FNPS Plant Database

Sideroxylon tenax

tough buckthorn, tough bully

PHOTOS COMING SOON!

Nomenclature

Common Name:

tough buckthorn, tough bully

Synonym(s):

Bumelia tenax

Genus species:

Sideroxylon tenax

Family:

Sapotaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

tree

Size:

12-30 ft tall by to 20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Evergreen (south) or deciduous (north). Flowers in summer. Fruits ripen in summer or fall. Life span 50+ yrs (Nelson 2003).

Noted For:

Thorns, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Hedge plant, specimen plant, woodland plant. Plant where the silky brown/gold undersides of the foliage will be seen.

Considerations:

Plant where it will have space. While many specimens in natural scrub settings are slow growing, this plant can be a robust growing in the landscape. Expect it to grow into a small tree.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales, Seed

Propagation:

Seed, cuttings.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

Coming Soon!

Not wet but not extremely dry ---to--- 1Stays wet

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

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B

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



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Birds, Mammals

Nectar plant for butterflies.





Attracts bees and flies.  A pollinator magnate.





Watching insects swarm over my tough bully trees is one of my summertime treats.

 Birds and other animals eat the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Sandhill, scrub.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This plant is easy to grow.



Weak wood.

Citations:

https://www.fdacs.gov/content/download/82393/file/CIRCULAR_Buckthorns_SIderoxylon.pdf



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



Huegel, Craig, N.  2010.  Native plant landscaping for Florida wildlife.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL. (wildlife uses).



Nelson, Gil.  2003.  Florida's Best Landscape Plants. Association of Florida Native Nurseries.



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.

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