General Landscape Uses:
Specimen shrub or pruned hedge.
Availability:
Widely available in northeast and central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description: Dense shrub 8-25 feet tall with small, dark green leaves up to 1 inch long but typically smaller.
Dimensions: Typically 8-25 feet in height. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderately fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Brevard, Highlands, and Sarasota counties; western Cuba and Mexico, including Quintana Roo and Chiapas. Widely cultivated as a clipped hedge to the south of its native range in peninsular Florida. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
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, swamps, floodplains, dunes.
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: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Moderate to light shade.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Small, but showy.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Bright red berries in fall and winter on female plants.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Attracts pollinators. Larval plant for Henry's Elfin (Callophrys henrici) butterfly.
References: Nelson (
2003), Schaefer & Tanner 1997
Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
