Sea Grapes in FL ?

[The Silent Seed]

Hi guys

Is this considered a weed in FL ? it's virtually everywhere - as I noticed on my previous visits - and often they are covered in seeds - but, I never see seedlings around the mother plants? What gives? Do the seeds not germinate well or are they all eaten by something, or some other cause? 

[Silas_Sancona]

Weed? I myself wouldn't consider it one there. That being said, like any other native plant, frequency or rarity in any given area within it's range depends on several factors that can positively or negatively effect seedling recruitment, post germination establishment, etc.. 

With certain species, ( thinking Sea Grape falls into this group) , seed may have a short..or relatively short "shelf life" once it has ripened and fallen.. Conditions have to be right for what %'age of that seed isn't consumed by seed-eating animals, or might be swept out to sea, to germinate and continue on to establish itself..  I'm sure if you really search around, you'd find seedling-sized specimens mixed in among stands of Sea Grape growing in coastal areas.. I'd find seedlings here and there along less disturbed spots around coastal spots in Bradenton. There are also plenty of examples of specimens that had been completely uprooted say during a tropical storm, and managed to re-root on their sides in the same locations..

 In the home landscape, it may be that a majority of seedlings get pulled, are possibly eaten by other critters, get sprayed, or simply don't find the right spot to germinate before the seed's lifespan is exhausted.. On the other hand, when i lived in Largo and helped with landscape maintenance at a near by Yacht Club in Clearwater, i'd find occasional seedlings popping up beneath their Sea grapes among the leaf litter. 

[kinzyjr]

I believe they are actually a Florida native: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/extension/4h/trees/Sea_grape/index.html

I grow them as they make an excellent wind screen/privacy fence.

[The Silent Seed]

Interesting info - thank you! I always love seeing them - Love big leaves! 

[metalfan]

They grow very well at the coast because they are extremely salt tolerant.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I believe they are alelopathic, in that you often see them sprouting by the hundreds under a parent tree in a maintained landscape but few of the seedlings ever make it.  The large fallen leaves take forever to break down and would form a barrier for seeds/fruit to even touch the ground.

[The Silent Seed]

Interesting insight, Jerry - that makes sense. 

[Missi]

I grew my two sea grape trees from seedlings I plucked from the ground underneath my favorite one in town (which happens to be growing at a beach). As stated above, they're coastal natives in S. FL. A weed is just a plant growing where you don't want it to grow.