Specimen or shade tree in residential and commercial landscapes.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description:
Medium to large tree with an irregular, rounded crown. Trunks large, erect, buttressed at the base, to 3 feet in diameter. Bark brown to gray brown or reddish-brown, thick, broken into thick plates exposing inner bark. Leaves glossy, dark green to yellowish-green with a wavy margin, 2-6 inches long.
Dimensions:
Typically 30-60 feet in height; to 118 feet in South Florida. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north, mostly along the coasts, to Volusia and Manatee counties; West Indies and Mexico. Very rare in the middle and lower Monroe County Keys.
Habitats:
Hammocks.
Soils:
Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without injury.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Greenish-yellow.
Flower Characteristics:
Inconspicuous but foul-smelling.
Flowering Season:
Spring-fall; peak in summer.
Fruit:
Yellow-orange berry, about 1" long. Edible. Winter-summer.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Provides significant food and cover for wildlife.
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
The fruits are edible raw, but the latex is very sticky. The wood is used for ship building in the West Indies. Synonyms: Mastichodendron foetidissimum.
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.