FNPS Plant Database

Damburneya coriacea

lancewood
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

lancewood

Synonym(s):

Ocotea coriacea, Nectandra coriaceae

Genus species:

Damburneya coriacea

Family:

Lauraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

20-30 ft tall by 10-20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

blue,black

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms in spring. Fruits summer-fall.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

This small tree has an elegant appearance that makes it suited to use as a specimen plant. The glossy evergreen foliage makes this small tree also make it effective as a screen or barrier plant.

Considerations:

Potentially subject to laurel wilt disease.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Somewhat moist, no flooding -to- Short very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray.

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Lime Rock

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators

Insect pollinated.  Said to be a good honey plant (Haehle and  Brookwell 1999).

Wildlife food plant.

Native Habitats:

Tropical hammocks. This is naturally an understory tree and also as a colonizer of disturbed sites.

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The common name "Lancewood" comes fact that early Florida Indians apparently used the very straight stems as lances for spearing fish.

General Comments:

Foliage when crushed smells like citrus.

Citations:

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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