Colubrina elliptica
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Colubrina elliptica | |
|---|---|
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| Leaves and fruit in Florida | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Genus: | Colubrina |
| Species: | C. elliptica |
| Binomial name | |
| Colubrina elliptica (Sw.) Brizicky & W.L. Stern | |
Colubrina elliptica, also known as mabi or soldierwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Rhamnaceae that is native to the Florida Keys, the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and Venezuela.[3]
It produces fruit the size of peppercorns; when ripe, the fruits explode, shooting their seeds several feet away and making explosions that sound like rounds of musket fire, hence the name "soldierwood". It is also called "nakedwood", due to its smooth bark with peels. The tree can grow very large, with a trunk circumference as large as 33 inches, a height of 47 feet tall, and with a tree crown spread 26 feet according to the American Forests Register of Champion Trees.[4]
Ecology
This tree is recognized for its size and also for the critical ecosystem services that it provides, such as food and shelter for wildlife, its water purification abilities, and its role in absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere and storing carbon in its wood.
