley trees, sourwood trees are slow growing, with a moderate length lifespan of approximately 80 years. It is a small to medium-size tree, with a pyramidal growth habit. Sourwood trees can reach heights of 75 feet in the wild. They produce clusters of small white flowers in the summer, and the leaves turn a deep red in the fall. Sourwood is thus frequently planted for ornamental purposes.

Leaves are green during the growing season, serrated and alternately spaced, reaching lengths of 4 to 7 inches. Sourwood has thick, grayish brown bark with deep ridges and furrows, often forming rectangular patterns on the trunk of the tree. Sourwood typically grows to a single trunk, with swooping, drooping branches. It produces small, oval brown fruits after flowering, less than ½ inch in diameter.

Sourwood trees grow best in slightly acidic well-drained soil, ideally a loam with high peat content. The tree is adaptable to confined soils and tolerates both sun and shade, but its sensitivity to air pollutants makes it a poor choice for urban areas. Sourwood trees are hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9, and grow most heavily in upland forests. It can tolerate precipitation levels of 30 to 80 inches of annual rain, and temperature levels from minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit to 107 degrees.

Wild sourwood is typically a tree of the forest understory, rarely reaching the top of the surrounding tree canopy. Frequently found growing in the midst of oak and pine, Sourwood rarely forms thick, pure stands. It is generally pest- and disease-resistant, although several insects prey on the wood and foliage. Regal moth larva and fall webworm both feed on leaves and tender shoots, and twig borers and girdlers both feed on the wood, although most do not threaten the overall health of the tree.