FNPS Plant Database

Pithecellobium keyense

Florida Keys blackbead
  • Photo by: Roger Hammer, Dade Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

Florida Keys blackbead

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Pithecellobium keyense

Family:

Fabaceae (Leguminosae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

Shrub

Size:

to 8 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, orange, pink

Fruit Color:

brown - red and black arils

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms winter-spring. Fruits mature in summer

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Screen or hedge plant. Informal foundation shrub. Blooms profusely in late fall. Fruits are contorted and split open to reveal red seeds.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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

Not wet but not extremely dry -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, 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.

Vouchered In:

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

Ecology

Wildlife:

Butterflies, Caterpillars, Birds

Larval host for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius theonus), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), and Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri) butterflies. Nectar plant for cassius blue, Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus), Florida white (Appias drusilla), giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), great southern white (Ascia monuste), hammock skipper (Polygonus leo), large orange sulphur, mangrove skipper (Phocides pigmalion), Miami blue, Palatka skipper (Euphyes pilatka), southern broken-dash (Wallengrenia otho), three-spotted skipper (Cymaenes tripunctus), twin-spot skipper (Oligorio maculata) and other butterflies. (IRC).

Birds eat the fruits and the red&black arils.

Native Habitats:

Tropical/coastal hammock edges, dunes, fields. Dry sites

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Listed as Threatened by the State of Florida. Please acqure from reputable sources.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Minno, Marc, and Maria Minno. (1999). Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies. 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.

Request an update