SafePlants

Gopher Apple (Licania michauxii)

Considerations for Pets

• The text mentions that the fruit is eaten by various woodland creatures.

Considerations for Children

• The text indicates that the plant is low-growing, sometimes resembling oak seedlings.
• The fruit is edible and has a "pink bubble gum" taste, which could be appealing to children.

Quirky Facts

• If you like the taste of pink bubble gum, you’ll like gopher apples.
• The name "gopher apple" comes from the fact that gopher tortoises enjoy the fruit. Some see the plant as "vengeance" for the gopher tortoise's "untimely death".
• Nearly every woodland creature likes the fruit.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Licania michauxii Prance
• Common Names: Gopher Apple, Ground Oak
• Family: Chrysobalanaceae (Coco Plum Family)
• Synonyms: Chrysobalanus oblongifolius, Licania platypus, Moquilea platypus

Distribution and Habitat

• Native to the southeastern U.S., particularly peninsular Florida and coastal Mississippi and Alabama.
• Common in sandhill ecosystems and pine rockland habitats.

Ecological Role

• Provides food (fruit and flowers) for wildlife.
• Low-growing habit allows it to be adapted to fire, removing larger plants that could provide too much shade.

Morphological Characteristics and Growth Habits

• Evergreen shrub that typically grows to be 3 to 12 inches tall (though some sources mention 1 to 1.5 feet).
• Can form low, massing ground cover spreading by underground runners, sometimes resembling a patch of oak seedlings.
• Plant is an upright perennial with a thick primary stem.
• Excellent salt and drought tolerance.

Uses

• It can be used as a low massing shrub in wildflower gardens.

Further Information

• Mesozoic Landscapes, Inc. in Lake Worth is listed as a source for the plant.
• Discover Life offers information on the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution.