Class 1 Prohibited invasive tree in Florida and listed federally as a "noxious weed." Do not plant this tree. Remove it if it is in your landscape. This is the tree the Army Corps imported from Australia and planted in the 1930's with the intent to "drain the Everglades." It is everywhere now, creating clouds of irritating pollen, sometimes 3 times per year. Birds distribute the seeds far and wide.

If you have this tree taken down, and your tree service chips the branches, ask to keep the chipped wood. It makes excellent mulch, having aromatic oils in the wood and bark that are shown to be somewhat insect repellent in recent studies at the University of Florida. It is closely related to the tree that is commercially grown in Australia for the production of Tea Tree Oil. There is at least one commercial operation in Florida producing exclusively Melaleuca mulch under the brand name "Florimulch." An excellent product recommended by County Extension as a win-win for the environment.

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