Conocarpus erectus

Native to tropical American coasts from southern Florida through the Caribbean and Central America to Peru and Brazil, and to western tropical Africa south to northern Angola, this plant is an evergreen shrub or tree. It can reach thirty to forty-five feet tall, often with several trunks. It grows on the landward margins of mangrove swamps and along rocky shores. The alternate leaves have smooth edges and two glands near the base of the blade; some forms have dense silky hairs and silvery foliage. Small greenish flowers grow in compact heads that develop into reddish-brown, buttonlike fruit clusters. Older bark becomes dark, scaly and fissured. Its strong wood has been used for cabinetwork, firewood and charcoal, and its bark for tanning leather. Photographed in Florida.