#566 Conocarpus erectus var.sericeus Common Names: silver buttonwood, silver-leaved buttonwood Family: Combretaceae (white mangrove Family) Get link to this Profile or click for data record #566

Silver buttonwood tree is a handsome choice for seaside plantings where it thrives with little attention.

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

The silver buttonwood tree's interesting fruits provide food for wildlife.

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.

Steve Christman 08/28/99; updated 4/25/04

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