Endemic to Florida. Occasionally grown as a curiosity. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Seeds eaten by small birds. , Habitat, Savannas near and in the Apalachicola National Forest. , Did You Know?, Attracts bumble bees, butterflies

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

Not much information is available on growing this species. Likely to be somewhat difficult to establish but very durable once established. Specimen p , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Attracts pollinators, especially important for native bees. Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit. Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hem , Habitat, Dry, sandy, well-drained sites including scrub and sandhill. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits

Specimen plant, screen plantings, sometimes with unusual or weeping form. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Thorns. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.  Used as browse by deer and rabbits. , Habitat, Dry sites. Open woods, mixed woods, sandy pinelands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hemaris thysbe), striped hairstreak butterfly(Satyrium liparops), and blinded sphinx