Rough Velvetseed
Guettarda scabra
Plant Family: Rubiaceae
Leaves: Opposite, simple, broadly ovate to elliptic, with short-pointed apices, to 15 cm, the leaf veins follow the leaf edges; the leaves feel like fine sandpaper to the touch.
Bark: Light gray, lightly rough, often with multiple trunks.
Flowers: White to pink, short and tubular, with 5 or more petals, held in sparse clusters in the leaf axils; usually spring to summer, but may appear at other times of the year.
Fruits: A red drupe, ripening to black, downy, to 1 cm, held in the leaf axils; typically late summer into fall.
Habitat: Hammock edges and pinelands, including limestone and sandy soils.
Growth Form: Small to medium-sized tree.
Similar Species: Everglades Velvetseed (Guettarda elliptica) has smaller, soft-textured leaves, and is a smaller tree.
Comments: Rough Velvetseed ranges from south Florida through the West Indies to Central and South America.
