Black Olive Tree, Oxhorn Bucida, Bucida 'Shady Lady'

This plant does very well in the Sarasota/Bradenton
area.

Very hard wood. Over planted in South Florida

Dougbug, what a great review! I've seen several in the Venice, FL area and they are beautiful. Initially mistook them for VERY pretty o...Read Moreaks. I talked with the people who own them and was told they do great here with very little problem with staining/roots. I'm getting ready to plant a little one myself. Wish me luck!

The common name, oxhorn bucida, refers to a flower gall which resembles a green bean and is caused by eriophyid mites on the species, rar...Read Moreely on the 'Shady Lady' cv. Staining is sometimes cited as a reason not to use this plant near sidewalks, etc. The staining is NOT caused by the leaves nor the fruit, which is not juicy, but rather a single dry nutlet crowned with a persistent calyx (some call it a coriaceous drupe). The staining is caused by caterpillar frass. The black olive caterpillar or "bungee" caterpillar rapels around and gets in people's faces. Not a problem every year, maybe every 5 to 7 years it occurs in large numbers. The caterpillar feeds on the flowers, leaves and the galls! The 'Shady Lady' is a fine textured tree with a constrained growth habit. A nice choice in south Florida. Leaf damage reported at 25 degrees F.