Florida Forest Trees

Myrsine  (Rapanea guinensis)

Myrsine, also known as Guiana rapanea and rapanea, is found in a variety of habitats usually near coastal areas. You can find myrsine in Florida, and in the West Indies, Mexico, and South America. In Florida, myrsine is more common in south Florida and the Keys.

Native Americans in Florida called this tree, the white tobacco-seasoning tree, because they mixed its leaves with their tobacco to make it go further. The fruit is edible but unappealing to people. It is useful to songbirds as a food source. The bark has been used in leather tanning but otherwise myrsine has no commercial value.

Myrsine is a member of the Myrsinaceae family. This family has over 1,000 species of tropical trees and shrubs but only two members, myrsine and marlberry, are present in the United States, both only in Florida.

  

Twigs and leaves

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Myrsine is an evergreen shrub or small tree that occasionally reaches heights of 25'. The narrow, columnar crown is made of slender branches.
Leaves:
 The narrow leaves are 2" to 4" long and 1" to 2" wide, simple, alternately arranged, and occur near the end of branches. The obovate to elliptic leaves have leathery, shiny, dark green upper surfaces while the surface underneath is paler and somewhat scaly. Both leaf surfaces are covered with tiny dots. The leaf base is wedged and the leaf tip is rounded with a shallow notch. The leaf margin is smooth, thick and often curled under.
Fruit:
 The fruit is a round, dark blue or black drupe that is 1/5" wide with thin flesh surrounding one, white seed. The berries are clustered close to the branch for several inches along the length of the branch.
Bark:
 The light gray bark is thin and smooth or slightly fissured.
Habitat:
 Myrsine can grow in a variety of habitats from dry ridges to wetter areas usually near the ocean. Myrsine is found in hammocks, pinelands, and shorelines.


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