Yellow colicroot
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Aletris lutea
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Nartheciaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also moist to wet wildflower gardens. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries. |
Description: |
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Small to medium wildflower. |
Height: |
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Basal rosette about 3-6 inches in height; to 3 feet when in flower. About as wide as tall except when in flower. |
Growth Rate: |
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Moderate. |
Range: |
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Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland. Not documented but presumed extirpated in Broward County. Also very rare in the northwestern peninsula and eastern Panhandle. |
Habitats: |
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Moist pinelands and prairies. |
Soils: |
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Moist to wet, seasonally inundated calcareous or sandy soils, without humusy top layer. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. |
Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water. |
Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
Drought Tolerance: |
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Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established. |
Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
Flower Color: |
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Dull yellow. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy. |
Flowering Season: |
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Spring-summer. |
Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous capsule. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seed. |
Comments: |
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See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page. |
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