General Landscape Uses:
Hedges, screening.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast and central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in the Florida Panhandle.
Description: Dense evergreen shrub 6-20 feet tall with leathery leaves and a rounded shape. Leaves are aromatic and smell of licorice when crushed or bruised. Deep red flowers with ribbon-like petals in the spring followed by brown star-shaped capsules in the late summer and fall.
Dimensions: Typically 6-20 feet in height. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle east to Gadsden, Liberty, and Wakulla 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: Seepage slopes and creek swamps.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone 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: Moderate to light shade.
Flower Color: Dark red.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Brown, star-shaped capsule. Sometimes called "star anise."
Horticultural Notes: Reportedly highly resistant to deer damage.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Wunderlin and Hansen
Comments: Foliage and fruit are poisonous to cattle. 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.
