How to Grow and Care for Nakedwoods

Asian nakedwood (Colubrina asiatica) produces exceptionally buoyant seeds that are resistant to salt water. These two traits allow this plant to cross oceans to populate new lands and new continents, where it can become extremely aggressive and invasive. In some areas, it has choked out native flora. The leaves are full of saponins, and people have made soap out of them for centuries.

Colubrina triflora is distinguished by its three-leaf clustered arrangement, which is rare among woody shrubs. This adaptation may aid in maximizing sunlight capture for photosynthesis. The distinctive bark, often textured and peeling, offers resilience against pests and diseases. The small, inconspicuous flowers adapt well to pollination by specific insects, revealing an evolved symbiosis with its natural habitat.

C. greggii is a shrub 2 to 3 m in height or a small tree, reaching 5 m. Stems are densely pubescent. Leaves are alternately arranged, simple, ovate to lanceolate-ovate or elliptic-ovate, and have finely toothed margins. Flowering takes place in the summer and fall.

Colubrina viridis is a small to mid-sized shrub prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions. Its rounded, bright green leaves and greenish-yellow flowers are distinctive, while its small, spherical fruits turn from green to black as they mature. Adapting well to a variety of soils, colubrina viridis thrives in full sunlight, contributing to its resilience and spread in coastal environments.

Colubrina heteroneura is a small, deciduous tree native to rocky, dry forests. It features peeling bark, elliptical leaves, and small blossoms that develop into fruit clusters resembling tiny apples. This adaptability to arid conditions makes colubrina heteroneura resilient, thriving under intense sunlight and in nutrient-poor soils.