Landscape Uses:
	Accent tree in coastal locations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Native plant nurseries. Available in Lake Worth at Amelia's SmartyPlants (561-540-6296).
Description:
	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.
Height:
	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 moslty along the coasts to Miami-Dade and Lee counties; disjunct in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties; Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Mexico and Central America. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.
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 the recently introduced fulvous hairstreak (Electrostrymon angelia) butterflies. Attracts bee pollinators.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed.
Comments: