Identification

• The bay grape is botanically known as Coccoloba uvifera. It is classified as a tree/shrub by the United States Department of Agriculture. The plant is found growing along the ocean in the Caribbean, southern Florida, the Bahamas and Bermuda.
  
  

Features

• The bay grape has 4- to 8-inch-wide, glossy, green leaves with red veining. Female plants pollinated by male plants produce small, white flowers that become grape-like clusters of green fruit that matures to purple.
  
  

Uses

• The bay grape serves a wide variety of uses, depending on how it is trained. The plant can be pruned to form a single-trunk specimen tree, or clipped into a hedge. When clipped into a screen, the plant makes an effective windbreak. Bay grape is also tolerant of salty conditions, and is often grown in a shrub form to stabilize land near the beach and prevent erosion. The grapes are also edible, and can be made into jelly and jam.