Also known as Tetrazygia bicolor. Evergreen. Blooms late spring into summer. Specimen plant. Grown for its showy flowers and shiny dark green leaves with white underside. Also works for screen (hedge) and foundation planting. Seed, de-pulped. Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Fruits used by birds.

Tetrazygia is a marvelous large shrub or small tree that is native to south Florida (Fig. 1). The attractive, evergreen leaves of this 10- to 30-foot-tall plant are lanceolate in shape and have 3 conspicuous veins that run lengthwise. These leaves are dark green with silvery underside and attain a length of 3 to 6 inches.

Scientific name: Tetrazygia bicolor. Pronunciation: tet-truh-ZIG-ee-uh BI-cull-ler. Common name(s): Florida tetrazygia, West Indian lilac, Florida clover ash, tetrazygia. Family: Melastomataceae. Plant type: shrub. USDA hardiness zones: 10B through 11 (Figure 4) Planting month for zone 10 and 11: year-round. Origin: native to Florida

Flowers: White, with five petals and yellow stamens in attractive terminal clusters that appear in the spring and into summer. Fruits: A purple-black berry, to 1 cm, clustered at the branch ends, edible; late summer to fall. Habitat: Pinelands, hammock edges. Growth Form: Shrub to …

Also knows as Florida clover ash or West Indian Lilac, this Florida native can be grown to be a small tree or used as a specimen shrub. They bloom white flower clusters during spring and summer. They provide shelter and and dark purplish-black berries for …

Tetrazygia bicolor West Indian Lilac occurs in the southern Dade County rocklands and the Keys. It can be planted through Palm Beach County and likes well drained, rich, slightly acid sandy soil with no added limerock.

Tetrazygia bicolor (Mill.) Cogn. Native Range: South Florida and the West Indies (Cuba, Bahamas, Hispaniola). South Florida History and Distribution: This is very rare in South Florida and known only from the Miami Rock Ridge, where it is fairly abundant in certain areas.

Tetrazygia bicolor is known in the flora area from Miami-Dade County. G. Nelson (1994) observed that in southern Florida it has two growth forms; in pinelands, plants mostly appear as relatively small, single-stemmed shrubs, but in adjacent hammocks, they may grow to 10 m with a trunk diameter of 6–10 cm.

Tetrazygia bicolor. Family: Melastomataceae. Native Range: Rocky Pinelands in South Florida . Description: Evergreen Shrub 6 to 15 feet Flowering season: Spring to Summer. Exposure: Full sun to Partial Shade. Moisture: Average to dry. USDA Hardiness Zone: 10-11. Butterflies and Pollinators attracted to Flowers; Berries for Birds

Tetrazygia bicolor is known in the flora area from Miami-Dade County. G. Nelson (1994) observed that in southern Florida it has two growth forms; in pinelands, plants mostly appear as relatively small, single-stemmed shrubs, but in adjacent hammocks, they may grow to 10 m with a trunk diameter of 6–10 cm.