General Landscape Uses: A versatile shrub for informal hedges, mixed buffer plantings and natural landscapes. Learn more about gardening with shiny-leaved wild coffee for birds and other wildlife in Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens.

Description: Medium shrub with shiny, bright green leaves.

Dimensions: Typically 4-6 feet in height. Often as broad as tall.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Monroe County Keys north to Duval, Alachua and Levy counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. Very rare in the lower Monroe County Keys.

Habitats: Moist forests.

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

Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.

Light Requirements: Light shade to full sun.

Flower Color: White.

Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.

Flowering Season: All year; peak spring-summer.

Fruit: Red drupe. Edible.

Wildlife and Ecology: Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Nectar plant for atala (Eumaeus atala), great southern white (Ascia monuste), julia (Dryas iulia), Schaus’ swallowtail (Heraclides aristodemus), and other butterflies. Birds and other animals eat the fruits. Insects visit the flowers, which, in turn, provide food for insect-eating birds.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Place seeds on top of soil and sprinkle soil over the seeds to just cover. Place container in light shade.

References: Nelson 2003, Schaefer & Tanner 1997

Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation’s Flower Friday page.