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GARDENING IN THE SHADE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 BEFORE WILDFLOWERS SECTION settings. Marlberry makes a beautiful accent in the shady landscape when planted alone or in small clusters, but its best feature is its highly fragrant white flower clusters in late winter/early spring. The marble-shaped purple fruit are relished by songbirds. This is a highly adaptable plant, but the foliage yellows if given too much light. Myrsine (Myrsine cubana) Myrsine is a close relative of marlberry and can be used similarly. Its best use is as a foliage plant mixed with other species as its flowers are inconspicuous and far less fragrant. Myrsine has far more cold and sun tolerance than marlberry and can be used nearly anywhere in the state. Only female plants produce the tiny round purple fruit that attract songbirds, but a male is needed as a pollinator. FROM TOP: FRAN PALMERI, FRAN PALMERI, BOB PETERSON Wild Coffee (Psychotria species) Wild Coffee is one of the most adaptable shade-tolerant native plants for use in home landscapes and can be used in a variety of settings. Three species are available but Shiny Leaf Wild Coffee (Psychotria nervosa) is the most wide ranging and commonly available, with two forms propagated. CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE Shiny Leaf Wild Coffee (P. nervosa) shrubs under trees along a shaded walkway. All Wild Coffee berries are very attractive to birds and people. Don't brew them, though. This is not the coffee we drink. Wild coffee, specifically P. nervosa, is a host plant for the colorful Coffee-Loving Pyrausta moth (Pyrausta tyralis). www.PlantRealFlorida.org FALL 2016-2017 GUIDE FOR REAL FLORIDA GARDENERS 13


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