General Landscape Uses:
Understory planting.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida.
Description: Deciduous shrub or small tree up to 18 feet tall with leaves 3-7 inches long. Maroon or rarely yellow flowers 3/4 inch across with a faintly fetid odor.
Dimensions: Typically 15-18 feet in height.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Brevard, Osceola, Highlands, DeSoto, and Sarasota counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
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.
Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Hammocks, floodplains.
Soils: Moist to occasionally wet, well-drained to moderately well-drained, sandy, limestone, or organic soils, with or without 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: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Light shade.
Flower Color: Maroon or rarely yellow
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: February - April.
Fruit: Berry.
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus floridanus) butterflies.
References: Hall (
2020)
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. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
