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Swartz's pigeonplum

Coccoloba swartzii · Polygonaceae

Swartz's pigeonplum (Coccoloba swartzii)
Photo: (c) Kurt Miller, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · via iNaturalist

Swartz's pigeonplum (Coccoloba swartzii) is a perennial tree in the Polygonaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.

At a glance

Typetree Derived
Lifecycleperennial USDA
Native statusnative USDA
Mature height39 ft USDA
BloomJune–August USDA
Flower colorGreen USDA
Hardiness zones11 and warmer USDA
Guild layerunderstory Derived

USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.

Growing conditions

Its cold limit is zone 11.

Size and growth

At maturity it reaches about 39 ft, making it a substantial woody plant.

Bloom period

USDA records a bloom period of June through August. Flowers are green.

A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.

Foliage, flower and season

Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring.

What the site needs to provide

It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.

Propagating it

Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.

Resilience and wildlife

Its fire tolerance is rated medium. Its growth form is recorded as single crown.

Role in a guild

Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.

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Tags

evergreensandy-soilnative

Related plants

Others in Coccoloba

Similar role and hardiness

Where this data comes from

Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol COSW, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.

Read our full data sources and methodology.

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