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Chrysobalanus icaco
Coco Plum
Florida native
A frequent evergreen shrub or small tree of coastal hammocks and strands of the southern peninsula northward into Brevard and Sarasota Counties, plus Pasco County. Also found in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and other parts of the tropical Americas and west Africa.
Growing to 5m (16 ft.) in height with alternate leaves two-ranked along the stem usually growing erect so that they all appear to be on the top of the stem. Leaves are oval to nearly round, simple, leathery, dark shiny green 2-8cm (3/4 to 3 in.) long and 1-6cm (1/3 to 2-1/3 in.) wide with slightly notched tips. The small 5-7mm (~1/4 in.) long, white, bell-shaped flowers appear in the leaf axils. Fruit is a roundish one-seeded drupe, 1-4cm (up to 1-1/2 in.) in diameter, usually dark purple to yellow but occasionally white.
Chrysobalanus icaco is a member of the Chrysobalanaceae - Cocoa-plum family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Jul 15, 2021
