Natives For Your Neighborhood
Conservation of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems

General Landscape Uses: Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.

Availability: Grown by enthusiasts.

Description: Small herbaceous wildflower.

Dimensions: Typically 4-8 inches in height. Taller than broad.

Growth Rate: Fast.

Range: Widespread in eastern North America south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; very rare and primarily growing as an ephemeral weed in Miami-Dade County.

 Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.

 Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.

 Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.

Habitats: Open disturbed sites.

Soils: Moist, well drained sandy soils, without humus.

Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.

Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.

Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.

Light Requirements: Full sun.

Flower Color: Pale to dark blue.

Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.

Flowering Season: Spring.

Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for common buckeye (Junonia coenia) butterflies.

Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.