Natives For Your Neighborhood is a labor of love and commitment. If you use this website, help us maintain and grow it with your tax-deductible donation.

Close

Please scroll to the bottom for more images.
Paradisetree
Simarouba glauca
Simaroubaceae
 

Copyright by: Melissa E. Abdo

General Landscape Uses: Accent or specimen or shade tree in residential and commercial landscapes.

Availability: Widely cultivated. Available in Lake Worth at Indian Trails Native Nursery (561-641-9488)

Description: Medium to large tree with a rounded crown. Trunks erect, straight, to 20 inches in diameter. Bark light brown to brownish-gray, smooth when young, then becoming rough. Leaves compound, 6-16 inches long, shiny, orangish or reddish when young.

Dimensions: Typically 30-50 feet in height; to 63 feet in South Florida. Taller than broad.

Growth Rate: Slow to moderate.

Range: Monroe County Keys north mostly along the coasts to Brevard and Collier counties; West Indies, southern Mexico, Central America. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. Little's map fails to capture a number of locations for this in the interior of Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County and the Monroe County mainland.

Plant Map Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.

 Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.

 Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.

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 significant injury.

Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.

Light Requirements: Full sun.

Flower Color: Yellow to creamy white.

Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous. Dioecious, with male and female flowers on different plants.

Flowering Season: Winter-spring.

Fruit: Bright red drupe turning black when mature.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Plant right away; the seeds do not store well. Stake plants when trasplanting as root development usually lags behind aboveground development.

References: Hammer 2004

Comments: The new growth is an attractive color of red.


Copyright by: Melissa E. Abdo

Copyright by: George D. Gann, 2012
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida

Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley

Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley

Copyright by: George D. Gann

Copyright by: George D. Gann

Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014
In habitat, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park,
Monroe County, Florida

Copyright by: Melissa E. Abdo

Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer


Other data on available from:



 
Resources Links:
Find Native Plants!

Acknowledgements and past sponsors

Become a sponsor!

Major Sponsor:

Emergent Sponsors:

Canopy Sponsors:
 
Herbaceous Sponsors:

Jay Bird - @BotanizingBirdingButterflies

Florida Native Plant Nursery