Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Alsol as an accent tree.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
An occasional element in hammocks, often associated with past aboriginal activity.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description:
Medium to large tree with a broadly rounded crown. Trunk straight, 1-2 feet in diameter. Bark smooth with few or many warts. Leaves thin, 2-5 inches long. A temperate deciduous species.
Dimensions:
Typically 25-50 feet in height in South Florida; to 100 feet in Florida. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
Moderate to fast.
Range:
Eastern and central United States south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; northeastern Mexico.
Habitats:
Swamps and humid forests.
Soils:
Moist, moderately well-drained to well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate to high; grows best with some organic content and may languish in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance:
Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements:
Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color:
Green.
Flower Characteristics:
Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season:
Spring.
Fruit:
Yellow to orange to red to dark purple fleshy drupe; late summer to fall. Edible, sweet.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Birds and other animals readily eat the sweet fruits. Sole larval host plant for American snout (Libytheana carineta) in South Florida; also larval host for tawny emperor (Asterocampa clyton), question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) and hackberry emperor (Aterocampa celtis) butterflies.
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from seed, which should be sown as soon as the fruit is ripe.
Comments:
Common in some hammocks in South Florida, but missing in many others.
Gann, G.D., M.E. Abdo, J.W. Gann, G.D. Gann, Sr., S.W.
Woodmansee, K.A. Bradley, E. Verdon and K.N. Hines. 2005-2008. Natives For Your Neighborhood. http://www.regionalconservation.org.
The Institute for Regional Conservation, Miami.