Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
Photo by: Donna Bollenbach

Nomenclature

Common Name:

tough buckthorn, tough bully

Synonym(s):

Bumelia tenax

Genus species:

Sideroxylon tenax

Family:

Sapotaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

12-30 ft tall by to 20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Evergreen (south) or deciduous (north). Flowers in summer. Fruits ripen in summer or fall. Life span 50+ yrs (Nelson 2003).

Noted For:

Thorns, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Hedge plant, specimen plant, woodland plant. Plant where the silky brown/gold undersides of the foliage will be seen.

Considerations:

Plant where it will have space. While many specimens in natural scrub settings are slow growing, this plant can be a robust growing in the landscape. Expect it to grow into a small tree.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed, cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- 1Stays wet

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds, Mammals

Nectar plant for butterflies.





Attracts bees and flies.  A pollinator magnate.





Watching insects swarm over my tough bully trees is one of my summertime treats.

 Birds and other animals eat the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Sandhill, scrub.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This plant is easy to grow.



Weak wood.