FNPS Plant Database

Ardisia escallonioides

marlberry, marbleberry

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Nomenclature

Common Name:

marlberry, marbleberry

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Ardisia escallonioides

Family:

Myrsinaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub or small tree

Size:

3-15 (20) ft tall by 3-8 ft wide. Taller in southern Florida than to the north.

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Evergreen. Flowers intermittently throughout the year.

Noted For:

Aroma, Fragrance, Interesting Bark, Showy Fruits, Interesting Foliage, Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or hedge, or understory tree

Considerations:

Weak wood

Availability:

Native Plant Nurseries, FNPS Plant Sales

Propagation:

Seed, but it may take 6 months to germinate.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

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

-|----|--|----|----|---- <--------------------------> ----

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Somewhat long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.

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:

Sand

Soil pH:

circum-neutral to somewhat alkaline (6.5-8.5)

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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Ecology

Wildlife:

Birds
Birds eat the berries.
Bees, Pollinators
Attracts Halictid bees.

Native Habitats:

Moist to dry hammocks

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Fruit is edible.

General Comments:

Don't confuse this native with the two highly invasive ardisias: coral ardisia (A. crentata) and shoebutton ardisia (A. elliptica). While it will grow in full shade, it will have more flowers and fruit in part sun to full sun.

Citations:

Gann, G.D., C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. Natives For Your Neighborhood. https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Ardiesca, accessed 2025. Institute for Regional Conservation, Delray Beach, FL.


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


Nelson, Gil. 2003. Florida's Best Landscape Plants: 200 Readily Available Species for Homeowners and Professionals. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Pascarella, J. (1997). Pollination Ecology of Ardisia escallonioides (Myrsinaceae). Castanea, 62(1), 1-7. Retrieved Nov. 6, 2025, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/4034097


Workman, Richard W. 1980. Growing Native: Native Plants for Landscape Use in Coastal South Florida. Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Inc.: Sanibel, 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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