General Landscape Uses:
	Accent shrub or small tree. Buffer plantings.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
	A relatively common element of coastal hammock margins and thickets.
Availability:
	Widely cultivated.
Description:
	Small tree or large columnar shrub usually with a dense rounded crown from several slim, erect trunks and small erect branches. Bark light reddish-brown, thin, smooth when young, then divided into small, thick scales forming concentric rings around the trunk of older trees. Leaves abundant and persistant, leathery, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long.
Dimensions:
	Typically 8-15 feet in height. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate to slow.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north mostly along the coast to Brevard and Manatee counties; West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
Habitats:
	Hammocks and hammock edges; coastal thickets.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	Moderate to high; grows best with some organic content and may languish in nutrient poor soils.
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:
	High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without injury.
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:
	All year; peak in summer.
Fruit:
	Black or brown berry.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Birds eat the fruits.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Place in light shade. Germination usually occurs within 1 month.