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

General Landscape Uses: Groundcover in coastal areas. Also wildflower gardens.

Availability: Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida. Available in in Boynton Beach at Sustainscape (561-245-5305).

Description: Small creeping herbaceous grass.

Dimensions: About 6-12 inches in height; to 18 inches when in flower. Spreading and forming large patches much broader than tall.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Southeastern United States and Maryland west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.

 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: Brackish coastal areas and beach dunes.

Soils: Wet to moist, moderately well-drained to periodically inundated brackish or saline soils, with or without organic or humusy top layer.

Nutritional Requirements: Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content.

Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: Pioneer; grows in unconsolidated substrate in direct salt wind and spray.

Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.

Light Requirements: Full sun.

Flower Color: Light brown inflorescence.

Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.

Flowering Season: All year.

Fruit: Inconspicuous light brown caryopsis.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for obscure skipper (Panoquina panoquinoides) butterflies.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.

References: Neslon 2003