''Sideroxylon salicifolium'', commonly called white bully
or willow bustic, is a species of flowering plant native to
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
and
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
.
It has also been considered a member of the genus ''
Dipholis
''Sideroxylon'' is a genus of trees in the family Sapotaceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1753. They are collectively known as bully trees. The generic name is derived from the Greek words σιδηρος (''sideros''), meaning "iron", a ...
'', with the binomial ''Dipholis salicifolia''.
It is a small tree, 10–20 m tall, with smooth beige bark, spirally arranged leaves and small (1–4 mm) cream-coloured flowers borne in clusters of five to 12. The fruit is a small
berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
(6–10 mm long) with between one and three seeds. As it ripens, the fruit turns from green to reddish brown and then to dark brown when it is mature.
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References
salicifolium
Trees of the Southeastern United States
Trees of Mexico
Trees of Central America
Trees of the Caribbean
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