Landscape Uses:
	Accent or specimen shrub along the coast. Also buffer plantings.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Grown by a few native plant nurseries in south and central Florioda. Available in Lake Worth at Indian Trails Native Nursery (561-641-9488) and in Boynton Beach at Sustainscape (561-245-5305) and in Miami at Pro Native Consulting (786-488-3101).
Description:
	Medium to large shrub with an irregular rounded crown. Trunks short, bearing several arching stems. Bark yellowish-brown, roughend by lenticels. Leaves glossy dark green, shiny above, slighly hairy when young then becoming glabrous.
Height:
	Typically 8-10 feet in height. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north to Brevard and Levy counties.
Habitats:
	Edges of coastal forests and thickets.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer; rarely on peat on tree islands in the southern Everglades.
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 significant injury.
Drought Tolerance:
	High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
	Full sun.
Flower Color:
	Yellow.
Flower Characteristics:
	Showy, in long, racemose, terminal spikes.
Flowering Season:
	All year.
Fruit:
	Yellowish-brown beaded pods (legumes), 2-6" long.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides food and shelter for wildlife. Nectar plant for hummingbirds and butterflies. The flowers also attract warblers and bees.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed. Care must now be taken to avoid pollination by S. tomentosa var. occidentalis (see below).
Comments:
	The very hairy, commonly sold necklacepod is S. tomentosa var. occidentalis from Texas. The seeds are toxic if eaten. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.