Guaiacum sanctum (Holywood Lignum Vitae)

Native to southern Florida, the West Indies, Mexico and Central America, this slow-growing evergreen tree often develops several trunks and a dense, rounded crown. Compound leaves consist of paired, oval leaflets. Clusters of bluish-purple flowers appear through much of the year, with older blossoms fading to pale silvery blue. Yellow-orange, five-winged capsules open to expose dark seeds with bright red coverings. Its resinous wood is exceptionally dense and hard, sinking in water, and was historically used for bearings, gears, mallets and ship propeller shafts. It is Near Threatened in the wild. Photographed in Colombia.