General Landscape Uses: Accent or specimen tree.

Ecological Restoration Notes: Not recommended for habitat restoration projects. Already over planted within its native range.

Description: Small tree or shrub. Usually taller than broad.

Dimensions: Typically 10-25 feet in height. Usually taller than broad.

Growth Rate: Fast.

Range: Miami-Dade and Monroe counties; the West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America. In South Florida, native only to the Florida Keys and the extreme southern mainland, mostly in Everglades National Park. For a digitized image of Elbert Little’s Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.

Habitats: Hammock edges.

Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or calcareous 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 long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.

Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.

Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Flower Color: Orange.

Flower Characteristics: Showy.

Flowering Season: Summer-fall.

Fruit: White fleshy drupe.

Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for large orange sulpher (Phoebis agarithe), Schaus’ swallowtail (Papilio aristodemius ponceasus) and other butterflies.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.

References: Hammer 2004, Nelson 2003

Comments: Widely cultivated outside its native range in South Florida and sometimes naturalizing.