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

General Landscape Uses: Water gardens and along pond and lake edges.

Availability: Native plant nurseries.

Description: Large herb.

Dimensions: Typically 3-6 feet in height. Spreads and forms large patches.

Growth Rate: Fast.

Range: Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Not documented on barrier islands in South Florida, but possibly historically present; it grows well at Pan’s Garden in Palm Beach.

 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: Swamps, marshes and wet disturbed sites.

Soils: Wet, poorly-drained organic soils.

Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.

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: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.

Light Requirements: Full sun.

Flower Color: Purple.

Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.

Flowering Season: Spring-fall.

Fruit: Urticle.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for Brazilian skipper (Calpodes ethlius) butterflies.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.

References: Nelson 2003

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