Citharexylum caudatum aka Juniper Berry

Citharexylum caudatum is an evergreen shrub or tree. It belongs to Verbenaceae, the verbena family. Its native range includes Peru and Colombia in South America. In Central America, it extends from Panama to Mexico. It also occurs across the Caribbean, from the Windward Islands to Cuba. It is not native to Britain or Ireland. Its recorded habitats include woods and thickets in Panama. In Puerto Rico, it grows in high mountain forests. It also occurs in dwarf forests on mountain peaks.

The plant keeps its leaves throughout the year. Useful Tropical Plants lists a height of 39 feet [12 metres]. Its broader account gives 16–66 feet [5–20 metres]. The source does not separate garden heights from wild heights. The trunk can reach about 0.7 feet [0.2 metres] across. Its form ranges from a shrub to a tree. People grow it for ornament and plant it along streets. They also harvest wild trees for local wood use.

Flowers and fruit can appear in any month of the year. Bees pollinate the flowers. The tree can produce large numbers of seeds. Birds spread these seeds far from the parent plant. This helps explain its escape from planted sites. The supplied accounts do not describe flower colour or fruit shape. They also give no details of leaf shape or bark. Seed and cuttings are both listed as ways to propagate it.

For cultivation, it prefers a site with direct sun. It grows best where the soil stays fairly moist. The evidence gives no soil texture or pH preference. It also gives no frost limit or hardiness zone. Its main reported problem is its ability to spread. Escaped plants can form thickets and crowd out native plants. Wet sites and lowland forests are places where this happens. Hawaii has declared the species invasive. That record matters when weighing its use as an ornamental.

The hard wood has a light brown colour. Local uses include fence posts and fuel. The source lists no known food or medicinal uses. It also reports no known hazards. That does not establish that any part is safe to eat. The supplied evidence names no specific pests or diseases.