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Coco Plum
Chrysobalanus icaco L.
(kris-o-ba-LAY-nus i-KA-co)
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General:
An evergreen shrub
about 5 m. (15 ft.) tall, the coco plum is a desirable native used
extensively in landscapes of south Florida because of its attractive
foliage and edible fruit. It is sweet tasting, and was an
important food source to the Seminole Indians and early settlers.
If one takes the time, it makes delicious preserves. There is a
small industry of canning the fruit for export to Caribbean
island.
Flowers/Fruit:
The fragrant,
bell-shaped flowers form in clusters at leaf axils and appear
year-round. They are followed by a round, creamy to purple fruit
which may be eaten raw or made into a delicious preserves and
jelly. It has a pit that is grooved with a point on one
end. A single seed inside the pit is said to taste like an almond.
Leaves/Stems:
The nearly round,
leathery leaves, 5-8 cm. (2-3 in.) long, are alternately arranged on
the stem in two ranks rather than around the stem. Many leaf tips
are notched. The new growth is brightly colored when grown in the
full sun, from gold, orange to scarlet.
Distribution:
It is found in
coastal hammocks, beaches, dunes, swamps, bay and cypress heads mostly
in coastal counties from Manatee and Brevard south through the
Keys. It grows in the West Indies, Mexico, Central and South
America.
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