Buttonwood, Conocarpus erectus, a member of the mostly tropical Combretum Family, has the driest feet of the Yucatan's four main mangrove-tree species. In the mangroves, often Buttonwood grows around edges. Usually it bears flowers and/or fruits in distinctive, cone-like clusters like those below.
At the peak of maturity when the clusters are brownish they crumble into separate fruits.
Ecologically, Buttonwood is noted for withstanding high winds better than the other mangrove species. Therefore, when they occur at the edges of mangrove swamps they serve as a buffer for the entire mangrove ecosystem. Buttonwood thickets provide habitat for many species, including crabs and Bald Eagles. Unfortunately, its heavy wood makes great firewood and is cut for charcoal production. The species is distributed from central Florida through the Caribbean, and northern Mexico south to Ecuador and Brazil, as well as western tropical Africa.