General Landscape Uses:
Not recommended for general landscape use. Native only to the lower Florida Keys, where it was probably extirpated and then reintroduced from cultivated plants.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Not recommended for habitat restoration projects. It is already over planted within its native range and escaping from cultivation elsewhere.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description: Large tree.
Dimensions: Typically 20-50 feet in height. Often as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys (Key West, Big Pine Key); the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Hammocks.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer. This is a hemiepiphyte, often rooting on other plants and then sending down aerial roots.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
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.
