Titi In Bloom This Spring

 

 

Black Titi in bloom.  Flower clusters upright at tips of branches.  An excellent source of nectar and pollen for honey production.  Image: Alex Bolques
Black Titi in bloom. Flower clusters upright at tips of branches. An excellent source of nectar and pollen for honey production. Image: Alex Bolques

Black Titi (also known as Spring Titi or Buckwheat Tree (Cliftonia monophylla (Lam.) Britton ex Sarg. is a native shrub or tree that can be found growing along streams and boggy areas of the Florida Panhandle. It can tolerate acidic wetland soils and once established can also tolerate dry soils in the landscape. Black Titi can reach 15 – 30 feet in height with 3 – 4 inches of trunk diameter. Its bloom period lasts February through March.

 

Bee visits a Black Titi flower.  Image credit: Alex Bolques
Bee visits a Black Titi flower. Image credit: Alex Bolques

Beekeepers love it because it is a wonderful source of nectar and pollen for honey production. Beginning beekeepers may confuse Black Titi with White Titi (also known as Summer Titi or Swamp Titi (Cyrilla racemiflora L.). It should not be grown as a honeybee pollinator plant. The nectar and/or pollen of White Titi can promote a condition known as “Purple brood”, which can be detrimental to honeybee immature stages.The flower of the spring flowering Black Titi is a raceme, a cluster of flowers along a central stem, that appears as an upright cluster on the tip of branches. The flower of the summer flowering White Titi is also a raceme, not as upright, more elongated. Visit the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service plant database website and click on the image tab to see Black Titi (Buckwheat Tree) or White Titi (Swamp Titi) to view differences in flower morphology.

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Posted: March 25, 2014


Category: Horticulture
Tags: Native Plants, Native Trees, Panhandle Gardening, Trees


Comments:

Dennis Hancock
August 12, 2016

Great article! For the record, Dr. Bill Anderson conducted the research in Tifton. I was a collaborator, but it was Bill and his crew that put in the sweat equity.

Esther de Pedro
March 19, 2016

Do you have a similar for dog fennels? Thank you in advance.

Bob
July 30, 2015

Thanks for these good suggestions, Alex.

Jan Summerford
June 20, 2014

Alex, I really appreciate your professional guidance. To the average person something like this causes panic just based on their look. A white, woolly mass is a great description for them! And as usual, you didn't make me wait for the help I needed! Thanks!

Dixie
March 26, 2014

The pictures located at http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2014/03/25/titi-in-bloom-this-spring/ are hyperlinked, but when I click on them I receive the following error: 404 - File or directory not found. The resource you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. Could you please correct this oversight? Thanks. Dixie I.

Matthew Orwat
December 9, 2013

Snails feed on plants but are not harmful to the garden unless present in large quantities. It is probably looking for a place to over winter. Bring a sample to your nearest extension office for ID.

Jim
December 8, 2013

Good morning. We found a small snail in the driveway here where we live in N.W. Florida. What do these snails eat? Are they harmful to plants?

Comments are closed.

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