When is a Lantana not a Lantana? When it is Bloodberry! At first glance this plant looks for-all-the-world like a Lantana sp., especially the flowers, but it's not, it is Cordia globosa. Closer examination shows hairy leaves and the bright red berries that give the plant its name. The white flowers bloom all year round. The plant grows in full sun to light shade and likes moist soils. It can get quite tall, up to 10 feet, though up to 5 feet is more typical. The plant has the reputation as a butterfly magnet and its berries are attractive to birds.
Bloodberry is native to south Florida where it is found in hammock edges and coastal rock barrens. We added it to the Chapter Garden because it is listed as endangered by the state of Florida. You have to wonder how it could be endangered when it makes so many seedlings but, like other Florida biota, the answer is probably habitat loss. We have been potting-up seedlings and hope to have this plant available at Plant Native Day: Saturday, February 26, 2011.
Here's a challenge: the plant key in Wunderlin and Hansen's Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, 2nd edition gives "Styles twice bifid" as the key characteristic of the genus Cordia. Submit a picture or a clear written explanation of this characteristic and it will be published in the next newsletter. Send your responses to Jane Wallace, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
References:
Natives for your Neighborhood, Butterflybush, Curacao bush www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Cordglob
Online Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants, Cordia globosa www.florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=3821
Wunderlin, R. P. and Hansen, B.F. Boraginaceae (Borage Family) in Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, 2nd edition. page 350. Gainesville, FL : University Press of Florida, 2003.
Photo by Denny Girard