Hog plum or tallow wood, Ximenia americana, is a multi-trunked woody shrub or small tree in the Olacaceae family. It is a lower canopy tree and can reach a height of 20 feet or more at maturity. The name Ximenia comes from, Francisco Ximenes, a Spanish monk who published information on the plants and animals of Mexico in 1615.
It is found occurring naturally in coastal areas, scrubs, hammocks, pinelands, and disturbed sites. Some hammocks may contain many of these plants spread out over a large area. It is found in northeast Florida south throughout the Keys, and is quite common in our area.
Hog plum is semi-parasitic on the roots of nearby plants. The parasitic roots (haustoria) have been documented on a variety of vegetation found in the same habitat, but it has also been found to thrive without a host or haustoria. It is not host specific and does not cause harm to the host plant.