Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Southern Texas Plains
Coastal Sand Plain, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies
Rio Grande Floodplain and Terraces, Texas-Tamaulipan Thornscrub
Plant Characteristics
Growth Form
Shrub
Height
3
to
6
ft.
Spread
3
to
6
ft.
Leaf Retention
Semi Evergreen
Lifespan
Perennial
Habitat and Care Requirements
Soil Type(s)
Sand, Loam, Clay, Limestone, Well Drained, Dry
Light Requirement
Part Shade
Water Requirement
Medium
Native Habitat
Woodland
Bloom and Attraction
Bloom Color
Pink
Bloom Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Seasonal Interest
Fruit, Forage, Nectar, Larval Host, Flowers
Wildlife Benefit
Browsers, Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals
Maintenance
Useful as a dense screening hedge that may be left soft, sheared, or as a specimen. Usually a shrub, but sometimes a small tree in regions with more rainfall. Propagation: softwood cutting.
Comments
Blooms April-October. Barbados Cherry develops into a thick, rounded canopy of fairly delicate foliage. It is evergreen above 25 degrees F. Small pink flowers are followed by bright red berries. Larval host: Brown-banded Skipper, White-patched Skipper, Florida Duskywing, Cassius Blue. Replaces non-native: Nandina.
References
1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 250. 3) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAGL6. 4) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=14453&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 5) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=565291#null, 6) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014.
