FNPS Plant Database
Cyrilla racemiflora
titi, leatherwood
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Nomenclature
Common Name:
titi, leatherwood
Synonym(s):
Swampy sites, wet pine flatwoods, sloughs and edges of cypress swamps, seepage swamps and bogs, savannas, other wet depressional areas.
Genus species:
Cyrilla racemiflora
Family:
Cyrilliacea
Plant Specifics
Form:
tree
Size:
20-30 ft tall by 10-20 ft wide
Life Span:
long-lived perennial; may live over 100 years (Nelson 2003)
Flower Color:
white
Fruit Color:
brown
Phenology:
Deciduous in north Florida, becoming semi-evergreen in peninsular locations. Blooms in spring.
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Hedge plant.
Considerations:
In unburned natural wetlands, this plant sometimes form almost impenetrable thickets along the edge.
Availability:
Propagation:
seed, root cuttings
Light:
Moisture Tolerance:
Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry
-|----|----
<-------------------> ----|----|----|----|----|----|-
Stays wet ---to--- Somewhat moist, no flooding
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand, Loam, Organic (muck)
Soil pH:
slightly acidic to calcareous
Suitable to Grow In:
8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 10A, 10B
USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology
Wildlife:
Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.
Attracts bees.
Native Habitats:
Swampy sites, wet pine flatwoods, sloughs and edges of cypress swamps, seepage swamps and bogs, savannas, other wet depressional areas.
Natural Range in Florida:
Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
Noted as a good honey plant.
General Comments:
Citations:
Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. 1999. Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.
Nelson, Gil. 2003. Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
University of Tennessee Extension Service. 2010. Desired pH Range and salt tolerance of common nursery plants. https://plantsciences.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2021/10/Desired-pH-Range-List.pdf , accessed 2025. University of Tennessee Extension, Knoxville.
Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants. https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ , accessed 2025. Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.
