FNPS Plant Database
Schaefferia frutescens
Nomenclature
Common Name:
Synonym(s):
Genus species:
Family:
Celastraceae
Plant Specifics
Form:
Size:
Life Span:
Long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
Fruit Color:
Phenology:
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Considerations:
Availability:
Propagation:
Light:
Moisture Tolerance:
Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry
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Somewhat moist, no flooding -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:
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:
Ecology
Wildlife:
Insect pollinated.
Birds eat the fruit.
Native Habitats:
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
General Comments:
Citations:
Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Florida Boxwood [in] Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Schafrut ). Accessed 2026. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.
Gilman, Edward F, Ryan W. Klein, and Gail Hansen. (2023). Schaefferia frutescens , Florida Boxwood. ( https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP540.) Accessed 2026. Dept. of Environmental Horticulture, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gainesville, FL.
Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.
Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Tomlinson, P. B. (1974). Breeding Mechanisms in Trees Native to Tropical Florida— A Morphological Assessment. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum, 55(2), 269–290. ) http://www.jstor.org/stable/43781937 ). Accessed 2026.
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.
