FNPS Plant Database

Sideroxylon foetidissimum

mastic, false mastic, wild olive
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

mastic, false mastic, wild olive

Synonym(s):

Mastichodendron foetidissimum

Genus species:

Sideroxylon foetidissimum

Family:

Sapotaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Tree

Size:

30–60 (70) ft tall by 30–50 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

yellow, orange

Phenology:

Evergreen. Flowers early summer. Fruits ripen late winter-early spring. Life span about 100 yrs. (Nelson)

Noted For:

Hurricane Wind Resistance, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Shade tree. Can be used in settings such as parking lot edges, street tree, etc.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed, cuttings.

Light:

Full 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:

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.

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Birds, Mammals

Attracts insect pollinators.

Povides good cover. Birds and small mammals are attracted to the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Tropical hammocks

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

The fruits are edible raw, but the latex is very sticky. The wood is used for ship building in the West Indies.

General Comments:

Interesting buttressed trunks.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Corogin, Paul T. (2018). The Buckthorns (Genus Sideroxylon): An Underappreciated Group of Florida Native Plants. FDACS-P-01915. ( https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/82393/file/CIRCULAR_Buckthorns_SIderoxylon.pdf ). Accessed 2026. Florida Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Tallahassee, FL.


Huegel, Craig N. (2010). Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Nelson, Gil. (2003). Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. (2001). A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


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.

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