| Loblolly bay
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| Gordonia lasianthus
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| Theaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Accent or specimen tree in wet locations. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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| Availability: |
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Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast and central Florida. Available in Lake Worth at Indian Trails Native Nursery
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| Description: |
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Medium to large tree. |
| Height: |
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Typically 25-50 feet; to 95 feet in Florida. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Moderate. |
| Range: |
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Southeastern United States west to Mississippi and south to Palm Beach, Glades and Sarasota counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. |
| Habitats: |
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Swamps. |
| Soils: |
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Wet to moist, seasonally inundated organic soils, acid pH. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun to light shade. |
| Flower Color: |
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White |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Showy; fragrant |
| Flowering Season: |
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Summer |
| Fruit: |
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Ovoid capsule, splitting open at maturity. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Provides moderate amounts of food and significant cover for wildlife. |
| Horticultural Notes: |
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| Comments: |
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See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page. |
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