False tamarind

False tamarind is a semi-deciduous tree that occurs naturally in rockland and coastal hammocks in South Florida. It typically blooms spring through fall, but may bloom as early as late winter. Its fragrant flowers provide nectar for butterflies and moths. The plant is a larval host for the Mimosa yellow, Cassius blue and Orange sulphur butterflies. It provides food and cover for birds and other small wildlife, and habitat for a variety of snails.

Each pompom-like inflorescence is made up of many inconspicuous flowers that form a ½- to 1-inch globe. Most visible are the prominent white to whitish-green stamens that give this flower its distinctive appearance. Flowerheads are born on long stalks that emerge from leaf axils. Leaves are bipinnately compound, and composed of ½-inch long leaflets, giving a feather-like appearance. Leaflets are obovate with entire margins. Leaf arrangement is alternate. Trunks are stout and may reach up to 3 feet in diameter. In younger trees, the bark is smooth and light gray; it darkens and peels off in plate-like scales as the tree ages. Seeds are shiny, dark brown and born in flattened, papery pods that turn black when mature.