General Landscape Uses:
Accent or specimen tree in wet locations.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida. Available at
Indian Trails Native Nursery in Lake Worth (561-641-9488).
Description: Medium to large tree.
Dimensions: Typically 25-50 feet; to 95 feet in Florida.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Mississippi and south to Palm Beach, Glades and Sarasota counties.
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: Swamps.
Soils: Wet to moist, seasonally inundated organic soils, acid pH.
Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
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: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: White
Flower Characteristics: Showy; fragrant
Flowering Season: Summer
Fruit: Ovoid capsule, splitting open at maturity.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides moderate amounts of food and significant cover for wildlife.
References: Nelson 2003, Schaefer & Tanner 1997
Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
