Florida Boxwood

Description

Schaefferia frutescens (Florida-boxwood) is a species of flowering plant in the staff vine family, Celastraceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas, from southern Florida in the United States, south through the Caribbean to Central America and northwestern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador), and also Veracruz in Mexico. It grows at close to sea level in Florida, and up to 600 m altitude in Puerto Rico. It is an evergreen shrub or rarely a small tree growing to 4-5 m tall (exceptionally to 8 m), usually with several stems from the base; stem size is up to 18 cm diameter. The bark is smooth light gray, roughened by many narrow ridges. The leaves are leathery, yellow-green, 4-7 cm long and 12-25 mm broad. The flowers are small, pale green to whitish, produced in small clusters in the leaf axils. The fruit is an orange-red to red berry 4-8 mm diameter.