buttonwood Combretaceae Conocarpus erectus L.   symbol: COER2
	Leaf: Evergreen, alternate, thick and leathery, with an entire margin, generally oval but variable, to 4 inches long and 2 inches wide, green and glabrous or silvery hairy (var. sericeus) above and below. Flower: Occuring in dense 1/2 inch round heads on a 2 to 4 inch branched panicles, yellow-green, individual flowers tiny with 5 petals, blooming throughout the year. Fruit: A tightly-packed multiple of 2-winged achens, cone-like and round, up to 1 inch in diameter, purple-brown to red-brown and darkening with age, borne on a 2-4 inch branched panicles, ripening throughout the year. Twig: Slender, green to gray-brown, may be glabrous or pubescent, may be angled or winged. Bark: Initially smooth and gray, developing scaly-topped ridges and darkening with age. Form: Usually a broadly spreading shrub to 20 feet, occasionally a small tree to 50 feet.
	USDA Plants Database Conocarpus erectus is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting buttonwood (opens a new window).