Alachua bully (Sideroxylon alachuense)

Quick Facts

• Type: tree
• Size: 30 ft x 15 ft
• Sun: Full sun-Part shade
• Water: Medium-Dry

Care & Propagation

Needs full sun to part shade and well-drained, preferably calcareous soil; drought tolerant once established. Thorny branches make it a good security or wildlife-thicket planting. Prune to a small tree or large shrub.

Wildlife Value

Native bees swarm the small white flowers; black berries feed birds and small mammals.

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🌴 In Florida

A rare small tree named for the Alachua Sink in Paynes Prairie, where its type specimen was collected. State-listed endangered in Florida and critically imperiled, with only a few dozen known wild plants in north and north-central Florida. Always nursery-grown, never wild-collected.

✨ Fun fact

The “bully” in its name is no joke — Sideroxylon wood is famously tough and dense, and this tree backs it up with thorny branches. It’s basically nature’s barbed wire that also feeds bees and birds.

🌿 Keep exploring

More Florida natives worth meeting:

• American Elm (Ulmus americana)
• American Holly (Ilex opaca)
• American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)