Landscape Uses:
	Accent or specimen shrub or small tree.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Native plant nurseries. Available in Homestead at Plant Creations Inc. (305-248-8147).
Description:
	Small tree or large shrub with stout, rigid branches and an irregular crown. Trunks to 9 inches in diameter, but usually much less. Bark dark reddish-brown with large plate-like scales. Leaves thick, rigid, about 1-1 1/2 inches long with a notched tip.
Height:
	Typically 10-15 feet in heigth; to 28 feet in South Florida. Often as broad as tall.
Growth Rate:
	Slow.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys and Miami-Dade County; Bahamas and Cuba. In Miami-Dade County not know from the mainland; known only from the Florida Keys in and around Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park, and from the adjacent barrier islands of Key Biscayne and Virginia Key. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.
Habitats:
	Coastal hammocks.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained limestone (rarely 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:
	Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
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 to light shade.
Flower Color:
	Yellowish-green.
Flower Characteristics:
	Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season:
	All year; peak spring-summer.
Fruit:
	Purple to black drupe. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides food and cover for wildlife.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
	The edible fruits taste like blueberries, but there is little pulp. The wood is extremely dense. It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida.