Dirca palustris

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Family:	THYMELAEACEAE
Species:	Dirca palustris L.
Common Name:	Eastern Leatherwood; Wicopee; Rope Bark
Habitat:	Calcareous woodlands and woodland stream edges.
Associated Ecological Communities:	**
Growth Habit:	Shrub
Duration:	Perennial
Category:	Vascular
USDA Symbol:	**
Plant Notes:	Eastern Leatherwood is a native deciduous shrub in the Mezereum family (Thymelaeaceae). It can be found in scattered locations throughout most of Alabama. Eastern Leatherwood occurs in hardwood forests along streams, on calcareous slopes, in ravines, and on steep river banks. It is a shrub or small tree reaching 9 feet in height but more commonly 3-6 feet. The bark is smooth and tan to gray in color. The bark is tough and flexible and was once used for ropes and baskets. Leaves are petiolate, alternate, obovate to ovate in outline, entire, and glabrous. The leaves turn yellow before dropping in the autumn. Flowers are produced in pendent racemes before or with the emergence of the leaves. The flowers are subtended by large leaf-like pubescent bracts. The flowers are tubular, yellow green in color, unlobed with undulate margins or with 4-5 shallow lobes. The stamens and stigma are exserted beyond the corolla. The fruit is an ovoid drupe, green in color changing to red as it dries. Eastern Leatherwood can cause contact dermatitis in some people. The fruit are mildly poisonous to mammals but are eaten by birds. Eastern Leatherwood is available from some native plant nurseries. It prefers a partially shaded location with rich, moist soil. Full sun can damage the foliage.—A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:	**
Status:	Native, FACU- (NWI)
References:	**
Specimen:	View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Family	THYMELAEACEAE - Mezereum family
Genus	Dirca
Species	Dirca palustris L. - Eastern Leatherwood; Wicopee; Rope Bark

Citation

Citation	Dirca palustris Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 358. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	USA: VIRGINIA: Without data (lectotype: LINN 501.1). Lectotypified by Nevling, J. Arnold Arbor. 45: 158-159. 1964.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

No synonyms exist for this species.

No synonyms exist for this species.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Autauga, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Colbert, Dallas, DeKalb, Henry, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Monroe, Talladega, Tuscaloosa, Walker, Washington, Wilcox, Winston

