Lancewood

Hello. I have a Lancewood growing in my demonstration garden. It is roughly 15' tall and is 9 years old. Being an under-story tree, I am ...Read Morehesitant to believe the height listed here is correct. Rofino Osorio has it listed at "to 25 feet tall but usually smaller" in his book, "A Gardeners Guide to Florida Native Plants". I can provide photos of my 9 year old tree as well as close-ups of the beautiful orchid shaped clusters of spring flowers that it produces in abundance. This is a wonderful addition to any yard as a small ornamental tree or used as a large shrub for screening. I hope these comments help. Kind Regards - Jane Thompson - Indian Trails Native Nursery, Florida

Lancewood is a tall, straight shrub or small tree native to the hardwood tropical hammocks and shell mounds of coastal East and East-cent...Read Moreral Florida south through the Keys. It is an excellent member of the Lauraceae (laurel) family, and it's berries provide food for wildlife. The name "Lancewood" comes from the fact that it's stems or branches are absolutely straight, slim and pointed at the tip, like an arrow or "Lance", and was used by the Native American Indians such as the Tekesta, Ais and Calusa Tribes that once inhabited coastal Florida in the hammocks and shell mounds on the barrier islands (some of which are in fact "Indian Middens" of oyster and clam shells which are deposits of what the Indians once ate as food along the once-remote ancient Florida Peninsula shorelines on the barrier islands) as spears used to hunt fish, wildlife or defend their tribes and territories. This is a great native plant if you have suitable habitat for it and seeds for growing it!

MORE FACTS - Common on barrier islands from zone 9a southward.