Ximenia americana
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Tallowwood, Hog-plum
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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Stays Wet ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Stays Wet ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon (major storms). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Loam, Organic material (muck), Lime rock, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Adaptable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Birds and other wildlife will eat the fruit. | |
| Insects: | 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). | |
| Native Habitats: | Scrub, xeric hammocks, swamps. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
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, |