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Major Sponsors:

The Elizabeth Ordway
Dunn Foundation



Paradisetree
Simarouba glauca
Simaroubaceae


General Landscape Uses:

Accent or specimen or shade tree in residential and commercial landscapes.
Availability:
Widely cultivated.
Description:
Medium to large tree with a rounded crown. Trunks erect, straight, to 20 inches in diameter. Bark light brown to brownish-gray, smooth when young, then becoming rough. Leaves compound, 6-16 inches long, shiny, orangish or reddish when young.
Dimensions:
Typically 30-50 feet in height; to 63 feet in South Florida. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
Slow to moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north to Brevard and Collier counties; Bahamas, Cuba, southern Mexico, Central America.
Habitats:
Hammocks.
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 injury.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Yellow to creamy white.
Flower Characteristics:
Inconspicuous. Dioecious, with male and female flowers on different plants.
Flowering Season:
Winter-spring.
Fruit:
Bright red drupe turning black when mature.
Horticultural Notes:
Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Plant right away; the seeds do not store well. Stake plants when trasplanting as root development usually lags behind aboveground development.
Comments:
The new growth is an attractive color of red.


 


Roger L. Hammer
Melissa E. Abdo
Melissa E. Abdo
George D. Gann
George D. Gann
Shirley Denton