| Starrush whitetop
|
| Rhynchospora colorata
|
| Cyperaceae
|
Landscape Uses:
|
|
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also moist to wet wildflower gardens. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
|
|
| Availability: |
|
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries. |
| Description: |
| |
Small to medium herbaceous wildflower. |
| Height: |
| |
About 6-12 inches in height; to 2 feet when in flower. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) and forming small open patches. |
| Growth Rate: |
| |
Fast. |
| Range: |
| |
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; Bermuda, West Indies, Mexico and Central America. In the Monroe County Keys, apparently disjunct from Miami-Dade County to Bahia Honda, Big Pine Key and nearby islands. |
| Habitats: |
| |
Pinelands, marshes and wet prairies. |
| Soils: |
| |
Wet to moist, periodically inundated freshwater or brackish soils. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
| |
Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
| |
Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
| |
Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
| |
Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. |
| Light Requirements: |
| |
Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
| |
White bracts with green tips. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
| |
Semi-showy inflorescence. |
| Flowering Season: |
| |
Spring-fall. |
| Fruit: |
| |
Inconspicuous achene. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
| |
|
| Horticultural Notes: |
| |
Can be grown from seed and divisions. |
| Comments: |
| |
See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page. See a 2019 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on how this sedge changes throughout the day in order to attract insect pollinators. |
|
|
|
|