When does gopher apple bloom?

Gopher apple typically flowers from April through June, producing small white blossoms along its low stems.

What pollinates gopher apple flowers?

The flowers are visited mainly by bees and beetles, which move between the small blooms for nectar and pollen.

How much sun and water does gopher apple need?

It grows well in part sun with low water needs, making it suited to open, well-drained sandy sites.

What kind of growth habit does gopher apple have?

It is a short, spreading shrub, often only a foot or two tall, that grows from woody underground stems and can form dense low colonies.

Gopher Apple

Name: Pollinator Patch
Author: Pollinator Patch

Geobalanus oblongifolius

Last reviewed: October 2026

Gopher apple is a low, spreading shrub that forms colonies in sandy pinelands and scrub of the southeastern coastal plain, blooming from April through June with small white flowers.

Toxicity unknown

Gopher Apple (Geobalanus oblongifolius) is not listed by the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (opens in new tab) or the other sources we check, so we have no verdict for it either way. Absence from those lists is not a clearance. If your pet shows symptoms after eating any plant, call the ASPCA at (888) 426-4435.

Light

full sun

Water

low

Size

4"–18" H × 24"–60" W

Bloom

Mar, Apr, May

Native to

AL, FL, GA, LA and 2 more states

Pollinators

bees

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Browse plants for this ecoregion

Southeastern Plains Southern Coastal Plain Southern Florida Coastal Plain

A low, colony-forming shrub that spreads by underground stems into a knee-high groundcover, with leathery oval leaves and small white flowers followed by a dry, plum-like fruit. Common in dry sandy pine scrub, where it forms extensive spreading patches.

Growing Gopher Apple

Grow Gopher Apple in full sun and low water. Mature plants reach 4 to 18 inches tall and spread 24 to 60 inches wide.

Wildlife value

Spring flowers support native bees, and the fruit, though largely inedible to people, is eaten by small mammals including gopher tortoises, for which it is named.

Common questions

When does gopher apple bloom?: Gopher apple typically flowers from April through June, producing small white blossoms along its low stems.
What pollinates gopher apple flowers?: The flowers are visited mainly by bees and beetles, which move between the small blooms for nectar and pollen.
How much sun and water does gopher apple need?: It grows well in part sun with low water needs, making it suited to open, well-drained sandy sites.
What kind of growth habit does gopher apple have?: It is a short, spreading shrub, often only a foot or two tall, that grows from woody underground stems and can form dense low colonies.

These answers were drafted with an AI model from this plant's data. Verify care details with a local expert.

Native range data from the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (Kew). Pollinator and host plant associations compiled from GBIF, iNaturalist, and published ecological literature.

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