ENH445 Guaiacum sanctum: Lignum Vitae 1 Edward F. Gilman, Dennis G. Watson, Ryan W. Klein, Andrew K. Koeser, Deborah R. Hilbert, and Drew C. McLean 2 1. This document is ENH445, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date November 1993. Revised December 2006 and December 2018. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication. 2. Edward F. Gilman, professor emeritus, Environmental Horticulture Department; Dennis G. Watson, former associate professor, Agricultural Engineering Department; Ryan W. Klein, graduate assistant, Environmental Horticulture Department; Andrew K. Koeser, assistant professor, Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center; Deborah R. Hilbert, graduate assistant, Environmental Horticulture Department, GCREC; and Drew C. McLean, biological scientist, Environmental Horticulture Department, GCREC; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office. U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Introduction Lignum vitae is an extremely slow-growing broadleaf evergreen which ultimately reaches 30 feet in height and casts light shade, but few people have seen plants of this size because it is not grown in the trade. Most are seen 8 to 12 feet tall with a beautiful array of multiple trunks and a rounded canopy much like that of a mature crape-myrtle. e one to two-inch-long, leathery, dark green leaves are joined at many times throughout the year by the production of large clusters of bluish purple flowers, the old flowers fading to a light silvery-blue and creating a shimmering haze over the rounded canopy. ese flowers are followed by small, heart-shaped, yellow orange berries, appearing on the tree at the same time as the bluish purple flowers and creating a lovely sight. General Information Scientific name: Guaiacum sanctum Pronunciation: GWY-uh-kum SANK-tum Common name(s): Lignum vitae, holywood, tree of life Family: Zygophyllaceae USDA hardiness zones: 10B through 11 (Figure 2) Origin: native to Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America UF/IFAS Invasive Assessment Status: native Uses: tree lawn 3–4 feet wide; tree lawn 4–6 feet wide; tree lawn > 6 ſt wide; sidewalk cutout (tree pit); parking lot island < 100 sq ſt; parking lot island 100–200 sq ſt; parking lot island > 200 sq ſt; container or planter; specimen; deck or patio; Bonsai; highway median Description Height: 10 to 30 feet Spread: 8 to 12 feet Crown uniformity: symmetrical Crown shape: round, vase Crown density: dense Growth rate: slow Texture: fine Figure 1. Full Form—Guaiacum sanctum: Lignum vitae