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

General Landscape Uses: Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.

Availability: Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in northern Florida.

Description: Medium herbaceous grass.

Dimensions: About 1-2 feet in height; up to 6 feet in flower. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming small patches broader than tall.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Widespread in North America (including Mexico) south to South Florida, at least as far south as Palm Beach and Lee counties.

 Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.

Habitats: Pinelands

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: Brownish inflorescence.

Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.

Flowering Season: Summer-fall.

Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.

Wildlife and Ecology: Valuable source of seeds for birds.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.

Comments: Taxonomy: some authors place S. rhizomatum into synonomy here.