Spiny Black Olive (Terminalia molineti) is a slow-growing tree or ornamental shrub, it may reach 10-20 feet high (but it takes a really long time to get there). In most landscapes it reaches about 8-10'. It requires full sun to partial shade with little to moderate watering and produces creamy/white flowers late winter-summer. While it likes moist soils, it is drought and salt tolerant but NOT cold-hardy. It is semi-deciduous. Spiny Black Olive is excellent for container planting and looks great against a wall of solid color or as an entryway accent. Native to the Florida Keys, Cuba and the Bahamas, the dwarf tree is like a natural bonsai...and in fact is often used in the art because of its striking windswept form and slow growth rate. Sorry - no olives.
The spines and food it provides make it a nice nesting and foraging tree for our local birds.
Trim sparingly - it takes a long time for this tree to grow from being trimmed. It is risky (unless you're a bonsai artist) as to which way it's going to go next with the trimming.
/AC