Landscape Uses:
	Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description:
	Large shrub or small to medium tree with wide-spreading, even vine-like, thorny branches. Trunks 3-4 inches in diameter, rarely larger. Bark thin, reddish-brown. Leaves shiny, light yellowish-green, about 1-3 inches long, oftern clustered.
Height:
	Typically 10-20 feet in height; to 25 feet in South Florida. Often as broad as tall or broader.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north to Duval, Clay, Alachua and Levy counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and Africa. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.
Habitats:
	A wide variety of habitats, from dry forests to swamps.
Soils:
	Dry to seasonally wet, well-drained to moderately well-drained sand, limestone, or organic soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
	Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt 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-white.
Flower Characteristics:
	Inconspicuous. Fragrant.
Flowering Season:
	All year; peak spring-fall.
Fruit:
	Bright yellow drupe. Edible.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Attracts bee pollinators.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from de-pulped seed. It is semi-parasitic on the roots of other hardwoods, which makes it somewhat challenging to grow; some will place a Virginia live oak in the same container as a host.
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