It’s not often that a bush has both berries and blooms on it at
the same time. A recent forage into a local garden center has
reminded of the Durnata erecta. This sprawling tender evergreen
plant can put on quite a show if you treat it right. You may
know this showy beauty by some of its nicknames like Pigeon
Berry, Golden Dewdrop or Skyflower. According to Floridata,
Duranta is native to scrub and open woodlands in the West Indies
and Central and South America. This heat lover can be found
growing wild in parts of Mexico and the Caribbean. It is found
in certain areas in southern Florida and south Texas. Its
botanical name is Duranta erecta and is part of the family of
Verbenaceae. The genus Duranta is named after the 15th century
Italian botanist Castore Durantes. “Erecta” means “upright” in
Latin. Plan on planting your Golden Dewdrop in a location where
you would like a fast growing shrub that will grow 5-10 feet
tall and just as wide. It usually grows into a sprawling shrub
with branches drooping with ber