Published: December 14, 2018, 9:36am | Modified: June 19, 2019, 1:55pm
The Seagrape is a celebrated native plant in Florida due to its many uses and natural beauty. Here is some handy information about this common Florida plant.
Conditions
This hearty evergreen has smooth, silvery-brown bark and round, leathery leaves up to 10 inches in diameter with red midribs. In late summer and early fall, female sea grape plants bear grape-like fruit in bunches of up to 75 berries per bunch. Along the coast, the sea grape is so important to maintaining a healthy dune system and preventing erosion that the state of Florida has protected it, banning removal and restricting trimming of sea grapes in beach areas. Exposed to the high winds of the beach, the plant grows bushy and wide to embrace harsh conditions. In a more sheltered location, the sea grape grows as a tree and can reach heights of up to 35 feet or so.
Use
The plant can be used in a variety of ways. Seagrape wood is used to make furniture; bark extract can be used to tan leather; bark resin can be helpful for throat ailments; the roots have been used to treat dysentery, and the leaves have medicinal properties. The sea grape itself is mostly pit, which is inedible, and there is not enough flesh on the fruit to merit commercial cultivation. But for the individual consumer, the sea grape can be quite “fruitful.” The berries turn from bright green to deep purple as they ripen. Unlike other grapes, sea grapes ripen a few at a time and must be shaken or picked from the stem.
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