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Swamp Redbay

Tamala palustris

Found in swamps, pocosins, bay forests, maritime forests, generally in wet peaty soils, but also in fairly dry, sandy soils in maritime forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

73
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 35 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
September to October

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 29 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 138 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

27CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Persea

  • Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Caloptilia violacellaTick-Trefoil Caloptilia
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cryptaspasma bipenicillaWhite-Dotted Cryptaspasma
  • Cryptothelea gloveriiOrange Bagworm
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Epimecis hortariaTulip-Tree Beauty
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Show all 27
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
  • Orgyia detritaLive Oak Tussock Moth, Fir Tussock Moth
  • Oxydia vesuliaSpurge Spanworm Moth
  • Papilio cresphontesEastern Giant Swallowtail
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Urodus parvulaBumelia Webworm
  • Cenopis lamberti
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
8BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Tamala

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Persea

  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Lauraceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–11b
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Persea palustris

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources