Tamala borbonia (Linnaeus) Rafinesque. Red Bay, Tisswood, Smooth Red Bay. Phen: May-Jun; Sep-Oct. Hab: Hammocks, dunes, maritime forests, in dry sandy soils on barrier islands. Dist: E. NC (Carteret County) south to s. FL and west to s. TX; reports of the species north of NC are based on the inclusion of T. palustris in a broadly defined T. borbonia, or are simply in error, based on less hairy plants of T. palustris. This species is uncommon to rare north of FL and becoming rarer with the destruction of most maritime and near coastal upland forests for the construction of vacation homes and tourist accommodations.

Origin/Endemic status: Endemic

Synonymy: = Weakley (2023a) in Weakley et al (2023); = Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. – Ar, FNA3, G, GW2, K1, K3, K4, Godfrey (1988), Shearman, Wang, & Mayfield (2022); = Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. var. borbonia – Fl2, WH3; < Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng. – F, RAB, Tx; > Persea littoralis Small; > Tamala borbonia (L.) Raf. – S, S13; > Tamala littoralis (Small) Small – S, S13

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Wetland Indicator Status:

• Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW (name change)
• Great Plains: FACW (name change)

Heliophily: 6