Citharexylum spinosum
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Fiddlewood
Verbenaceae
Also known as Citharexylum fruticosum
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Shrub | |
| Size: | 12 - 25 feet ft tall by to 12 feet ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | White | |
| Fruit Color: | Young fruits orange, mature to brown | |
| Phenology: | Evergreen. Dioecious. Flowers and fruits throughout the year. Moderately long lived (Nelson 2003) | |
| Noted for: | Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Wonderful in a mixed hedge, can be sheared to desired height, but the flowers and berries are too good to be missed. Excellent specimen plant. This plant is naturally multi-stemmed; to form a tree, the stems must be continually reduced to one until a trunk is formed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seeds, cuttings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Friends, Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales, Quality nurseries, Specialty providers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Somewhat long very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Somewhat long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Lime rock, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | 5-8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Berries eaten by many species of bids and other wildlife. | |
| Insects: | Larval host for fiddlewood leafroller moth (Epicorsia oedipodalis) (Institute for Regional Conservation). Nectar plant for butterflies. Attracts bee pollinators. | |
| Native Habitats: | Dry sites. Pinelands, maritime and sub-tropical or tropical hammocks |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | The strong and heavy wood of this plant are also the source of its name - it has long been used for musical instruments, including violins, guitars and others. | |
| General Comments: | The shiny green leaves, gently fragrant flowers and glossy berries make this a charming plant. Can occasionally be subject to defoliation by the moth larvae, but these are an excellent food source for birds and their nestlings, and the fiddlewood regenerates quickly. |