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Tough Bumelia

Sideroxylon tenax

Found in maritime scrub, maritime forests, rarely somewhat inland in hammocks and FL scrub. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

77
Strong

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

Profile 100%

Height
12–30 feet
Spread
10–20 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to moist

Space about 15 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

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

Recorded in 30 Florida 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

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Coastal Plain hammocks

Dense, evergreen groves of live oak, magnolia and other hardwoods in the southern Coastal Plain, from dry oak domes to wet hydric hammocks and south Florida's tropical hammocks; salt-shaped maritime hammocks are maritime forests.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 235 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Sideroxylon

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Cecrita cubanaCuban Heterocampa
  • Enaemia pupulaBumelia Leafworm Moth, Streaked Lactura
  • Enaemia subfervensSpeckled Lactura
  • Erinnyis elloEllo Sphinx
  • Euerythra phasmaRed-Tailed Specter Moth
  • Eustixia pupulaSpotted Peppergrass Moth
  • Litodonta hydromeliOrange-Banded Prominent
  • Urodus parvulaBumelia Webworm
  • Zomaria interruptolineanaBroken-Lined Zomaria
Show all 15
  • Eucosmophora manilkarae
  • Eucosmophora sideroxylonella
  • Phyllocnistis intermediella
  • Zamagiria arctella
  • Zamagiria australella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
8BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Sideroxylon

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
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Sideroxylon

  • Colletes bumeliae
  • Colletes inuncantipedis
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Patagioenas leucocephalaWhite-crowned Pigeon
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
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
Sapotaceae
Hardiness
Zones 8a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
White
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

Bumelia tenax

Conservation status

Florida rankSNR
Global rankG3?
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources