Landscape Uses:
	Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Identified by Fair Child Tropical Botanic Garden as a native that does especially well in shade in this brochure.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida. Available in Lake Worth at Amelia's SmartyPlants, and in Naples at Everglades Native Designs.
Description:
	Medium to large short-lived herb with shiny red berries.
Height:
	Typically 1-4 feet in height. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate:
	Fast.
Range:
	Monroe County Keys north to Duval, Marion and Levy counties and west to Arizona; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.
Habitats:
	A wide variety of forested ecosystems.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy, limestone, or organic soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements:
	Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
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:
	Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements:
	Light shade.
Flower Color:
	Pinkish.
Flower Characteristics:
	Semi-showy racemes.
Flowering Season:
	All year.
Fruit:
	Showy red berries.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed.
Comments:
	Rouge plant recruits readily from seed in the garden and can become very aggressive in shady areas. The fruits have been used to make red dye and rouge.