This native long-lived perennial tree can be found along the western coast of Florida and also growing at the backyard of Little Red Wagon Native Nursery. These are tough and low maintenance trees that are semi-evergreen. It produces clusters of non-showy whitish to greenish flowers in winter and spring that become red berries when ripe. While it is considered a deciduous tree, in Florida as it loses its green leaves, it is growing new leaves at the same time so it typically never looks bare. It can reach 60 feet but typically doesn't reach those heights in landscape plantings topping out at 20 to 30 feet with a trunk 1-3 feet in diameter. Its bark has a somewhat interesting and attractive peeling look with some reddish/copper bark making the tree easy to identify. It is said to also have a common name "the tourist tree" because the red bark is peeling it is like the skin of sunburned Florida tourists. According to US Department of Agriculture, Florida is the only state in the US where it grows. In Florida it can be seen in coastal hammocks growing in full sun to partial shade and is very adaptable for many plantings spaces including urban areas (parking lot islands, highway medians, etc). It needs some room for roots to avoid having them rise up above ground. It does well in poor, sandy soil and also does fine in richer soils. The Dingy purplewing butterfly uses these trees as one of its host plants.
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