By Liah Continentino
If you have been out and about in the Keys recently, you may have noticed one of our native trees putting on quite a show. Every year, from late April through July, the Jamaican dogwood (Piscidia Piscipula) sheds its leaves and replaces them with tight clusters of small, light-pink flowers. It is a beautiful display and a sign that summer is just around the corner.
The Jamaican dogwood tree is a medium- to large-canopy tree native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southernmost regions of Florida. It is a deciduous tropical tree, meaning it loses and replaces all of its leaves annually, a fairly uncommon trait for our native trees. It is a fantastic landscaping tree, but is very sensitive to cold. This significantly restricts its North American range; however, here in the Keys, Jamaican dogwood thrives.
Growing up to 40 feet tall, the Jamaican dogwood is an excellent shade tree and would be a wonderful accent tree for a Keys landscape. When not in bloom, the tree boasts attractive foliage and bark. Bark ranges from smooth and grey-green in color to silver and textured as it matures.
The Jamaican dogwood offers many ecological benefits to local wildlife. When in bloom, it is a pollinator magnet, attracting a diverse array of bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds. When flush with foliage, it is a host plant to two native butterflies, the hammock skipper and the cassius blue. The tree also provides essential shelter for birds, squirrels, and other canopy-dwelling critters.
In addition to its ecological benefits, the Jamaican dogwood has a unique ethnobotanical history. In the late 1600s, Sir Hans Sloane, a British physician and naturalist known for his floristic accounts of Caribbean plants, lived in Jamaica, where he made detailed illustrations and observations of local plants. Sloane found the Jamaican dogwood particularly interesting because of its use as a fish poison. Now an illegal practice, extracts from the root bark were added to water in fishing areas to kill or stun fish, making them easier to catch.
This interesting history earned the Jamaican dogwood three names: its scientific name, Piscidia piscipula, which is derived from the Latin words for “fish” and “kill,” and two common names, “fishpoison tree” and “fishfuddle tree.”
The Jamaican dogwood also has ties to shipbuilding, as its wood is both attractive and resistant to decay. Its third common name, “Jamaican dogwood,” stems from its historic use in building “dogs,” defined as “mechanical devices used to grip objects on a seagoing vessel.” Aside from sharing a name, the Jamaican dogwood has no connection to the classic dogwood trees found throughout North America.
Are you interested in growing one of these gorgeous, pollinator-attracting trees with a rich history? The good news is that it’s quite easy, The Jamaican dogwood prefers full sun but tolerates part shade. It grows well in a variety of soil media, including nutrient-poor and high-pH soils. The tree is very drought-tolerant and highly tolerant of windborne salt, making it perfect for our coastal areas. While it tolerates windborne salt, it is less tolerant of saltwater and should not be planted in areas with frequent saltwater inundation. It can be easily grown from seed or by transplanting and is available for purchase at local native nurseries.
For assistance with gardening, landscaping, or pest management, feel free to contact the UF/IFAS Monroe County Extension horticulture agent at continentino-liah@monroecounty-fl.gov or 305-998-9580.
