Entirely nontoxic. A variety of buttonwood with silvery leaves. Safe for all ages.
The silver-leafed variety of the buttonwood is one of Miami Beach's most beautiful landscape trees. While the green buttonwood is a coastal native, the silver variety is prized for its stunning silvery-gray foliage that seems to glow in sunlight. It's the same species — just a natural color variation that catches salt crystals on tiny leaf hairs, giving it a frosted appearance.
— field notes, Miami Beach
Widely planted in Miami Beach landscaping — along Collins Avenue, Lincoln Road, hotel entrances, and in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. One of the most-used landscape trees in the city.
Provides the same coastal ecological benefits as green buttonwood — wind buffering, erosion control, and wildlife habitat. The silver variety is especially popular in urban landscaping because of its beauty and low water requirements.
The silver color isn't paint or pigment — it's thousands of tiny hairs (trichomes) on each leaf that reflect light and trap salt crystals from sea spray. This is an adaptation to extreme coastal conditions. The hairs reduce water loss, reflect excess sunlight, and the salt crystals may even deter some leaf-eating insects.
Find both silver and green buttonwood and compare their leaves side by side. They're the same species with different survival strategies visible to the naked eye.
Fallen leaves from both silver and green buttonwood