Spiny fiddlewood

Description

Citharexylum spinosum is a species of flowering plant in the verbena family, Verbenaceae, that is native to southern Florida in the United States, the Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Common names include Florida fiddlewood and Spiny fiddlewood. It is a tree that reaches a height of up to 15 m (49 ft). The ovate to elliptic leaves are 4–20 cm (1.6–7.9 in) long and have orange petioles. Small white flowers are produced throughout the year on hanging axillary and terminal racemes and panicles 20–40 cm (7.9–15.7 in) in length. The fruit are red to black subglobose drupes 7–10 mm (0.28–0.39 in) in diameter. Citharexylum is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. It contains shrub and tree species commonly known as Fiddlewoods or Zitherwoods. They are native to the Americas, ranging from southern Florida and Texas in the United States to Argentina. The highest diversity occurs in Mexico and the Andes. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ------ (kithara), meaning "lyre", and ----- (xylon), meaning "wood," referring to the use of the wood in the sounding boards of string instruments.Several species, especially C. caudatum and C. spinosum, are cultivated as ornamentals.