General Landscape Uses:
Accent or specimen palm.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Historical populations are being augmented at Biscayne National Park and reintroduced at Long Key State Park. These are the only historical locations in South Florida.
Availability:
Widely cultivated.
Description: Shrub or small tree.
Growth Rate: Slow.
Range:
South Florida, the West Indies, southern Mexico and Belize. In South Florida, native only to Elliott Key in Miami-Dade County and Long Key in the Monroe County Keys. Very slow growing and apparently not spreading from cultivation elsewhere. 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: Coastal hammocks.
Soils: Moist, very well-drained limestone or sandy soils, with or without a humusy top layer.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderately low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water, but tolerates short term inunation by salt water from storm surge with minimal damage.
Salt Wind Tolerance: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: All year.
References: Hammer 2004
