SEAGRAPES

One of the most common and conspicuous shrubs or small trees here on the dry sand rise between the sea and the mangroves -- thus in competition with real-estate-minded humans -- is the species shownbelow:

That's Seagrapes, COCCOLOBA UVIFERA, easy to recognize by its large, roundish, leathery leaves often ornamented with red veins and splotches, as shown below:

The last picture also shows a detail that helps us recognize which plant family Seagrapes belongs to. Notice the red, collar-like "sheath" surrounding the stem at the base of the leaf's petiole (See the little wolf spider hiding in the sheath?). This sheath is a special kind of stipule, which itself is a special kind of modified leaf.

In most plants with stipules there's an inconspicuous stipule on each side of the petiole's attachment to the stem. Stipules protect tender emerging shoots and flowers as they expand from their buds, and the stipules typically shrivel and fall away once the parts they're protecting are fully developed. In the Seagrapes' family, however, stipules extend all the way around the stem forming this cuplike sheath.

When you see stipular sheathes like this the first family to come to mind should be the Buckwheat Family, the Polygonaceae. In North America the most commonly encountered members of the Buckwheat Family are the smartweeds or knotweeds, often seen in weedy and/or wet places. If you're familiar with the way small smartweed flowers are arranged on spikes you won't be surprised to see what Seagrapes flowers look like below:

Actually, that spike has lost nearly all its flowers; it's a bit late in the season to see Seagrapes flowers here. However there's at least one tiny white blossom to be seen in the picture, against the cloud's base.

Up north, Seagrapes produce drooping, grapelike clusters in late summer, each fruit being about 2 cm in diameter (0.8 inch). The fruits contain pits and are enough like grapes for jam to be made of them or eaten straight from the tree. Seagrapes don't grow too far north, however, because they're not frost resistant. They are indeed tolerant of shade, however, are highly tolerant of salt, and ecologically are very important for stabilizing beaches.