Florida Forest Plants

Snowberry  (Chiococca alba)

Snowberry is an interesting native shrub of south Florida's coastal shell ridge. It was named for its unique, white fruits. The genus Chiococca means shrub in Greek, while the specific epithet alba means white in Latin. Upon opening the white, olive-shaped fruit, the fleshy pulp is exposed and sparkles in the sunlight like fresh crystals of snow.

Snowberry is a member of the family Rubiaceae. It has spreading, diffusely branching stems when it is located in the richer soils of interior 		 

Twigs and leaves
ridges. Under certain conditions, snowberry trails the ground in a bonsai-like fashion.

The thick, leathery leaves allow the plant to retain water, thus making it a drought resistant species. The glossy green color, contrasting with the bright, white fruits, makes snowberry a beautiful landscape shrub, desired by many gardeners. Transplanting snowberry before a land clearing is often done to preserve the plants.

White-crowned pigeons are known to eat the fruits and seeds of the snowberry shrubs.

Snowberry is found in hammocks, near coastal shell mounds of Florida, Texas, and tropical and subtropical America. Snowberry thrives in south Florida's coastal cabbage palm understory.

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Snowberry is a multi-branched, evergreen, vine-like shrub that climbs in neighboring vegetation to heights of up to 10'.
Leaves:
 The leaves are simple, oppositely arranged, and elliptical to ovate, about 2" to 3" long and 1" to 2" wide. They have a leathery texture and a dark green, glossy, smooth upper surface. The leaf bases are shortly tapered and the tips are pinched to a point. Leaf margins are entire.
Fruit:
 The fruits are clusters of conspicuous, round, small, white drupes with crystal clear, fleshy pulp. The seeds resemble coffee beans.
Habitat:
 Snowberry grows best in rich, fertile soils and is often found in hardwood hammocks and coastal shell mounds. It prefers sunny locations and is often found in association with cabbage palm.


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Leaves
Fruit


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