Conocarpus erectus

{{Speciesbox

|image = Conocarpus_erectus_Key_Largo.jpg

|image_caption = Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus in Key Largo, Florida, United States

|status = LC

|status_system = IUCN3.1

|status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Ellison, A. |author2=Farnsworth, E. |author3=Moore, G. |date=2010 |title=Conocarpus erectus |volume=2010 |page=e.T178806A7612125 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2010-2.RLTS.T178806A7612125.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}

|genus = Conocarpus

|species = erectus

|authority = L., 1753{{GRIN | accessdate=2009-10-11}}

}}

Conocarpus erectus, commonly called buttonwood{{citation |url=http://dev.floranorthamerica.org/Conocarpus_erectus |title= Flora of North America |volume=10 |author=Walter S Judd}} or button mangrove,{{citation |url=https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=coer2 |title=Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center}} is a hardy species{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o5XnDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22Conocarpus+erectus%22+temperature+minimum&pg=PT170 | title=Coastal and Marine Environments | isbn=978-0-429-80471-7 | last1=Wang | first1=Yeqiao | date=19 May 2020 | publisher=CRC Press }} of mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae.

Taxonomy

These two varieties are not accepted as distinct by all authorities:{{fact|date=August 2024}}

C. e. var. erectus - green buttonwood, leaves thinly hairy or hairless
C. e. var. sericeus - silver buttonwood, leaves densely silvery-hairy

Distribution and habitat

It grows on shorelines in tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas and west Africa. It is generally found growing in brackish water in tidal lagoons and bays, but can grow in inland habitats, with records at up to {{convert|745|m|ft|abbr=on}} altitude in Costa Rica. Locations it is known from include Florida, Bermuda, the West Indies, Central and South America from Mexico to Brazil on the Atlantic Coast and Mexico to Peru on the Pacific Coast, as well as the western African coast. It was introduced in Kuwait and Western Australia due to its propensity to thrive in high temperatures and absorbing brackish water.

Description

Conocarpus erectus is usually a dense multiple-trunked shrub, {{convert|1|-|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, but can grow into a tree up to {{convert|20|m|ft|abbr=on}} or more tall, with a trunk up to {{convert|1|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter. The United States National Champion green buttonwood is {{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall, has a spread of {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=on}}, and a circumference of {{convert|207|in|cm|abbr=on}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.fl-dof.com/forest_management/fm_pdfs/champion_tree_2009_list.pdf |title=Florida State and National Champions 2009 |publisher=Florida Division of Forestry |date=2009-08-07 |access-date=2009-10-11 |archive-date=2012-02-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218205339/http://www.fl-dof.com/forest_management/fm_pdfs/champion_tree_2009_list.pdf |url-status=dead }} The bark is thick and has broad plates of thin scales which are gray to brown. The twigs are brittle, and angled or narrowly winged in cross-section. The leaves are alternately arranged, simple and oblong, {{convert|2|-|7|cm|in|abbr=on}} long (rarely to {{convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on|disp=or}} long) and {{convert|1|-|3|cm|in|abbr=on}} broad, with a tapering tip and an entire margin. They are dark green and shiny on top, and paler with fine silky hairs underneath, and have two salt glands at the base of each leaf.[http://www.fs.fed.us/global/iitf/pdf/shrubs/Conocarpus%20erectus.pdf US Forest Service] The fruits are button-like (from which the common names derive), {{convert|5|-|8|mm|in|abbr=on}} diameter, with no petals; they are produced in stalked panicles of 35-56 flowers. The fruit is a cluster of red to brown, small scaly, two-winged cone-like seeds, {{convert|5|-|15|mm|in|abbr=on}} long. The seed heads burst when ripe, and the seeds are dispersed by water.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

File:Conocarpus erectus erectus.jpg

Uses

The tree is used as an ornamental plant and in bonsai. The variety sericeus, with silvery leaves, is especially prized for landscaping. It is an important host plant for epiphytes. As a result of ornamental planting, it has become naturalized in Hawaii. It has been used extensively in landscaping in Kuwait and became the most abundant tree/shrub.

The wood is sometimes used in cabinets; it is difficult to work but takes a smooth finish. It is also used as firewood, and is reported to be good for smoking meat and fish, as it burns very hot and slowly; it also makes high quality charcoal. The bark is high in tannin, for which it has been harvested commercially.