|                    Florida mayten
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                |                    Maytenus phyllanthoides  
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                |                    Celastraceae 
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                 Landscape Uses:
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                 Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 An occasional element of the ecotone between tidal swamps and rockland hammocks in the Florida Keys.  Rare elsewhere. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.  | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
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                 Medium to large shrub or rarely a small tree with a round-topped crown.  Trunks usually short.  Bark thin, gray.  Leaves flat and fleshy, pale green. | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
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                 Usually 3-10 feet in height; to 18 feet in South Florida.  Often as broad as tall. | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
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                 Slow. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
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                 Monroe and Miami-Dade counties north along the west coast to Levy County; Texas, Bahamas, Cuba and Mexico. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the  Exploring Florida website. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
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                 Margins of coastal hammocks along the ecotone with mangrove swamps and salt marshes. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
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                 Moist to periodically inundated, brackish sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Full sun to light shade. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
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                 Green. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
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                 Inconspicuous. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
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                 Spring-summer. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
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                 Orangish capsule with 4 seeds enclosed in a bright red aril. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
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                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
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                | Comments: | 
               
              
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                 It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida. | 
               
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                    George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida, 2013
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                    George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida 2013
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                    George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida, 2013
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                    George D. Gann in habitat, Everglades National Park, Key Largo, Florida, 2013
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