FNPS Plant Database

Exothea paniculata

inkwood
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

inkwood

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Exothea paniculata

Family:

Sapindaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

20-35 (45) ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,orange

Fruit Color:

orange,red,purple

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms winter-early spring. Fruits ripen in spring-summer.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed though said to be slow to sprout and not easy to establish.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■□□□□□□

Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Somewhat long very dry periods

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, Loam, Lime Rock

Soil pH:

Calcareous (high pH)

Suitable to Grow In:

10A,10B,11

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



Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds

Attracts a variety of insect pollinators.

Fruits are used by birds.

Native Habitats:

Hammocks.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Known for dense, hard wood.



Ink can be made from the berries or the bark.

General Comments:

Citations:

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



Institute for Regional Conservation.  Accessed 2021.  Natives for Your Neighborhood.  https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Exotpani.  (soils, SF occrrence, salt).



Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A gardener's guide to Florida's native plants.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

Request an update