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Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014 In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida Expand
General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Common in pine rocklands in southerm Miami-Dade County; rare elsewhere.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries. Available in Miami at Pro Native Consulting (786-488-3101).
Description: Small shrub. Leaves dark green above and silvery or coppery below.
Dimensions: Typically 1-3 feet in height. Often as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north along the east coast to St. Lucie County, where presumed exirpated in the wild; West Indies. In the Monroe County Keys, apparently disjunct from Miami-Dade County to the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key and Little Pine Key.
Habitats: Pine rocklands, scrub and coastal thickets.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule with yellowish pubescence.
Wildlife and Ecology: Sole larval host plant for Bartram's scrub-hairstreak (Strymon acis) and Florida leafwing (Anaea troglodyta floridalis) butterflies in South Florida. Nectar plant for baracoa skipper (Polites baracoa), Bartram's scrub-hairstreak, cassius blue (Leptotes cassius), Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus) and other butterflies.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed or cuttings. Soak seeds in water overnight andd sprinkle into a community pot, scattering a thin layer of soil over the seeds. Place in full sun. For excellent and detailed information on pineland croton propagation, see Fairchild Tropical Garden's Connect To Protect fact sheet.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual (2005).
Comments: Recruits readily in the garden from seed, but is not weedy.
Copyright by: James Johnson, 2014 In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida Expand
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Copyright by: Kristen Finch, 2013 In cultivation, Palm Beach County, Florida
Copyright by: Kristen Finch, 2013 In cultivation, Palm Beach County, Florida
Copyright by: Kristen Finch, 2013 In cultivation, Palm Beach County, Florida