General Landscape Uses: Wildflower and rock gardens.

Ecological Restoration Notes: It can be used as one of many understory herbs in pine rocklands.

Description: Small, spreading shrubby groundcover with holly-like leaves

Dimensions: Typically 6-12 inches in height. Spreading and becoming much broader than tall; sometimes hanging in mats from the side of large limestone rocks.

Growth Rate: Moderate to slow.

Range: Monroe County Keys, Miami-Dade County and Collier County; Cuba, Bahamas and Hispaniola. In the Monroe County Keys, known from North Key Largo, then disjunct to the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key and No Name Key.

Habitats: Pine rocklands and rockland hammock edges.

Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.

Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.

Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.

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

Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Flower Color: Red.

Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.

Flowering Season: All year.

Fruit: Showy bright red drupe.

Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food for wildlife. Quail eat the fruits.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Plant immediately; seeds do not store well. Plant in pot with 2″ or more of potting soil, just covering seed with soil.

References: Hammer 2004

Comments: This is one of our most attractive woody groundcovers for sunny locations in alkaline soils. It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida.