Small Leaf Clusia

Small Leaf Clusia is a dense evergreen shrub, Clusia guttifera, with thick, leathery, paddle-shaped leaves that are smaller than those of the Florida native pitch apple, Clusia rosea. It is one of the most widely planted privacy hedges in South Florida, grown as a tough screen that shrugs off heat, salt spray, and drought. Grow it in full sun to partial shade in well drained sandy or rocky soil. Water regularly the first year, then only in long dry spells. It is hardy in USDA zones 10 and 11 and takes cold better than pitch apple, so it is planted well into zone 9, where hard frost burns the foliage. It seldom flowers, and the small pink blooms that do appear come in summer. Left unpruned it can reach 20 feet or more, so hedge plantings need regular shearing.