FNPS Plant Database

Picramnia pentandra

Florida bitterbush
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Florida bitterbush

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Picramnia pentandra

Family:

Picramniaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Shrub

Size:

10–15 ft tall by about 5 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

greenish-white

Fruit Color:

red

Phenology:

Evergreen

Noted For:

Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Useful as a grouped planting or potentially a small specimen tree or large shrub.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Very 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:

Soil pH:

Acidic to neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

10A,10B,11

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

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Caterpillars, Birds

Larval host for the dina yellow butterfly, Eurema dina.

Birds eat the seed. Dispersal is by birds and gravity.

Native Habitats:

Tropical rockland hammock

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Used as a tonic.

General Comments:

Listed as Endangered by the State of Florida. Please acquire only from reputable sources that have any needed permits. This has been known to escape outside of its range when cultivated.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Chafin, L. G. (2000). Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL.


de Figueiredo, Rodolfo & Sazima, Marlies. (2007). Phenology and Pollination Biology of Eight Peperomia Species (Piperaceae) in Semideciduous Forests in Southeastern Brazil. Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany). 9. 136-141. 10.1055/s-2006-924543. --- pollination


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


Minno, M., J. Butler, and D. Hall. (2005). Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.


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. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

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