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1885 - 1997

Barcode / Accession No.	County	Coll. Date	Collector & Collection No.	Herbarium & Herbarium Name Used
AUA_ACC_39489	Wilcox	9 Sep 1982	GUNN, SCOTT C. 1261	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
UNA00068762	Wilcox	13 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4053	UNA Dirca palustris L.
TROY000038514	Dallas	15 Jun 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7325	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
SAMF0008148	Wilcox	08 Apr 2022	Davenport, L.J. 6925	SAMF Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0019459	Wilcox	06 Apr 1993	Kral, Robert 82017	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000028646	Tuscaloosa	19 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4071	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
JSU135705	Choctaw	1 Nov 1997	Whetstone, R. David 19028	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0047356	Monroe	09 Mar 2020	Soehren, Eric C. 654	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000009399	Marengo	15 Mar 2003	Kral, Robert 93634	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0016929	Tuscaloosa	19 Mar 2008	England, J. Kevin 604	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00017182	Marengo	27 Feb 2009	England, J. Kevin 1635	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135721	Walker	18 Apr 1979	Whetstone, R. David 10557	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_72194	Dallas	15 Jun 2012	KEENER, BRIAN R. 7325	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
TROY000046245	Wilcox	27 Feb 2018	Diamond, Alvin R. 28080	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0009823	Tuscaloosa	02 Apr 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7085	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
UNA00019156	Monroe	25 Jul 1885	Mohr, Charles s.n.	UNA Dirca palustris L.
UNA00064847	Colbert	18 Apr 2003	Keener, Brian R. 2541	UNA Dirca palustris L.
TROY000051440	Choctaw	17 Mar 2018	Keener, Brian R. 10495	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
ALNHS00007442	Jackson	05 May 2021	Barger, T. Wayne SP#5471	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
SAMF0003425	Colbert	27 Mar 2008	Davenport, L.J. 3776	SAMF Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0004287	Wilcox	13 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4053	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000032332	Wilcox	20 May 2010	Keener, Brian R. 6021	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UNA00047154	Henry	08 Jun 1997	MacDonald, John R. 10654	UNA Dirca palustris L.
USAM000014951	Monroe	27 Apr 1975	LeLong, Michel G. 8389	USAM Dirca palustris Linnaeus
JSU135708	DeKalb	11 Apr 1998	Brodeur, Kristin R. 828	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00011343	DeKalb	01 Jan 1976	Atkinson, T.A. 1895	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135706	Clay	20 Mar 1993	Ballard, J. Mark 1400	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
ALNHS00000343	Monroe	01 Mar 2011	Barger, T. W. RH-31	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
JSU135718	Tuscaloosa	19 Aug 1975	Whetstone, R. David 6777	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_72197	Clarke	2 Mar 2012	KEENER, BRIAN R. 6878	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
TROY000028761	Marengo	27 Feb 2009	England, J. Kevin 1635	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0009797	Clarke	02 Mar 2012	Keener, Brian R. 6878	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0054303	Monroe	26 Feb 2022	Keener, Brian R. 12356	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
USAM000014952	Monroe	16 May 1973	LeLong, Michel G. 7076	USAM Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_51564	Henry	22 Jul 1990	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 7044	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00017641	DeKalb	25 Mar 1993	Clearman, F.W., Jr. 748	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
ALNHS00007443	Jackson	05 May 2021	Barger, T. Wayne SP#5471	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0012051	Dallas	15 Jun 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7325	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00005027	Wilcox	18 Mar 2001	Diamond, A.R. 12298	AMAL Dira palustris L.
TROY000009404	Wilcox	18 Mar 2001	Diamond, Alvin R. 12298	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0004282	Colbert	18 Apr 2003	Keener, Brian R. 2541	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135710	Jackson	18 Sep 1998	Brodeur, Kristin R. 1442	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00023985	Monroe	01 Mar 2011	Barger, T. Wayne 31	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135717	Talladega	20 Sep 1984	Nixon, Christopher F. 820	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
ALNHS00001757	Monroe	26 Mar 2013	Barger, T. Wayne SP#901	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
JSU135720	Tuscaloosa	2 Apr 1976	Whetstone, R. David 8073	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_70479	Wilcox	20 May 2010	KEENER, BRIAN R. 6021	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00014145	Wilcox	13 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4053	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0010670	Washington	04 May 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7179	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000038548	Washington	04 May 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7179	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0017765	Washington	28 Mar 1986	Kral, Robert 73180	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
AUA_ACC_58539	Wilcox	16 Apr 1982	GUNN, SCOTT C. 498	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00021213	Clarke	10 Mar 2007	Kral, R. 97823	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0004284	Monroe	18 Oct 2009	Keener, Brian R. 5643	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135714	Marshall	16 Apr 1994	Spaulding, Daniel D. 5444	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00005026	Monroe	26 Mar 1995	Spaulding, Daniel D. 8657	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000009402	Wilcox	27 Mar 2002	Kral, Robert 92246	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0004280	Choctaw	18 Mar 2009	Keener, Brian R. 5071	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
UNA00019157	Clarke	_ _ 1853	Denny, Dr. T. s.n.	UNA Dirca palustris L.
ALNHS00006446	Madison	19 Mar 2019	Barger, T. Wayne SP#4278	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
JSU135715	Marshall	21 Jun 1986	Whetstone, R. David 15287	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
JSU135707	Clay	2 May 1981	Whetstone, R. David 10635	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_70882	Clarke	6 Mar 2011	KEENER, BRIAN R. 6313	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00025841	Choctaw	17 Mar 2018	Keener, Brian R. 10495	AMAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0003094	Clarke	06 Mar 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6313	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000033671	Clarke	06 Mar 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6313	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
