The tuber of this plant is edible and very crisp; it adds texture to salads.  The tuber has a segmented appearance reminiscent of a rattlesnake tail. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Quite aggressive in the landscape and difficult to get rid of because of its deep tubers. , Habitat, Moist-wet disturbed sites. Flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and butterflies.

Specimen plant. Slow growing. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Leaves have sharp spines. It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females. , Wildlife, Fruits principally eaten by birds. , Habitat, Scrub. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Thorns Pollinated by bees.  Documented bee species include Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Megachilepetulans and Xylocop

Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Dry mesic to xeric pine flatwoods and dry open woods. Sandhills, secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attractive to native bees and other pollinators.

It is listed as Endangered by the state of Florida. Understory tree. Use as screen or specimen plant. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and small mammals. Hummingbirds visit the flowers. , Habitat, Rockland hammock in coastal areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Nectar plant for Schaus' swallowtail (Heraclides aristodemius) and other butterflies.

Shade tree. It is known for its smooth light gray bark. Its leaves turn yellow and then light brown remaining on the tree until nearly spring and prov , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This is a large tree that will produce dense shade and many root suckers. Take this into consideration when deciding where to plant it. Slow growing. , Wildlife, Fruits (a nut in a bur) are valued by wildlife.  Tree valued for nesting by some songbirds. , Habitat, Upland, mesic to dry mesic hardwood forests. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval host for walnut sphinx (Amorpha juglandis).

Use in  wildflower gardens. Gradually spreads to form small clusters of plants. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Primarily wind dispersed, but small birds consume seed. , Habitat, Moist to moderately dry well-drained soils , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Butterflies and bees including green metallic, sweat, leafcutter, bumble and mining bees (Florida Wildflower Foundation).