Saffron Plum
Sideroxylon celastrinum
Plant Family: Sapotaceae
Leaves: Alternate, simple, obovate, leathery, green above, paler beneath, to 4 cm, clustered on spur twigs; short spines may be present at the twig bases and larger thorns appear along the branches.
Bark: Dark brown-gray, smoother on young trees, fissured to blocky on mature trees.
Flowers: Small, white, fragrant, in clusters in the leaf axils; spring to summer, also at other times of the year.
Fruits: A green stalked berry to 2.5 cm that ripens to blue-black, edible; late summer into winter. The fruits are eaten by wildlife.
Habitat: Hammocks on the coast.
Growth Form: Small tree.
Similar Species: Tough Bully (Sideroxylon tenax) has leaves densely brown hairy beneath. Florida Bully (Sideroxylon reclinatum) has smaller fruits and prefers pinelands and drier soils rather than coastal hammocks.
Comments: The Florida species formerly assigned to the genus Bumelia have been moved to the genus Sideroxylon. Saffron Plum is called Bumelia celastrina in older references.
