General Landscape Uses: Accent or specimen shrub or small tree. Informal and formal hedges. Buffer plantings.
Description: Small to medium tree with a broadly spreading crown. Trunks to 6 inches in diameter, but usually much less in South Florida. Bark nearly black, furrowed. Leaves temperate semi-deciduous, dark green above, pale beneath, about 1/2-1 1/2 inches long.
Dimensions: Typically 10-20 feet in height in South Florida; to 30 feet in Florida. Often as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range: Southeastern United States south to Broward County and the Monroe County mainland. Very rare in southeastern Florida. In Broward County known only from Fern Forest Nature Center. For a digitized image of Elbert Little’s Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. A number of new discoveries in South Florida have occured since the production of Little’s map.
Habitats: Floodplain forests and hammocks
Soils: Seasonally wet to moist, moderately well-drained sandy 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 flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: Winter-spring.
Fruit: Drupe, red turning black.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Attracts pollinators. Birds and other animals eat the fruits.
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