FNPS Plant Database

Ximenia americana

tallowwood, hog-plum
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Lampkin, Nature Coast FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

tallowwood, hog-plum

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Ximenia americana

Family:

Olacaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

Shrub

Size:

10–20 (25) ft tall by 10–20 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

yellow

Phenology:

Deciduous

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Showy Fruits, Thorns

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Hedge plant, wildlife plant. Large shrub which can be trained as a tree in the right conditions. Crown is narrow and irregular and the trunks and branches are crooked or twisting.

Considerations:

Has thorns.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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Stays wet -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, Loam, Lime Rock, Organic

Soil pH:

Adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

9A,9B,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, Birds, Mammals

Attracts pollinators, especially bees. Documented bees in clude Agapostemon splendens, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Dialictus placidensis, Coelioxys germana, Megachile mendica, Melissodes communis, and Apis mellifera(honeybee) (Deyrup et al. 2002).

Birds and other wildlife will eat the fruit.

Native Habitats:

Scrub, xeric hammocks, swamps

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Edible fruits. Fruit has also been used to make soap and cosmetics.

General Comments:

May be semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants which makes it challenging to grow. Best planted near a potential host such as an oak. May die back in winter in northern parts of its range,.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Wunderlin, R. P, B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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