Family: Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

Native range: Old and New World tropics.

Description: A dense, spreading, usually multi-trunked tree to 40 feet or more with green, heart-shaped, 4- to 5-inch leaves with tapering tips. Solitary, 2-inch long, cup-shaped, hibiscus-like flowers begin yellow but turn red before falling. Flowers are produced yearround. The fruit is a 1- to 2-inch wide, flat-topped, brown, leathery capsule.

Ecological threat:   Seaside mahoe colonizes shoreline habitats and can form dense, impenetrable stands, crowding and shading out native vegetation. The fruit are buoyant in seawater, enabling seeds to be carried by ocean currents to distant shores.

Distribution in Florida: Central and southern Florida, including the Florida Keys.

Background:  Introduced as a salt- and drought-tolerant flowering tree for coastal landscapes but seldom seen purposely propagated in Florida today. Its large size and low, spreading branches limit its use in the urban landscape. Sometimes seen as a street tree and as a landscape tree in coastal parks and large oceanfront estates.