General Landscape Uses:
Specimen.
Availability:
Rarely grown by native plant nurseries.
Description: Deciduous shrub or small tree 25 feet tall with oval leaves 2-4 inches long. Bright red berries persist through the winter.
Dimensions: Typically 25 feet in height, as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Slow.
Range:
Northern and eastern United States scattered south to the Florida Panhandle from Escambia to Franklin 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: Swampy sites.
Soils: Wet to moist, moderately well-drained to poorly-drained organic or sandy soils, often with acid pH.
Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
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 to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Late spring.
Fruit: Small, red berries.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food for birds.
Horticultural Notes: Male and female flowers on separate plants.
References: Hall (
2020), Mellichamp (
2014)
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.
