Landscape Uses:
	A versatile and attractive shrub or small tree. It can be used as an accent, as a clipped shrub, and in naturalistic landscapes. It also makes a great addition to mixed buffer plantings. Learn more about gardening with Spanish stopper for birds and other wildlife in Attracting Birds to South Florida Gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
	A relatively common element of coastal hammock margins and thickets.
Availability:
	Widely cultivated. Available in Lake Worth at Indian Trails Native Nursery (561-641-9488) and in Homestead at Plant Creations Inc. (305-248-8147) and in Boynton Beach at Sustainscape (561-245-5305), in Naples at Everglades Native Designs.
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.
Height:
	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. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. Little's map exagerates the range of this species in the interior.
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 significant 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 food and cover for wildlife. Attracts bee pollinators and fruit-eating birds.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Place in light shade. Germination usually occurs within 1 month.
Comments:
	See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.