General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wet butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description: Large erect herbaceous grass.
Dimensions: To 8-10 feet in height. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Eastern and central United States and scattered in Florida south to Broward and Collier counties; Veracruz, Mexico.
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.
Habitats: Swamps and marshes.
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 to light shade.
Flower Color: Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season: Spring-summer.
Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for clouded skipper (
Lerema accius ) and least skipper (
Analoxypha numitor ) butterflies.
References: Nelson 2003
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.
