Florida-boxwood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Florida-boxwood |
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| Schaefferia frutescens photographed at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Schaefferia (plant)
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| Species: |
frutescens
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| Synonyms | |
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Schaefferia completa Sw. |
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The Florida-boxwood (scientific name: Schaefferia frutescens) is a cool plant. It's a type of flowering plant that belongs to the Celastraceae family. This family includes many different kinds of trees and shrubs.
You can find the Florida-boxwood in warm, tropical places. It grows naturally across the Americas. This includes southern Florida in the United States. It also lives throughout the Caribbean islands. You can see it in Central America and parts of northwestern South America. This includes countries like Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It's also found in Veracruz, Mexico. In Florida, it grows near the ocean. In places like Puerto Rico, it can grow higher up, even at 600 meters (about 2,000 feet) above sea level.
What the Florida-Boxwood Looks Like
The Florida-boxwood is usually a shrub. This means it's a bushy plant with many stems. Sometimes, it can grow into a small tree. It stays green all year round, which is why it's called an evergreen plant.
Size and Stems
This plant typically grows about 4 to 5 meters tall. That's like 13 to 16 feet, or about the height of a one-story house. Very rarely, it can grow even taller, up to 8 meters (26 feet). It often has several stems growing from its base. These stems can be up to 18 centimeters (about 7 inches) wide.
Bark and Leaves
The bark of the Florida-boxwood is smooth and light gray. It has many thin ridges that make it a bit rough. Its leaves feel leathery. They are a yellow-green color. Each leaf is usually 4 to 7 centimeters (1.5 to 2.7 inches) long. They are also about 12 to 25 millimeters (0.5 to 1 inch) wide.
Flowers and Fruit
The Florida-boxwood has small flowers. They are pale green or whitish. These tiny flowers grow in small groups. You can find them where the leaves meet the stem. After the flowers, the plant produces fruit. This fruit is a small, round berry. It changes color from orange-red to bright red when it's ripe. Each berry is about 4 to 8 millimeters (0.15 to 0.3 inches) across.
