Giant whitetop
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Rhynchospora latifolia
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Cyperaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wet wildflower gardens. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
Description: |
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Medium herbaceous wildflower. |
Height: |
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About 2-3 feet in height. Taller than broad. |
Growth Rate: |
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Moderate. |
Range: |
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Southeastern United States west to Texas and Oklahoma and south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties. Presumed locally extinct in the wild in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where last collected in 1949 and 1961 respectively. |
Habitats: |
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Marshes and wet pinelands. |
Soils: |
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Wet to moist, moderately well-drained sandy soils, without humus. |
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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Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. |
Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
Flower Color: |
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White bracts. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Showy. |
Flowering Season: |
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Spring-summer. |
Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous achene. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from seed and divisions. |
Comments: |
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