The Autograph Tree at Key West's West Martello Towers

Look close … What do you see? Leaves on Clusia the Autograph Tree.  The leathery texture of the leaves are nature’s invitation to scratch out your name on a leaf.  And the letters remain as a kind of tattoo scar on the leaf for the rest of the life of the leaf!

A native to Florida, this plant is also known as a ‘pitch apple.’  It’s very tolerant of salt, wind, and drought, and this one has the perfect home at Key West’s West Martello Towers, home of the Key West Garden Club on the Atlantic Ocean next to Higg’s Beach.  Walk by and check it out!