Persea borbonia

Persea borbonia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Persea
Species:	P. borbonia
Binomial name
Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng.
Natural range of Persea borbonia from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: redbay

Description

A description of Persea borbonia is provided in The Flora of North America.

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida, P. borbonia has been observed in cabbage palm-live oak hammocks, pine/scrub oak communities, mixed hardwood forests, vegetated shell mounds, tropical evergreen hardwood forests, dune thickets, oak-hickory-magnolia coastal hammocks, and wet pine flatwoods. It has been found in disturbed areas such as bulldozed turkey oak/longleaf pine communities and roadsides (FSU Herbarium). Substrate types include loamy sand, sandy loam and limestone (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Gordonia lasianthus, Quercus geminata, Celtis, Exothea paniculata, Xanthoxylum, Fagara, Persea littoralis, Rapanea guianensis, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Plumbago scandens, Bumelia, Forestiera, Rhizophora, Baccharis halimifolia, black cherry and hackberry (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

P. borbonia has been observed flowering April through May and fruiting January through July (FSU Herbarium).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Persea borbonia at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Apidae: Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, Epeolus zonatus

Colletidae: Colletes banksi, C. brimleyi, C. nudus

Halictidae: Augochlora pura, Augochloropsis metallica, Lasioglossum pectoralis

Sphecidae: Cerceris fumipennis, Tachytes auricomans

Vespidae: Mischocyttarus cubensis, Pachodynerus erynnis, Parancistrocerus salcularis rufulus, Polistes metricus, Zethus spinipes

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: October 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, Delzie Demaree, R.J. Eaton, J.P. Gillespie, Robert K. Godfrey, Bruce Hansen, R. Komarek, Robert Kral, H. Kurz, O. Lakela, Elbert L. Little Jr., Sidney McDaniel, K.M. Meyer, Richard S. Mitchell, T. Myint, Jackie Patman, Elmer C. Prichard, Gwynn W. Ramsey, James D. Ray Jr., G. Robertson, Cecil R. Slaughter, Annie Schmidt, C.E. Smith, R.R. Smith, R.F. Thorne, A. Townesmith, Rodie White, C.E. Wood, Jean W. Wooten, Richard P. Wunderlin. States and Counties: Florida: Alachua, Brevard, Calhoun, Citrus, Columbia, Dade, Dixie, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Jackson, Jefferson, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Marion, Martin, Nassau, Okaloosa, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Suwannee, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Taylor, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton. Georgia: Grady. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.