| Geobalanus oblongifolius | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Chrysobalanaceae |
| Genus: | Geobalanus |
| Species: | G. oblongifolius |
| Binomial name | |
| Geobalanus oblongifolius (Michx.) Small | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Geobalanus oblongifolius, commonly known as gopher apple, [1] is an evergreen shrub. It grows in the sandhills of peninsular Florida as well as coastal Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia. [2]
The fruit is a food source for the gopher tortoise and many other species of wildlife. [3]
It was originally published as Licania michauxii by British botanist G.T. Prance in J. Arnold Arbor. vol. 51 on page 526 in 1970. [1] It was renamed as Geobalanus oblongifolius by (Michx.) Small and re-published in Fl. Miami: 81 (1913). [2] Although it is still known by its former name in some sources. [1]
