About Forestiera segregata (Jacq.) Krug & Urb.
Forestiera segregata is a flowering plant species in the olive family, with the common names Florida privet, Florida swampprivet, and southern privet. Its native range includes the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles (which includes Puerto Rico and the Cayman Islands), the Lesser Antilles (which includes Anguilla), and the U.S. states of Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. This plant grows as a shrub or small tree, reaching a height of 3 to 7 meters. Its gray or brownish twigs bear lenticels. Its leaves may be widely lance-shaped, oval, or spatula-shaped with narrowed bases, and grow up to 5 to 7 centimeters long. The species can be either evergreen or deciduous. Its flowers are small, greenish yellow, and pollinated by insects. It produces a black or bluish drupe fruit up to one centimeter long; this fruit stains cloth and skin and has a bad taste. There are two recognized varieties of this species: the more common var. segregata, and the less common var. pinetorum, which grows in Florida, Georgia, and the Bahamas. This species is cultivated for use as an easily clipped hedge.
