Landscape Uses:
	Accent shrub or small tree. Buffer plantings.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
	A relatively common understory or sub-canopy element in hammocks.
Availability:
	Widely cultivated. Available in Lake Worth at Indian Trails Native Nursery and at Amelia's SmartyPlants, and in Naples at Everglades Native Designs, in Sanibel at Captiva Conservation Foundation.
Description:
	Tall upright shrub or small tree with a small trunk and branches. Bark pale grayish to whitish, smooth. Leaves leathery, dull dark green above; leaf stem reddish.
Height:
	Typically 10-20 feet in height; to 28 feet in South Florida. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate to slow.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north to Volusia, Hendry and Levy counties, mostly along the coast; Bermuda, West Indies, Mexico and Central America. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.
Habitats:
	Hammocks.
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:
	Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
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:
	Black or reddish berry. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Attracts bee and moth pollinators, including the tantalus sphinx (Aellopos tantalus) moth. Birds eat the fruits.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Place in light shade. Germination usually occurs within 1 month.
Comments:
	The pinkish new growth is very attractive. Some say white stopper has a "skunky" odor, although many can not detect the smell. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.