Torchwood

Torchwood is torture to propagate.  It took me 20 years to grow my first crop.  First I had to find the plants in the wild, collect a few seed, grow these to adulthood and collect seed from these to grow into plants for sale. 

This is the food source for the Schaus's swallowtail butterfly in the Keys which is all but extinct now.  It grows naturally from the Florida Keys to Merritt Island along the coast.  This is a small tree up to 15 feet tall in most cases and has fragrant white flowers followed by pea sized black berries that are very attractive to local birds. 

I like the dark green trifoliate leaves that set this apart from other plants in the landscape.  It is brittle so keep it in a protected spot.  White fly and white weevils may cause damage so keep an eye on it and spray with neem oil if need be.

For a rare tree that needs little care, the torchwood is great to have in the yard.