PlantFiles: Cocoplum
Chrysobalanus icaco 'Red Tip'

this is a lovely low growing hedge type plant in this area - appears not to have any insect problems and requires little watering which is important in so fla

This plant is highly invasive in tropical areas it is not native to. In the Seychelles the cocoplum is one of the number 1 problem plants. It is extremely difficult to eradicate and very little data is available on eradication. If it is not native to your area and you have a tropical climate, be extremely careful as this can get out of control very fast.

This is a variety of the Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco), which is native to central and southern Florida. The 'Red Tip' variety, unlike the common all-green variety, has attractive red to scarlet or reddish-brown to pink (only new leaves are pink) leaves. Also, the 'Red Tip' variety is less cold-tolerant than the original, also native, all-green variety of Cocoplum. The 'Red Tip' does best in zones 10a, 10b, and 11, and in the very southern edges of zone 9b, while the all-green Cocoplum thrives in zones 9a through 11. The 'Red Tip' might die occasionally in freezes in zone 9b, unlike the hardier, more northernly all-green Cocoplum. The 'Red Tip' does best in southern Florida, while the original all-green Cocoplum does well like the 'Red Tip' in southern Florida, but unlike the 'Red Tip', also thrives in central Florida. However, both are excellent native shrubs in Florida. They are both native, attract wildlife (small white flowers may attract insects, and the purple-black icaco-plums provide excellent food for wildlife and people), can survive drought, and are excellent even for the average landscape. They are both superb hedges for any business or property, and can be maintained as low as 1 feet or even slightly less, and are useful as a border, which is useful for small spaces, although they usually need some spacing. They are excellent alernatives to non-native hedges. They should be watered one to two times a week, and can tolerate up to three times a week watering. They can, however, survive drought fairly well, although the leaves may turn brownish during very severe droughts.