General Landscape Uses:
Specimen tree.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast and central Florida.
Description: Small deciduous tree up to 30 feet tall with a gray trunk. Heart shaped leaves 3-6 inches long. Profuse pink to purple flowers along the trunk, branches, and twigs, in the spring prior to the new leaves.
Dimensions: Up to 30 feet in height. Recorded to 84 feet in height in the Panhandle.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Eastern and central North America south to Duval, Polk, and Hillsborough 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.
Habitats: Mesic hammocks
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone 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: 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: Full sun to moderate shade.
Flower Color: Magenta to purple.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: February to March.
Fruit: Flattened green to light brown pod 4 inches long.
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host for the Io moth and other Lepidoptera. Larval host plant for Henry's elfin (Callophrys henrici) butterfly. Flowers are pollinated by long-tongued bees.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Nelson (
2003),
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.
