General Landscape Uses:
Small specimen or patio tree with showy winter fruits.
Availability:
Rarely grown by native plant nurseries in northern Florida.
Description: Small, deciduous understory tree 30 feet tall with 1-3 inch long leaves. Red berries persist through the winter, providing visual interest.
Dimensions: Up to 30 feet in height.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southern United States south to the Florida Panhandle and western peninsular Florida to Sarasota and De Soto 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.
Habitats: Lowland woods.
Soils: Moist to seasonally wet, well-drained to poorly-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: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: Spring to summer.
Fruit: Red, orange, or yellow berries on female plants.
Wildlife and Ecology: Attracts pollinators.
Horticultural Notes: Make sure to get Florida stock.
References: Huegel (
2010), Waskowski (
2010)
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.
