Landscape Uses:
	Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
	Medium to large shrub or rarely a small tree with a rounded crown. Trunks short. Bark smooth, becoming rough with age and bearing many wart-like projections. Leaves yellowish-green, velvety, to 1 foot long.
Height:
	About 6-10 feet in height. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate:
	Fast.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north to St John's, Putnam, Lake, Polk and Manatee counties; West Indies, Texas, Mexico, Central America and South America. It is also present in Africa and Asia, but its nativity there is unclear. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.
Habitats:
	Hammock edges and gaps.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with 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:
	High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
	Full sun.
Flower Color:
	White petals with yellow anthers.
Flower Characteristics:
	Semi-showy.
Flowering Season:
	All year.
Fruit:
	Yellow globose berry.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Provides food and cover for wildlife. White-crowned pigeons eat the fruits.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed and root cuttings.
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