According to Kew Gardens, it is from Central America and probably Cuba and Florida.   After going through the photos and labels for specimens in the S , Tolerance, Unknown Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Noted for being weedy. , Habitat, Disturbed. Old orange groves, pasture, roadsides. May occur naturally along the west FL coast including shell mounds and dunes . All records for in , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Foliage when crushed smells like citrus. This small tree has an elegant appearance that makes it suited to use as a specimen plant. The glossy evergr , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray wo , Considertions, Potentially subject to laurel wilt disease. , Wildlife, Wildlife food plant. , Habitat, Tropical hammocks. This is naturally an understory tree and also as a colonizer of disturbed sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Insect pollinated.  Said to be a good honey plant (Haehle and  Brookwell 1999).

Both male and female plants required for pollination and seed set. Specimen tree.  Screen. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sharp spines (teeth) on leaves. , Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds. , Habitat, Upland woods, second bottom but will not tolerate long flooding. Often an understory plant. Documented in Lee County in a site likely to be natural. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Bees pollinate flowers.

This is an endangered species. Please do not steal from the wild. Mostly grown as a curiosity as it is an early morning bloomer and nearly invisible , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Is endemic to only a few counties in NE Florida and does best in a fire-controlled habitat. , Wildlife, Attracts bumblebees (Huegel, C. 2013. Palmetto 31: 3-6) , Habitat, Wet to mesic flatwoods. Does well in fire-maintained habitats. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Endemic.  This plant is listed as endangered by the State of Florida. Harvesting and transporting from the wild require landowner permission and may r , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without i , Considertions, Be careful to plant only your local verbenas.  Closely related verbenas hybridize, and you do not want to damage the genetics of the species found nat , Habitat, Back dunes, dunal swales, coastal hammocks. Sandy open areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar source for a variety of butterflies and moths, including Gulf fritillaries, hawkmoths and long-tailed skippers. Pollinated by mi