Horsesugar (Symplocos tinctoria) is a native in the Symplocaceae and is also known as sweet leaf, Yellow Wood, Wild Laurel, Florida Laurel, and Dye Leaves. It is a shrub or small tree up to 35 feet. The bark is gray to reddish, smooth, but with age becoming a little rough and with warty bumps. The twigs are slender, terete, gray to reddish brown, and pubescent when young and becoming glabrous with age. The twigs have chambered pith. The leaves are alternate, simple, evergreen to tardily deciduous, and with pinnate major veins. The blades are lanceolate to elliptical, 5-7" long, 1-2" wide, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneate, upper surface dark green, lower surface paler, and margins entire or remotely serrate. The yellow fragrant flowers are in dense clusters. The fruit is a drupe that is 0.4" long and is green most of the year and at maturity is orange-brown to purple. The reddish-brown wood is close-grained, brittle, weak, soft, light, and weighs about 33 lb per cubic ft. The leaves have an apple peel taste and can be used to relieve thirst. Livestock can also feed on the leaves. The leaves are reported to have medicinal properties and early settlers were reported to use it as a tonic. In late Winter to early Spring, yellow gall like structures are formed on the twigs. These are edible and are caused by Exobasidium symploci, a fungus. Note the fungus specific epithet is the horsesugar genus. A very common plant in mesic to dry habitats (FAC) throughout the pine regions. A number of plants on the western edge of Allen Acres and many on the National Forest in the area. Caterpillars of the butterfly, king’s hairstreak and moth, promethea silkmoth are reported to eat this plant. We have eaten this plant in all the edible workshops and will do so in the upcoming ones. There are four plants with leaves that are alternate, fairly long, elliptic to obovate, medium green, and with entire margins; horsesugar, red bay, white bay, and star anise. Crushed horsesugar does not have an odor but the other three do. White bay is white on the lower surface and the other three are not. And, another character that I use is the stiffness; white bay is the stiffish but red bay is also pretty stiff but the other two, horsesugar and star anise are very flexible. Star anise is only found east of the Mississippi River but is sometimes planted west of the river. Horsesugar is reported from 39 parishes mostly in the pine forest regions.