Geobalanus oblongifolius

Geobalanus oblongifolius, commonly known as gopher apple,^[2] is an evergreen shrub. It grows in the sandhills of peninsular Florida as well as coastal Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia.^[3]

Geobalanus oblongifolius
Conservation status
Apparently Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
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
Chrysobalanus incanus Raf. in New Fl. 3: 26 (1838), nom. superfl. Chrysobalanus oblongifolius Michx. in Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 283 (1803) Chrysobalanus pallidus (Small) L.B.Sm. in Rhodora 48: 136 (1946) Chrysobalanus prunifolius Raf. in New Fl. 3: 26 (1838) Chrysobalanus retusus Raf. in New Fl. 3: 26 (1838) Geobalanus pallidus Small in Fl. Miami: 81 (1913) Licania michauxii Prance in J. Arnold Arbor. 51: 526 (1970) Persea longipeda Bertol. in Misc. Bot. 13: 14 (1853)

The fruit is a food source for the gopher tortoise and many other species of wildlife.^[4]

It was originally published as Licania michauxii by British botanist G.T. Prance in J. Arnold Arbor. vol. 51 on page 526 in 1970.^[2] It was renamed as Geobalanus oblongifolius by (Michx.) Small and re-published in Fl. Miami: 81 (1913).^[3] Although it is still known by its former name in some sources.^[2]

Gallery

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  Subpopulation on sandhill at Carter Creek WMA
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  Sprouting buds
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  Subpopulation at base of pines
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  Growing in deep, white sands