Chrysobalanus icaco

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Coco Plum, Cocoplum

Chrysobalanaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:Shrub
Size:10-30 ft tall by 10-20 ft wide
Life Span:Long-lived perennial
Flower Color:White
Fruit Color:Unripe fruits pink maturing to purple-black
Phenology:Evergreen. Blooms and fruits throughout the year.
Noted for:Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:Hedges, specimen plants, screens.
Propagation:Seed or hardwood cuttings.
Availability:Native nurseries, Quality nurseries
Light: Full Sun,  Part Shade
Moisture Tolerance:
always floodedextremely dry
 (Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods)
Moisture Tolerance: Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance:Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray.
Soil or other substrate:Clay, Sand
Soil pH:Broadly tolerant

Ecology

Wildlife:
  

Wildlife and birds consume the fruits though they areless useful for small birds due to itheir large size.

Provides dense cover.

Insects:
 

Attracts various pollinators, especially bees.

Native Habitats:Coastal swamps, beaches, cypress dones, Everglades tree islands, edges of ditches and canals.

Distribution and Planting Zones

Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones

Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 

USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures

Comments

Ethnobotany:Jelly is sometimes made from the fruits.
General Comments:

Pasco County occurrence is a 2004 specimen from Anclote Key Preserve and is a potential indicator of northward migration due to global warming.