Cordia boissieri

Native to southern Texas and eastern Mexico, this plant is a slow-growing evergreen shrub or small tree reaching about twenty feet tall. It often has several trunks, a rounded crown and gray to light brown bark that becomes deeply fissured. The alternate, oval leaves have smooth edges and a velvety texture, with gray-green upper surfaces and silvery undersides. White, trumpet-shaped flowers with yellow throats form clusters at the branch tips. Flowering is most prominent in late spring and early summer but can continue through the year when moisture is available. The fleshy, olive-shaped fruits are eaten by birds and other wildlife. The species grows in dry shrubland, including limestone thornscrub, and can lose leaves during severe frost. Photographed in Florida.