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Schaefferia frutescens Jacq.
Florida boxwood

Schaefferia frutescens
Copyright by: George D. Gann
In Habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida, 2013

Family: Celastraceae

Group: Dicot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Tree

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: South Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and northern South America.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

NatureServe Global Status: Secure

State of Florida Status: Endangered

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: Imperiled

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Rare

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: This is native to the Florida Keys in both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. One specimen was collected in 1906 on the mainland in historical Brickell Hammock by John Kunkel Small and Joel J. Carter (s.n., NY). There are no other records from the South Florida mainland or from offshore barrier islands.

Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.

Other data on Schaefferia frutescens available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Schaefferia frutescens has been found in the following 17 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Arch Creek Park Present Not Native, Cultivated Only
Attwood Addition, Indian Key Historic State Park Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Cultivated Only
Biscayne National Park Present Native
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Native
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Native
Dove Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Everglades National Park Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park, Klopp Tract Present Native
Long Key State Park Present Native
Oleta River State Park Present Not Native, Cultivated Only
Simpson Park Possibly Extirpated Native, Cultivated Only
Snake Creek Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park Present Native

Schaefferia frutescens has been found in the following 2 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Keys) Native

Schaefferia frutescens has been found in the following habitat :
Rockland Hammock

All Images:

Schaefferia frutescens
Copyright by: George D. Gann
In Habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida, 2013
Schaefferia frutescens
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Schaefferia frutescens
Copyright by: George D. Gann
In habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida, 2013
Schaefferia frutescens
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley
Schaefferia frutescens
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley