Sideroxylon tenax
(Tough Bully)
Common Names, Latin Name and Family
Common names include tough bully, ironwood and tough buckthorn
Its Latin name is Sideroxylon tenax formerly known as Bumelia tenax.
Tough bully is found in the Sapotaceae, sapodilla, family.
Form
Tough bully is an evergreen tree reaching 25 feet in height.
Leaves
Tough bully leaves are alternate, evergreen, & oblanceolate in shape.
The upper leaf surface is smooth and the lower surface has rufous-silky hairs.
The stems have long thorns.
Flowers
Small white flowers appear in late spring to early summer.
Sideroxylon trees are monoecious which means that they have both male and female flowers on the same tree.
Fruit
The fruit is round and begins green and turns to a dark, almost black, purple.
Habitat
It occurs naturally in dry pinelands, oak forests and hammocks.
Native Range
It is native to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina mainly along the coast.
Landscape Use
Tough bully grows in full sun to part shade with average moisture.
It is very thorny, and attracts a lot of (potentially) stinging pollinators so in the home landscape it is best planted off to the side of human use areas and in a natural area if that is a concern to you in your green space.
It is a fantastic tree for a wildlife habitat.
Wildlife Use
Bees & wasps use the flowers as a nectar source and when in bloom the tree is alight with them.
Birds eat the fruit and use the foliage to nest in because of its protective thorns.
Insect eating birds use this tree to feed off of the bees and wasps that are attracted to it.
Propagation
It can be grown from seed, cuttings, and transplants.
Seeds need patience and can prove to be difficult to germinate. They need cold stratification and even then germination is not always guaranteed.
Cuttings can be taken from new growth, dipped in rooting hormone and put into small pots with half pearlite and half potting soil. Even with rooting hormone they may not take – or produce roots.
Check the base of the tree and see if you can locate some shoots, or runners, and cut and pot those to propagate root cuttings.
Tough bully transplants best when it is small. The flowers and fruit need to be removed so the transplant can focus on recovering from the shock and focus on growing and repairing its root system.
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