Light. Grows best in full sun.
Water. Water regularly while it settles in. Once established it needs no extra water and handles very long dry periods. It does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt water.
Soil and feeding. It grows in sandy or limestone soil, including alkaline soil. It can live in poor soil but thrives with some organic matter in the top layer.
Size. Typically 8–15 ft tall at a moderate rate, often broader than tall, with many branches from a short trunk. Use it as a screen, hedge, informal foundation shrub or coastal specimen.
Good to know. A Florida native of coastal hammocks, listed as threatened in Florida. It takes salty wind and some salt spray. It is a larval host for the cassius blue, large orange sulphur and Miami blue butterflies. Birds eat the red arils.
Sources: Natives for Your Neighborhood (Institute for Regional Conservation): Pithecellobium keyense · Florida Native Plant Society Plant Database: Pithecellobium keyense