JSU135719	Tuscaloosa	2 Apr 1976	Atkinson, Tim A. 1139	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_62669	Colbert	28 Mar 2003	VALENTE, M.J. 12	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00005025	Clarke	18 Mar 1999	Kral, R. 88052	AMAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0001048	Wilcox	20 May 2010	Keener, Brian R. 6021	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
AUA000042929	Colbert	3 Apr 2014	BARGER, T.WAYNE FH266	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
UWAL0019462	Wilcox	13 Mar 2011	England, J. Kevin 2670	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
SAMF0003423	Clarke	06 Mar 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6313	SAMF Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0039611	Wilcox	27 Feb 2018	Diamond, Alvin R. 28074	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
AUA_ACC_25587	Marengo	27 Mar 1969	KRAL, ROBERT 34029	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
UNA00019153	Monroe	10 Mar 1968	McDaniel, Sidney 10354	UNA Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0004285	Monroe	04 Oct 2007	Diamond, Alvin R. 18464	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
UNA00019155	Marengo	02 Feb 1974	Cameron, M.L. 211	UNA Dirca palustris L.
TROY000009400	Monroe	04 Oct 2007	Diamond, Alvin R. 18464	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00014138	Tuscaloosa	19 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4071	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0038588	Choctaw	17 Mar 2018	Keener, Brian R. 10495	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00000285	Clarke	06 Mar 2011	Keener, Brian R. 6313	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135713	Marshall	8 Mar 1992	Spaulding, Daniel D. 1139	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
TROY000009403	Wilcox	24 Mar 2002	Diamond, Alvin R. 12973	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00007901	Wilcox	27 Mar 2002	Kral, R. 92246	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
JSU135709	Jackson	2 Apr 1999	Brodeur, Kristin R. 1670	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0004283	Marengo	27 Feb 2009	England, J. Kevin 1635	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000028590	Choctaw	18 Mar 2009	Keener, Brian R. 5071	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0005849	Wilcox	11 Apr 1983	Kral, Robert 69892	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
SAMF0003424	Tuscaloosa	19 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4071	SAMF Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0039714	Wilcox	27 Feb 2018	Diamond, Alvin R. 28080	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
AUA_ACC_25585	Clarke	27 Mar 1969	KRAL, ROBERT 34034	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AUA_ACC_49827	Monroe	19 Mar 1989	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 5731	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
UWAL0033707	Clay	22 Jun 2016	Keener, Brian R. 9705	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UNA00073423	Marengo	27 Feb 2009	England, J. Kevin 1635	UNA Dirca palustris L.
TROY000046328	Monroe	16 May 2018	Diamond, Alvin R. 28328	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
ALNHS00001561	Clarke	17 Feb 2012	Horne, Howard E. SWS-44	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
JSU135716	Talladega	20 Sep 1984	Barber, J. Patrick 1023	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
ALNHS00006502	Madison	10 Jul 2019	Barger, T. Wayne SP#4655	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0038326	Monroe	27 Apr 1975	LeLong, Michel G. 8389	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_39488	Wilcox	22 Mar 1982	GUNN, SCOTT C. 350	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00017865	Marengo	15 Mar 2003	Kral, R. 93634	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0004286	Tuscaloosa	19 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4071	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
UNA00019154	Tuscaloosa	07 Mar 1967	Thomas, Joab L. 903	UNA Dirca palustris L.
TROY000009401	Monroe	27 Mar 2002	Kral, Robert 92275	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0039679	Monroe	16 May 2018	Diamond, Alvin R. 28328	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
AUA_ACC_57559	Marshall	15 Apr 1973	KRAL, ROBERT 49624	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
UNA00008874	Wilcox	22 Mar 1982	Gunn, Scott C. 350	UNA Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0004281	Colbert	27 Mar 2008	Davenport, L.J. 3776	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
UNA00019158	Tuscaloosa	19 Mar 1985	Burckhalter, Robert 301	UNA Dirca palustris L.
AUA_ACC_67246	Monroe	22 Jun 2002	SORRIE, BRUCE A. 10921	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
AMAL00017335	Choctaw	18 Mar 2009	Keener, Brian R. 5071	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0039232	Wilcox	13 Mar 2019	Diamond, Alvin R. 28795	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00021239	Washington	04 May 2012	Keener, Brian R. 7179	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
UWAL0053163	Choctaw	10 Apr 2021	Keener, Brian R. 12155	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000024374	Wilcox	13 Mar 2008	Keener, Brian R. 4053	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AMAL00007908	Monroe	27 Mar 2002	Kral, R. 92275	AMAL Dirca palustris L.
AUA_ACC_43401	Wilcox	1 Mar 1986	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 2074	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
UWAL0010933	Clarke	10 Mar 2007	Kral, Robert 97823	UWAL Dirca palustris L.
TROY000034383	Monroe	18 Oct 2009	Keener, Brian R. 5643	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
JSU135711	Limestone	21 Apr 1997	Hofmann, Tim L. 00423	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
UWAL0036784	DeKalb	27 Mar 2017	Keener, Brian R. 9940	UWAL Dirca palustris Linnaeus
TROY000009398	Clarke	10 Mar 2002	Kral, Robert 92145	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_69404	Wilcox	5 Mar 2009	HANSEN, CURTIS J. 3626	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
JSU135712	Marshall	13 May 1992	Spaulding, Daniel D. 1618	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_42067	Monroe	5 Apr 1986	DIAMOND, JR., ALVIN R. 2261	AUA DIRCA PALUSTRIS L.
TROY000046112	Wilcox	27 Feb 2018	Diamond, Alvin R. 28074	TROY Dirca palustris Linnaeus
USAM000014950	Monroe	10 Apr 1970	Wofford, B. Eugene 10409	USAM Dirca palustris Linnaeus
JSU135722	Winston	6 May 1978	Kral, Robert 61651	JSU Dirca palustris Linnaeus
ALNHS00008014	Autauga	10 Sep 2021	Yawn, Noah D. NDY#236	ALNHS Dirca palustris L.

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Brian R. Keener, Ph.D.

Data last modified: 9/19/2025

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Citation Information:

Keener, B.R., A.R. Diamond, T.W. Barger, L.J. Davenport, P.G. Davison, S.L. Ginzbarg, C.J. Hansen, D.D. Spaulding, J.K. Triplett, and M. Woods. 2025. Alabama Plant Atlas. [S.M. Landry and K.N. Campbell (original application development), Florida Center for Community Design and Research. University of South Florida]. University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama.

Data, text, and images licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Dirca palustris

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Specimens and Distribution