''Coccoloba uvifera'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

buckwheat Buckwheat (''Fagopyrum esculentum''), or common buckwheat, is a flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae cultivated for its grain-like seeds and as a cover crop. The name "buckwheat" is used for several other species, such as '' Fago ...

family,

Polygonaceae The Polygonaceae are a family of flowering plants known informally as the knotweed family or smartweed—buckwheat family in the United States. The name is based on the genus '' Polygonum'', and was first used by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1 ...

, that is native to

coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...

es throughout tropical

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, including southern

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

the Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...

, the Greater and

Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...

, and

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

. Common names include seagrape and baygrape.

Fruit

In late summer, it bears green

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

, about diameter, in large,

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...

-like clusters. The fruit gradually ripens to a purplish color. Each contains a large pit that constitutes most of the volume of the fruit.

Cultivation and propagation

Although it is capable of surviving down to about 2 °C (35.6 °F), the tree cannot survive frost. The leaves turn reddish before withering. The seeds of this plant, once gathered, must be planted immediately, for unlike most plants, the seeds cannot withstand being stored for future planting. ''C. uvifera'' is wind-resistant, moderately tolerant of shade, and highly tolerant of

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

, so it is often planted to stabilize beach edges; it is also planted as an ornamental shrub. The fruit is very tasty, and can be used for

jam Jam is a type of fruit preserve. Jam or Jammed may also refer to: Other common meanings * A firearm malfunction * Block signals ** Radio jamming ** Radar jamming and deception ** Mobile phone jammer ** Echolocation jamming Arts and ente ...

or eaten directly from the tree. Sea grape is a

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

species, that is, male and female flowers are borne on separate plants, and cross-pollination is necessary for fruit to develop.

Honey bee A honey bee (also spelled honeybee) is a eusocial flying insect within the genus ''Apis'' of the bee clade, all native to Afro-Eurasia. After bees spread naturally throughout Africa and Eurasia, humans became responsible for the current co ...

s and other insects help pollinate these plants; male and female plants can be distinguished by the appearance of their flowers, as males usually show dead flower stalks. * Hardiness: USDA zone 9B–11 *Propagation: seeds and cuttings *Culture: partial shade/full sun, drought tolerance

Uses

''Coccoloba uvifera'' is a popular ornamental plant in south Florida yards. It serves as a dune stabilizer and protective habitat for small animals. Tall sea grape plants behind beaches help prevent sea turtles from being distracted by lights from nearby buildings. The sap has been used for dyeing and tanning leather. The wood has occasionally been used in furniture, as firewood, or for making charcoal. The fruits of the sea grape may be eaten raw, cooked into jellies and jams, or fermented into sea grape wine.

Classification

The first botanical names of the plant were assigned in 1696 by Hans Sloane, who called it ''

Prunus ''Prunus'' is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes (among many others) the fruits plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. Native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and the p ...

maritima racemosa'', "maritime grape-cluster Prunus", and Leonard Plukenet, who named it ''Uvifera littorea'', "grape-bearer of the shore", both of which names reflect the European concept of "sea-grape", expressed in a number of languages by the explorers of the times. The natives viewed it as a large

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

. The first edition of

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

's ''

Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...

'' (1753), based on Plukenet, assigned the plant to ''Polygonum uvifera'' and noted ''flores non vidi'', "I have not seen the flowers." Subsequently, Patrick Browne, ''The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica'' (1756) devised ''Coccoloba'' for it. Relying on Browne, Linnaeus' second edition (1762), changed the classification to ''Coccolobus uvifera'', citing all the other names. ''Coccoloba'' comes from the Greek ''kokkolobis'', a kind of grape, literally, "berry pod".

Gallery

Image:Seagrape-flower02.JPG Image:Seagrape-flower01.JPG Image:Seagrape-bunch02.JPG Image:Seagrape-bunch01.JPG Image:SeaGrapeLeaf.jpg, Aged seagrape leaf (actual diameter about ) File:Coccoloba uvifera flower.jpg, Flowers File:Uva de playa (Coccoloba uvifera).jpg File:Coccoloba uvifera (2).JPG File:Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) shrub at Playa Lucia, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.jpg, Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) shrub at Playa Lucia,

Yabucoa Yabucoa () is a town and municipality in Puerto Rico located in the eastern region, north of Maunabo; south of San Lorenzo, Las Piedras and Humacao; and east of Patillas. Yabucoa is spread over 9 barrios and Yabucoa Pueblo (the downtown area ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. File:Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) fruit at Playa Lucia, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico.jpg, Seagrape (Coccoloba uvifera) fruit at Playa Lucia, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. File:Coccoloba uvifera 01A - green fruit.jpg, Green fruit File:Coccoloba uvifera 01A - young leaf.jpg, Young leaf File:Coccoloba uvifera 01A.jpg, Branch with young leaves File:Coccoloba uvifera - view of tree bark.jpg, Seagrape tree bark File:Coccoloba uvifera - view of tree trunk branch transverse cut showing growth rings 01.jpg, Seagrape tree branch transverse cut File:Coccoloba uvifera - view of tree trunk transverse cut showing ring growth 02.jpg, Tree trunk transverse cut showing ring growth

References

* Preview available, Google Books. {{Taxonbar, from=Q279494 uvifera Halophytes Flora of the Caribbean Flora of Florida Flora of Bermuda Flora of the Bahamas Trees of Îles des Saintes Plants described in 1759 Garden plants of North America Fruit trees Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Dioecious plants