Virginia Tech Dendrology

colicwood Myrsinaceae Myrsine cubana A. DC. symbol: MYCU2
Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen and leathery, narrowly elliptical to obovate, to 4 inches long, shiny dark green above and below, margins entire and somewhat rolled, borne on a short petiole.
Flower: Species is mostly dioecious; flowers are small, pale yellow-green to white, borne in tight clusters along the branches; appearing any time of year.
Fruit: A 1/4 inch round blue-black drupe borne is small clusters along the branches; initially green, ripening the year after flowering.
Twig: Moderate to slender, glabrous, green to gray-brown; leaf scars rounded.
Bark: Gray-brown and somewhat warty.
Form: An upright shrub or small tree with a narrow, reaching 30 feet tall.

Additional Range Information: Myrsine cubana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information