Florida Forest Trees

Willow bustic  (Dipholis salicifolia)

Willow bustic, also known as bustic and cassada, is common only in south Florida, the Keys, and West Indies. This genus of the Sapotaceae family contains only three species, all of which are native to the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. The willow bustic is the only species found in North America.

The flowers have a fragrance that some people describe as similar to grape jelly. Insects and other pollinators come from miles away to enjoy the willow bustic's nectar. It makes a good landscape plant

  

Twigs and leaves

and attracts birds with its summer fruit.

Willow bustic has very hard, heavy, close-grained wood that is brown or red and is of no commercial importance.

 Identifying Characteristics
Size/Form:
 Willow bustic is an evergreen shrub or small tree that seldom reaches heights of more than 35'. The slender, graceful, symmetrical crown makes it easy to identify from a distance.
Leaves:
 The simple, alternate leaves are oblong to lanceolate, 3" to 5" long, and 1" to 2" wide. The leather leaves are shiny, dark green above and dull, pale green below. The leaf tip varies from rounded, pointed, or tapered, and the base is wedged. Margins are wavy and thickened. Leaves are more or less clustered at the end of twigs.
Fruit:
 The fruit is a leathery, nearly round, black berry that is 1/4" wide with thin, dry flesh.
Bark:
 The gray or reddish-brown bark is divided into square-shaped scales.
Habitat:
 Willow bustic is most commonly found in sandy soils in tropical hammocks and rockland pinelands.


Photos
Click on thumbnails to see a larger image in a new window.
Close the window to return to this page.
 

Bark
Leaf


[Forest Trees]

[Forest Plants]

[Home]