Species Overview

Native to: Caribbean, Cuba to Grenada

Introduced in south Florida in 1964 and widely planted as a landscape tree. Santa Maria now invades mangrove forests and other coastal areas. Dense stands of seedlings and saplings have been observed along the fringes of coastal mangrove and buttonwood forests as wel as in inland hardwood forests.

Species Characteristics

• Family: Clusiaceae
• Habit: straight-trunked tree typically 12m (40 ft) tall
• Leaves: opposite, simple, petioled, elliptic, 10-15 cm (4-6 in) long; blades very shiny, margins entire; blade tips rounded to minutely notched
• Flowers: small, in few-flowered racemes at leaf axils, white, fragrant, with many yellow stamens
• Fruit: 1-seeded, hard-shelled drupe, brown, globose, about 2.5 cm (1 in) wide
• Seeds: globose, 13 mm in diameter, cotyledons immense
• Distribution in Florida: coastal south 

Impacts

Santa Maria forms dense stands crowding out native species and preventing their establishment. Seedlings and saplings reach high densities at the edge of mangrove swamps in south Florida. The tree can withstand inundation and brackish conditions, thereby increasing its ability to establish populations. Flowers in summer, fruits prolifically in south Florida and is spread by seed.

Santa Maria is not recommended by UF/IFAS for south Florida. The UF/IFAS Assessment lists Santa Maria as a species of caution in south Florida (requires management to prevent escape) and not a problem/undocumented in central and north Florida. FLEPPC lists it as a Category 1 invasive species in south Florida due to its ability to invade and displace native plant communities.

Santa Maria should be removed and disposed of properly to prevent spread. 

Hand pull seedlings.

Remove mature trees.

There are no known biological control agents for Santa Maria.

• Basal bark: 10–20% Garlon 4. Follow-up herbicide applications may be necessary.