Sideroxylon tenax
Photo by Shirley Denton. 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 9A 9B
2002-2022, Copyright Florida Native Plant Society
Tough Buckthorn, Tough Bully
Sapotaceae
Also known as Bumelia tenax
Plant Specifics
| 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). | |
| Habitats: | Sandhill, scrub. |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Hedge plant, specimen plant, woodland plant. Plant where the silky brown/gold undersides of the foliage will be seen. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun, Part Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| Moisture Tolerance: | Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray Tolerance: | Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil/Substrate: | Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wildlife
Birds and other animals eat the fruit.
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.