General Landscape Uses:
Accent or specimen shrub. Because of its rarity and the chance of genetic contamination, it is not recommended for general landscape use in South Florida.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Very rare in coastal hammocks in the Florida Keys.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and botanical gardens.
Description: Large shrub or small tree.
Dimensions: Typically 5-15 feet in South Florida.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Florida Keys; West Indies. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Coastal hammocks and thickets.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with or without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderately low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water, but tolerates short term inunation by salt water from storm surge with minimal damage.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Yellowish-white.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Large, red berry.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and cuttings.
Comments: Material from both South Florida and elsewhere in the West Indies is in cultivation in South Florida. Horticultural synonyms: P. bahamensis, P. robinii.
For more information, visit our
Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Online. See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory's
Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000).
