Coco Plum

More residents and tourists alike in South Florida probably have seen coco plum (Chrysobalanus icaco) more than any other Florida native plant. That's not because it is rampant in nature, but because it is the plant of choice for parking lot hedges more often than not. You don't have to get too far south of Tampa before it starts turning up in every McDonald's, Wendy's, and other fast food emporia, as well as home landscapes. It's too bad in a way that it makes such an excellent hedge, because left untrimmed and uncrowded it can become a very attractive shrub or small tree.

Recently-Planted Hedge Showing Red New Growth 

That it can survive these urban situations and the constant trimming by the mow-and-go gangs says a lot about its toughness. In fact, it occurs naturally in both salty and dry environments like the back of beach sand dunes and in inland swamps.

Chrysobalanaceae is a fairly small family with 400-500 species, and occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical climates. Coco plum is one of 2 species that occurs in the U.S., the other being gopher apple (Licania michauxii). Its range in Florida is limited roughly to frost free areas, or areas that experience below freezing temperatures for only very short times.

The evergreen leaves are mainly obovate ( narrow at base, very rounded at top) or orbicular (nearly circular). Some of the leaves have a slightly pointed tip. Leaves are smooth, tough and leathery. They occur alternately on the branch, with a very upright, even overlapping posture. New growth on the type most commonly seen here is reddish.

Chrysobalanus icaco - Leaf Posture, New Growth

Coco plum produces clusters of flowers in the angles between leaves and stem, and is blooming now. The tiny white flowers are said to be fragrant, but I can't detect a lot of scent from my neighbor's hedge. Perhaps the yard crew trims off too many of the flowers. Depending on the type, the round fruit is either purple or yellowish- white. I have seen a form with  pink fruit in a section of the Rookery Bay Reserve near where I live.

Pink-fruited Form

The fruits are edible. One source describes them as sweet and juicy, but the few I have tried have been pretty bland. Some people make jellies and jams from them. They are an important source of food for wildlife, and were/are important  in the diet of Florida's indigenous peoples. The fruits contain a single seed, which also is edible, and is oily enough to sustain a small flame. Seeds are dispersed via animal droppings or by water, flowing downstream from fresh habitats, or in ocean currents.

Fruits start out green, then turn reddish, and finally reach their full color. According to Dr. Daniel Austin a tea made from the bark or roots has been used to treat dysentery and as a general tonic.

Young Fruits

Younger stems are cinnamon brown with numerous lenticels - raised pithy and porous growths that aid in gas exchange.

Stem with Lenticels and Ripe Fruits

Sources:

Peggy Sias Lantz. Florida's Edible Wild Plants. Seaside Publishing. 2014.
Dr. Daniel Austin. Coastal Dune Plants. Gumbo Limbo Nature Center of Palm Beach County. 1991.
Daniel Austin
Walter Kingsley Taylor. Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities. University Press of Florida. 1998.
Gil Nelson. The Shrubs and Woody Vines of Florida. Pineapple Press. 1996.