Bourreria ovata Miers
Bourreria succulenta Jacq.
Strongbark, smooth strongback, Bahama strongbark, bodywood
Strongbark is endangered, found in sand and limestone substrate-based dry broadleaf evergreen forests in south Florida, the Bahamas region, and the keys. People cannot seem to agree on the name. “Strongbark” or “strongback”? “Strongback” is said to derive from the bark’s purported aphrodisiac properties: strong backs for bedroom performance.
Plants: Trees are 10–15′ (3–4.6 m) high, rarely reaching 28′ (8.5 m). They are 5–15′ (1.5–4.6 m) around. Trunks are ¾–4″ (2–10 cm) around, rarely reaching 8″ (20 cm).
Leaves: Alternate, up to 4½″ (12 cm) long, with smooth edges. Leaf stems (petioles) are yellow-green.
Flowers: White, with five white fused petals. There are five stamens, fused against the flower and alternating with the petals. The flowers are showy and persist through the summer.
Fruits: Orange-red to saffron, attractive, less than ¼″ (6.3 mm) around.
Habitats: Hammocks in the Florida keys.
Edibility: Fruits are barely edible, said to be sweet but soapy tasting. A tea can be prepared from the bark.
Online References:
Bourreria domingensis auct. non (DC.) Griseb.
Bourreria ovata Miers
Bourreria ovata Miers
4/14/2015 · Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Key Largo, Florida · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Key Largo, Florida · ≈ 2 × 1′ (59 × 39 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Key Largo, Florida · ≈ 2 × 1′ (59 × 39 cm) 
4/14/2015 · Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park, Key Largo, Florida · ≈ 15 × 10″ (37 × 25 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Boraginaceae | Borages or forget-me-nots |
| Genus | Bourreria | Chosen by Patrick Browne to honour German pharmacist Johann Ambrosius Beurer |
| Species | succulenta | thick and fleshy, juicy, from the roots succus, "juice," and -ulentus, a suffix indicating an abundance of |
Bourreria succulenta description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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