Family: Fabaceae (Pea Family)
Native range: Southeast Asia, India, and Sri Lanka.
Description: A medium-sized tree to 30 feet or more with a broad, open canopy. Leaves are compound, 10 to 12 inches long, with 10 to 12 oblong 2-inch leaflets. The tree is usually deciduous, dropping its leaves in winter either from cold or drought stress. White and yellow flowers are produced in dense, narrow, unbranched inflorescences. Fruit are brown pods that coil upon opening to reveal many bright, scarlet-red, hard seeds that cling to the dry pods.
Ecological threat: Red sandalwood invades intact, undisturbed hardwood forests as well as disturbed sites and can quickly form large colonies. Birds distribute the seeds into natural areas from nearby cultivated specimens. Extensive colonies have been found in hardwood forests in Coconut Grove and Coral Gables.
Distribution in Florida: Documented by herbarium specimens from Lee, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. Especially common in hardwood forests of Coconut Grove and Coral Gables in Miami-Dade county.
Background: Introduced as a fast-growing landscape tree but now seldom cultivated commercially.
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