General Landscape Uses:
Well-drained sites; deep sandy soils.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Deciduous shrub or small tree 6-9 feet tall with leathery leaves 1.5-5 inches long. Yellow-white flowers with a lemony fragrance.
Dimensions: Typically 6-12 feet in height. Taller than broad.
Range:
Central to North Florida from Glades, Highlands, and St. Lucie counties to Levy, Alachua, and Clay counties.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Habitats: Pine-oak woods, scrub, coastal dunes.
Soils: Extremely well drained, deep sandy soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
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
Flower Color: White
Flower Characteristics: Showy
Flowering Season: Winter, Spring
Fruit: Peculiar edible fruits.
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus floridanus) butterflies.
Horticultural Notes: Can be difficult to establish due to the long taproot.
References: Hall (
2020), Osorio (
2001)
Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
