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Forestiera acuminata (Michx.)Poir.
Eastern Swampprivet
Florida native
An occasional shrub of swamps and wet hammocks in the Florida counties bordering the Apalachicola and Suwannee Rivers south to Alachua. The range includes the southern states east into South Carolina, west into Texas through Kansas, and north into Illinois and Indiana.
Growing up to 13m (43 ft.) tall, this deciduous shrub or small tree often has arching branches. The leaves are opposite, simple and lanceolate, tapering to a point (acuminate) at both the tip and the base. The small yellow flowers appear in clusters along the stem in early spring. The fruit is a bluish to puplish drupe, ovoid to ellipsoid in shape, 10-15mm (~1/2 in.) long and 7-10mm (~1/3 in.) wide.
Forestiera acuminata is a member of the Oleaceae - Olive family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Mar 15, 2023
