Crabwood
One of the most hurricane resistant plants UF rates, and hardly anybody has heard of it
Gymnanthes lucida
Why it works here
Start with the wind, because that is the headline. UF/IFAS keeps a list of trees that stand up to hurricanes, and crabwood sits in the top rating group. On the Treasure Coast that is not a small thing. The plant itself is glossy and dark and quiet, with a narrow upright shape and a habit of holding foliage low, which is exactly what you want out of a screen against a fence or a wall. The wood is famously hard and heavy, hard enough that people made tool handles and fence posts out of it, which is why it does not snap in a blow. Fairchild says flat out that it should be used in hedges all over South Florida, and I agree with them.
Two honest things. First, this is not a Martin County native. Its documented range is Miami-Dade and Monroe, plus one collection near Lake Worth in 1891 and nothing wild there since. So planting it in Stuart is planting a South Florida native north of where it grows on its own, and a hard freeze here is a real risk that nobody has published a number for. Second, it does not do anything showy. The flowers are green and inconspicuous and the fruit is a small brown capsule. This is a structure and texture plant, not a flower plant.
Care
Well drained limestone or sandy soil with some organic matter in it. Water through establishment and keep it on a light water zone after that, because it is not one of the truly dry natives. The books say the cut sap is a skin irritant, and it is in the same family as poinsettia and crown of thorns, so that tracks. I will be honest that I have pruned plenty of it and never had a problem. I still wear gloves, and so should you. Prune to shape rather than shearing it into a box. It self sows a fair bit in a fruiting year, so expect seedlings in nearby beds and pull the ones you do not want.
Common problems
The sap, maybe. Cut stems bleed, and the literature calls it an irritant. I have never had an issue with it myself. Gloves are cheap, so wear them and do not think about it again.
Lichens growing right on the leaves. People call me about this thinking it is a disease. It is not. Gray or white speckling on crabwood leaves is normal and healthy, and it is actually a sign of clean air.
Seedlings after a heavy fruiting year.
Cold. Zone 10a is the floor of every rating I can find for it, and Stuart is 10a. Site it on the warm side of the house and out of a low frost pocket.
No documented insect pests or diseases at all. That is not the same as immune, it just means nobody has written any up.
Common questions
Is it really as hurricane proof as people say?
UF/IFAS puts it in their highest wind resistance rating, and the wood is dense enough that it was used for fence posts. So yes, as far as any plant goes. That does not make it storm surge proof, and it will not take salt water sitting on its roots.
Will the birds use it?
Honestly, not much for food. The best sources credit it with cover rather than fruit that birds go after. Its known wildlife credential is being the larval host for the Florida purplewing butterfly, and I have to be straight with you: that butterfly lives in the Keys and Miami-Dade and it is not showing up in Stuart. If wildlife value is your first priority, put firebush or marlberry in that spot instead.
Why is it called crabwood?
Crabwood and oysterwood both, and neither name has anything to do with anything you will see in your yard. It is about the wood.
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