SafePlants

Carrotwood (Cupaniopsis anacardioides)

Considerations for Pets

• Produces copious amounts of orange-red fruits and seedlings.

Considerations for Children

• Produces copious amounts of orange-red fruits and seedlings.

Common Names

• Tuckeroo
• Carrotwood
• Beach Tamarind
• Green-leaved Tamarind
• Carrot Weed

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Cupaniopsis anacardioides (A. Rich.) Radlk.
• Family: Sapindaceae (soapberry family)

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to Australia, Irian Jaya (Indonesia), and Papua New Guinea.
• Has become an invasive species in Florida.
• Adaptable to clay-type soils and high moisture environments, such as in Houston, Texas.

Ecological Role

• Considered an invasive species in Florida and should be removed from public and private properties.
• First identified as a potentially invasive tree in 1989.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Evergreen tree that can grow to a height of 35 ft (10.7 m), but more commonly 10-20 feet when cultivated.
• Fast-growing, especially when young, but slows as it matures.
• Inner bark and young taproot are often orange, hence the common name "carrotwood."
• Leaves are alternate and variable, even- (occasionally odd-) pinnately compound.
• Produces copious amounts of orange-red fruits and seedlings.
• Has white to greenish-yellow flowers.
• Has a dense canopy of leaves.
• The Carrotwood is an ideal evergreen solution, as it takes well to clay-type soils and high moisture environments.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Fruits are eaten by local birds.

Quirky Facts

• The tree is called "carrotwood" because its inner bark and young taproot often have an orange color.
• Produces small seeds which are not as messy as most trees.
• Carrotwood might be confused with the rare and endangered native species American toadwood (Cupania glabra), which is found in the Florida Keys, the West