Conocarpus erectus var.sericeus
Common Names: silver buttonwood, silver-leaved buttonwood
Family: Combretaceae (white mangrove Family)
tree Shrub Drought Tolerant For Wet, Boggy Areas Can be Grown in
Containers Has Ornamental (non-edible) Fruit Has evergreen foliage
Description
Silver buttonwood is a variety of buttonwood that usually grows as a
low branching shrub with several trunks, but under ideal conditions
silver buttonwood can become a handsome vase-shaped tree up to 50 ft
(15.2 m) tall with a 20 ft (6.1 m) spread. The evergreen leaves are
oblong to lance-shaped, 2-4 in (5.1-10.2 cm) long and arranged
alternately. Whereas typical buttonwood has glabrous (hairless)
leaves, the leaves of silver buttonwood are covered with a dense mat
of silky hairs which imparts a beautiful silver-gray color to the
plant. The flowers are inconspicuous but the fruit clusters are
rather showy brownish-red cone-like buttons, each containing many
tiny fruits. The cultivar, 'Momba', has a very dense crown and is
smaller.
Location
Typical buttonwood occurs in coastal swamps, coastal hammocks and
coastal strands from Dixie and Volusia Counties in Florida, south
throughout the New World tropics and on the other side of the
Atlantic along the coast of West Africa. (The fruit clusters float!)
It usually grows in a zone adjacent to and just inland from the
mangrove zone. The silver variety occurs naturally in southern
Florida but is widely cultivated.
Culture
Light: Prefers full sun but tolerates partial shade.
Moisture: Drought tolerant and also tolerates occasional to frequent
wet soil.
Hardiness: USDA Zones 10 - 11. Possibly hardy into Zone 9B
Propagation: By cuttings or layering
Usage
Silver buttonwood is salt tolerant and thrives in soils that are
acidic to alkaline, clayey to sandy, and dry to wet. It does well in
cities where air pollution, compacted soils and poor drainage
preclude most trees. It is one tough tree, but it doesn't like
frost! Silver buttonwood is often used in containers or above-ground
planters on patios or decks. It is widely planted in South Florida
and tropical America around parking lots and along streets. It is
ideal in an informal hedge, a clipped hedge, or as a specimen tree.
Silver buttonwood makes an outstanding beachfront tree where it will
become contorted and twisted as it adapts to the constant wind and
spray.
Features
Buttonwood (whose wood is hard and without growth rings) was once an
important source of charcoal in South Florida. It is said to be
excellent for smoking fish and meat. Silver buttonwood, with its
small, silver leaves and contorted trunk, is a favorite subject for
bonsai. |
