White Stopper

(Eugenia axillaris)

The White Stopper is in the Myrtle family and can grow up to 25 feet tall. The small, white fragrant flowers are borne in summer in clusters, appearing year-round. After flowering, they produce small berries that ripen from white to red to black. This plant is also said to have another aroma—it comes from the evaporation of volatile oils in the leaves and tends toward musky, not sweet.  It has an organic, earthy, skunk-like smell. It has sometimes been referred to as the skunk tree because of this odor.

Information Provided by the Friends of Barefoot Beach Preserve
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