Eyebright ayenia
Ayenia euphrasiifolia
Malvaceae


Landscape Uses:

Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.

Ecological Restoration Notes:

A somewhat weedy understory herb in pine rocklands.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
Small creeping herb.
Height:
About 2-4 inches in height. Spreading across the ground and forming small patches.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys and Miami-Dade County; West Indies. Also collected once Palm Beach County (Lantana). In Miami-Dade County, not native north of the Miami River. In the Monroe County Keys, apparently disjunct from Miami-Dade County and North Key Largo to the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key; also collected in Key West in the mid 1800s.
Habitats:
Pine rocklands.
Soils:
Moist, well-drained limestone soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements:
Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance:
Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance:
Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Red.
Flower Characteristics:
Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Inconspicuous warty capsule.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
Comments:


Keith A. Bradley
Keith A. Bradley