Citharexylum spinosum
Photo by Kari Ruder. Photograph belongs to the photographer who allows use for FNPS purposes only. Please contact the photographer for all other uses.
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 9B
2002-2022, Copyright Florida Native Plant Society
Fiddlewood
Verbenaceae
Also known as Citharexylum fruticosum
Plant Specifics
| Size: | 12 - 25 feet ft tall by to 12 feet ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | White | |
| Fruit Color: | Young fruits orange, mature to brown | |
| Phenology: | Evergreen. Dioecious. Flowers and fruits throughout the year. Moderately long lived (Nelson 2003) | |
| Habitats: | Dry sites. Pinelands, maritime and sub-tropical or tropical hammocks |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Wonderful in a mixed hedge, can be sheared to desired height, but the flowers and berries are too good to be missed. Excellent specimen plant. This plant is naturally multi-stemmed; to form a tree, the stems must be continually reduced to one until a trunk is formed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| Moisture Tolerance: | Somewhat moist, no flooding ----- to ----- Somewhat long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil/Substrate: | Lime rock, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wildlife
Berries eaten by many species of bids and other wildlife.
Larval host for fiddlewood leafroller moth (Epicorsia oedipodalis) (Institute for Regional Conservation).
Nectar plant for butterflies.
Attracts bee pollinators.