General Landscape Uses:
Specimen tree
Availability:
Widely available in central Florida. Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida.
Description: Medium sized deciduous tree 40-70 feet tall with a rounded crown and branches usually lined with corky wings. Lance-shaped leaves 1-2.5 inches long and double toothed.
Dimensions: Typically 40-70 feet in height, slightly taller than broad. Up to 85 feet in height in north Florida.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southern United States to Pasco and Seminole 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: Woodlands, moist to wet hammocks, bluffs.
Soils: Moist to wet, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer and acid pH.
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 light shade.
Flower Color: Reddish.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Early spring.
Fruit: Dry, hairy samara.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food for wildlife. Provides nesting structure for birds. Larval host for question mark (Polygonia interrogationis) butterfly.
Horticultural Notes: Shallow root system may cause difficulty with understory planting. Pollen is allergenic.
References: Huegel (
2010), Nelson (
2003), Nelson
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.
