Bee Happy!

Simpson’s stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans) grows as an infrequent, small tropical tree at the Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA).  Look in the handsome hammock areas on the both sides of Oslo Road to spot this native tree, which is characterized as threatened by the state of Florida.

Also known as naked wood stopper, this tree can be identified by its often exfoliating reddish beefy bark as shown below on the main ORCA trail where it travels from east to west …

Exfoliation is dramatic on young trees …

In the hammock on the south side of Oslo Road, the largest Simspon’s stopper is festooned by Spanish moss (Tillandsia useneoides), which we usually find growing on live oak (Quercus virginiana) …

Twinberry stopper is another common name for this plant.  Its fragrant flowers and succulent fruits are borne in pairs.

Its dime-sized flowers with multiple showy stamens are very attractive to pollinators including European honeybees (Apis mellifera) ..

… and even lovebugs (Plecia nearctica) …

Fruits ripen from green to orange to red. Birds and other critters consume the seeds.  Fruiting usually is in the summer, but, as with many tropical plants, flowering and fruiting can be fickle.  The picture below at the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory on 2-3-2019 during a moist and mild winter …

Simpson’s stoppers often occur in association with middens, and aboriginal people are thought have eaten the juicy fruits.  Tool handles were fashioned from the wood.  Some speculate that the aromatic leaves were crushed and used to make an insect repellant.

Its leaves, like those of many plants in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and the citrus family, Rutaceae, are marked with pellucid (transulent) dots, cavities that contain aromatic oils.  Crush the leaves to release its distinctive aromatic essence.  Feel the pebbly texture of the leaves, an easy way to verify ID.  You can see the texture and the pellucid dots in the photo below.

In hammock shade after many. many years, Simpson’s stoppers grow to be small (20 – 30′), multi-stemmed trees, now an uncommon occurrence.  Simpson’s stoppers more frequently are seen in landscapes growing as shrubs in sun or partial shade.  After establishment, they are quite drought-tolerant.