Shady settings. Interesting for its green twigs and red warty fruits. In good habitats it can form dense clones. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume seed. , Habitat, Seep slopes, rich woods, hammocks, upland mixed forest, bluffs, floodplains. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy fruits Insect pollinated, especially by bees.

Wild cotton is a rare plant; it needs protection against missuses and protection against removal from natural populations. Use as a short-lived "shru , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, It is not legal to plant this plant, but the reasons are very dated. A Florida law was passed in the early 1900s banning the growing of wild cottons, , Habitat, Dry sites. Tropical hammock, coastal berm, shell mound. Disturbed area. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies. Flowers attract bees, flies, thrips, grass hoppers,