General Landscape Uses: Accent shrub. Buffer plantings. Ecological Restoration Notes: A rather common element of coastal thickets in the Florida Keys; rare elsewhere. Description: Medium to large densely-leaved shrub. Bark dark brown striped with light brown. Leaves flat, 1-3 inches or more in length. Dimensions: About 4-8 feet in height. Usually taller than broad. Growth Rate: Slow to moderate. Range: Monroe County Keys north along the east coast to Martin County; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Rare in southeastern Florida outside the Florida Keys. In Broward County, known only from Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. Habitats: Coastal hammocks. Soils: Moist, well-drained to moderately well-drained limestone or sandy soils, with humusy top layer. Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water. Salt Wind Tolerance: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury. Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established. Light Requirements: Full sun. Flower Color: White. Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy. Flowering Season: All year. Fruit: Shiny purplel to black drupe; juicy. Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri) butterflies. Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Plant in container with 2″ or more of soil. Sprinkle soil to just cover the seeds and place in full sun. Comments: It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida.