Medium to large tree with an irregular crown composed of many erect or irregularly-shaped branches. Trunks to 3 feet in diameter, but usually much smaller. Bark thin, gray. Leaves compound, dark green above, pale beneath; tropical deciduous.
Dimensions:
Typically 25-35 feet in height; to 41 feet in South Florida. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
Moderate to fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north to Miami-Dade and Lee counties; disjunct in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties; Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico and Central America.
Habitats:
Coastal hammocks.
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:
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:
Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
White to pink or lavender.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy for a brief period.
Flowering Season:
Spring.
Fruit:
Light brown pod (legume) with papery wings.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Larval host plant for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius) and hammock skipper (Polygonus leo) butterflies; also larval host for introduced fulvous hairstreak (Electrostrymon angelia) butterflies.
Gann, G.D., M.E. Abdo, J.W. Gann, G.D. Gann, Sr., S.W.
Woodmansee, K.A. Bradley, E. Verdon and K.N. Hines. 2005-2008. Natives For Your Neighborhood. http://www.regionalconservation.org.
The Institute for Regional Conservation, Miami.