Scientific
name |
Common name |
Use |
Flowers and fruits |
Hardiness |
Notes |
Problems |
Bucida buceras |
Black Olive tree |
Tree providing shade in parks, traffic islands and on the banks of rivers |
Melliferous flowers |
Resists urban contamination, wind drought, nitrate |
Height: 10-25 meters
Trunk width: up to 1m
Top diameter: up to 15m
Tolerates pruning
Slow growth if the root system is restricted |
Its fruits contain tannic acid, which affects paint on cars and the roads; its roots can cause damage |
Bursera simaruba |
West Indian Birch |
Very ornamental tree. Ideal for parks, squares and avenues |
Melliferous flowers, Flower from winter to spring. Fruit: a drupe, eaten by birds |
Resists urban contamination, wind drought, nitrate |
Height: 5-15m
Top diameter: about 8m
Tolerates pruning
Tolerates shade
Straight trunk, reaching heights of 2-4m. |
Susceptible to insect attacks. Its roots can damage sidewalks. It does not provide much shade. |
Calophyllum calaba |
False Mamey |
Tree providing shade in parks, squares, avenues, edges of streams in
a managed form such as hedges |
White fragrant flowers, numerous in spring and summer. The fruit is a drupe that is eaten by bats |
. |
Height: 12-20m
Height of trunk: minimum 2m
Symmetrical branches
Dense foliage
Tolerates pruning. |
. |
Capparis cynophallophora |
Jamaican Caper tree |
Shade-providing tree for parks, squares, avenues, secondary roads, main streets |
Flowers: purple and white, fragrant |
Resistant to urban contamination |
Height: 7-12m.
Requires pruning |
Lower branches need pruning;
Slow growth |
Chrysophyllum oliviforme |
Satin leaf |
Ornamental tree for shade in parks, squares, traffic islands and avenues |
. |
Tolerates drought and lack of sunlight |
Height: 10-15m |
. |
Citharexylum fruticosum |
Fiddlewood |
Ornamental trees for parks, secondary roads, avenues with narrow green spaces and avenues with cables |
White flowers, spiky, fragrant, and melliferous. Red drupe fruit, which are eaten by birds |
Resistant to plagues |
Height: 3-15m
Its roots do not cause damage.
It requires intense sunlight and pruning
Its initial growth in nurseries is quick |
Slow growth after the initial phase |
Coccoloba diversifolia |
Pigeon Plum |
Ornamental tree and shade providing tree for parks, squares, avenues and secondary roads |
Its fruit is eaten by birds |
Resistant to drought, wind and nitrate |
Height: 6-10m.
Grows relatively quickly |
Its fruits fall from the tree and can be difficult to clear |
Coccoloba uvifera |
Sea Grape |
Ornamental tree and shade providing tree for parks, squares and marine coast. They can also be managed as hedges |
Melliferous flowers, Attract butterflies. Its fruit, in hanging clusters are eaten by birds |
Resistant to urban contamination, nitrate and wind |
Height: 2-15m
It needs pruning to produce a strong trunk |
Branches can break in strong winds
The leaves can be attached by insects |
Conocarpus erectus |
Button wood |
Ornamental and shade-providing trees, ideal fro parks, reduced spaces and on sidewalks, and marine coastline. Can be managed to form hedges |
. |
Tolerates wind, nitrate and drought |
. |
Needs pruning to develop a strong trunk |
Cordia collococca |
Red Man jack |
Ornamental tree and shade providing tree and secondary roads |
White flowers with multicolored tips. Melliferous. Its fruit is red. |
. |
Height: 7-15m |
. |
Cordia sebestena |
Geiger tree |
Ornamental tree and shade providing tree, avenues, secondary roads, car parks and areas with low cables. |
Scarlet, tubular melliferous flowers. Flowers all year round. Edible fruit. |
Resistant to urban contamination, drought, nitrate and wind |
Height: 5-9m. |
Needs pruning to develop a strong trunk |
Crescentia cujete |
Calabash tree |
Ornamental tree for parks, squares and gardens |
Yellowish bell-shaped flowers. Flower all year round. Its fruit is a gourd, 10-40 cm in length |
. |
Height: 5-12m
Approx diameter at top: 6m.
The lower branches can need pruning |
Large fruits,
pulp of the fruit is poisonous |
Guaiacum officinale |
Guaiacum |
Ornamental tree for parks, squares, avenues, avenues with cables, roads, sea shores and private gardens |
Melliferous blue flowers, They flower any time between winter and autumn. Yellow fruit, food for birds |
. |
Height 3-8m.
Diameter at top approximately
6-8m. |
Grows slowly |
Simarouba berteroana |
Olive |
Tree for parks traffic islands in avenues and main roads |
Black edible drupe fruit. Eaten by birds |
. |
Height: 10-12m
Hanging branches need pruning |
Branches from its base. Roots can cause damage |
Simarouba glauca |
Paradise tree |
Ornamental tree for parks, and traffic islands Must be planted in small quantities to avoid allergy problems |
Melliferous flowers. Its fruit is a red edible drupe. Eaten by birds and bats |
. |
Height: 15-20m
Straight trunk. Can be planted in areas that receive little sunlight |
Does not tolerate excesses of humidity.
Its branches are fragile
Roots can cause damage
Can stain sidewalk
and can cause an allergic reaction |
Swietenia mahagoni |
West Indies Mahogany |
Shade-providing trees for parks, squares and avenues |
Melliferous flowers.
Fruit: woody capsules |
Resistant to urban contamination, drought |
Height: 10-23m
Approximate top diameter: 12m.
You must prune heavily to develop a strong trunk |
Roots can cause damage |
Tabebuia berterii |
Tabebuia |
Ornamental tree for parks, squares, avenues, main roads and secondary roads |
Pale pink or white flower, abundant in spring |
. |
Height: up to 12m
Single trunk
Short branches |
. |
Tabebuia rosea |
Pink trumpet tree |
Ornamental and shade-providing tree |
Pink eye-catching flowers, bloom in spring |
Resistant to urban contamination |
. |
Does not tolerate poor soils |
Terminalia catappa |
Tropical almond tree |
Ornamental and shade-providing tree for squares, and avenues |
Melliferous flowers.
Flowers all year round.
Edible fruit. |
Resists drought, urban contamination and nitrates |
Height: 8-20m
Has horizontal branches and a wide trunk.
Grows quickly |
Susceptible to attacks from leaf-eating insects.
The tannic acids from the fruit can stain cars.
The roots can cause damage.
Strong winds can damage branches. |
