Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
Photo by: John Lampkin, Nature Coast FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

tallowwood, hog-plum

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Ximenia americana

Family:

Olacaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

10-20 (25) ft tall by 10-20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

yellow

Phenology:

deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Thorns

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Hedge plant, wildlife plant. Large shrub which can be trained as a tree in the right conditions. Crown is narrow and irregular and the trunks and branches are crooked or twisting.

Considerations:

Has thorns.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Stays wet ---to--- Very long 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, Loam, Lime Rock, Organic

Soil pH:

adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,10A,10B,11

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Attracts pollinators, especially bees.  Documented bees in clude Agapostemon splendens, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Dialictus placidensis, Coelioxys germana, Megachile mendica, Melissodes communis , and Apis mellifera (honeybee) (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Birds and other wildlife will eat the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Scrub, xeric hammocks, swamps.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Edible fruits. Fruit has also been used to make soap and cosmetics.

General Comments:

May be semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants which makes it challenging to grow. Best planted near a potential host such as an oak. May die back in winter in northern parts of its range,