Identifying Characteristics
| Size/Form: | Pigeon plum is a medium sized, evergreen tree that can reach heights of 60' to 80' but more commonly averages from 30' to 40'. It is smaller and more shrub-like in the northern parts of its range. It has dense, spreading branches and a round-topped crown. |
| Leaves: | The leaves are simple, alternately arranged, 3"-4" long, and oval to lanceolate in shape. The upper surface is bright green and the underside is paler. The leaf base is wedge-shaped or rounded and the leaf tip is acute or rounded. The leaf margins are slightly wavy and rolled under. |
| Fruit: | The fruit is a thin walled, light brown nutlet encased in a tubular, dark red, berry-like pulp about ¼" to ½" long. |
| Bark: | The bark is dark reddish-brown, smooth, and thin but may become scaly on the largest trees. |
| Habitat: | Pigeon plum grows in sandy soils and hammocks near tidewater areas. |