This week we are highlighting Sanibel’s City Plant; the joewood (Jacquinia keyensis)! In an effort to bring awareness to this state-threatened species, Sanibel declared the joewood its City Plant in 1989. Joewood is a long lived, evergreen shrub, found in a handful of coastal counties in South FL. It typically grows in coastal scrubs, and hammocks.

Joewood can grow to about 4-10 feet high and is very slow growing. However, what it lacks in speed it makes up for in hardiness! Joewood is tolerant of salt spray, nutrient poor soils, drought, and wind.

This shrub prefers full to part sun and well draining dry to moist soils. It blooms periodically throughout the year, but peak bloom time usually starts in the summer and extends into early fall. The flowers are small but very fragrant, producing a lovely light sweet scent similar to jasmine. After blooming, joewood produces small round fruit, depending on location, the fruit can range in color from orange to red or white at maturity. Sanibel Island’s joewood population is known to produce white berries.

Joewood is also an excellent plant for supporting native wildlife. Its fragrant blooms provide nectar for a variety of native bees, and its fruits are eaten by various bird species. Its dense foliage also provides excellent cover for a variety of wildlife.

Plant this beautiful state-threatened species as a hardy specimen plant or add it to a wildlife garden to help support our pollinators and other native wildlife!

Note: The seeds have been noted to be toxic to humans so keep out of reach of children!

For more information:

IFAS Florida Extension Office: https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP548

Florida Wildflower Foundation:

https://www.flawildflowers.org/flower-friday-jacquinia-keyensis

Florida Native Plant Society: https://www.fnps.org/plant/jacquinia-keyensis#gsc.tab=0