This attractive Caribbean tree is Florida Fiddlewood, Citharexylum spinosum. It belongs to the mint family, Lamiaceae, although it grows as a shrub or tree rather than resembling the familiar culinary mints. It is native to southern Florida, the Caribbean, Central America and parts of northern South America.

Florida Fiddlewood may grow as a large shrub or a small to medium-sized tree. In an open, sunny location, it often develops a dense, rounded crown, while plants growing in shade may become thinner and more irregular.

The leaves are simple, glossy and usually arranged opposite one another along the branches. Fresh growth may emerge with a bronze or reddish color before becoming dark green. Some trees also have short spines on the twigs, which is reflected in the species name spinosum.

The flowers are small, white and shaped like narrow tubes. They appear in long, hanging or arching clusters that may look almost like strings of tiny white beads.

Although the individual flowers are modest, they are strongly fragrant. A flowering tree can perfume the surrounding air, especially during the evening or after rainfall. Bees, butterflies and other insects visit the blossoms.

After flowering, the tree produces small, rounded fruits arranged along the same slender stalks. They begin green and gradually turn yellow, orange, red and finally dark purple or black as they ripen.

Because the fruits mature at different times, a single cluster may display several colors at once. Birds feed on the ripe fruit and help disperse the seeds.

The common name “Fiddlewood” is traditionally associated with the hard, fine-grained timber, which was used for musical instruments and other small wooden objects. The tree has also been planted for shade, hedges and screening.

Florida Fiddlewood tolerates heat, wind, salt exposure and periods of drought once established, making it well suited to coastal tropical landscapes.

This is a tree that engages more than the eye. Its glossy foliage is attractive, but its most memorable feature may be the fragrance of its flowers, followed by the colorful strings of fruit that attract birds.

When it is flowering and fruiting at the same time, Florida Fiddlewood becomes both a pollinator plant and a wildlife food source—an attractive tree that contributes actively to the surrounding garden ecosystem.