Cyrilla racemiflora (Titi)

Lending interest throughout the seasons, Cyrilla racemiflora (Titi) is an evergreen, semi-evergreen or tardily deciduous tree that is shrubby in youth, eventually developing into a slender small tree with twisted stems, smooth, cinnamon-colored young bark and flaky mature bark. A profusion of showy, whorled clusters, 3-6 in. long (7-15 cm), packed with white fragrant flowers cover the foliage in late spring to midsummer. Bees, butterflies and other pollinators feed on their nectar. Honey producers value Titi for the excellent honey that bees make from its flowers. The foliage of thick, smooth, oval leaves, 4 in. long (10 cm), is dark green above and bright green beneath. In the northern part of its range, the leaves gradually turn orange to scarlet in the fall, dropping in spring just as the new leaves unfurl. Farther south, Titi is evergreen. Native from southeastern North America south through Central America and the West Indies to northeastern South America, Titi occurs naturally in swamps, along streams, bogs, backwaters, wet prairies, low pinelands, flatwood depressions, preferring acidic, sandy, or peaty soils. Pest and disease resistance, low maintenance, fragrant flowers, attractive foliage, handsome bark make Titi a nice ornamental tree for the home landscape. Use it as a flowering specimen plant, in a native garden, along ponds, streams, bogs or other wet sites.

• Grows up to 8-30 ft. tall (2-9 m) and 10-15 ft. wide (3-5 m). 
• Performs best in full sun to partial shade in organically rich, acidic, moist to wet sandy loam. Highly tolerant of flooding, it also tolerates drier sites as long as adequate moisture is provided during dry periods.
• Great for coastal gardens, wildlife gardens, near ponds and streams, bogs or other wet sites.
• No serious pest or disease issues.
• Propagate by seed, root cuttings (fall or winter) or stem cuttings (early summer). Seeds require no special treatment.
• Native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southeastern United States, south through the Caribbean, Mexico (Oaxaca only) and Central America to northern Brazil and Colombia in South America.