Corkwood, Water toothleaf
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Stillingia aquatica
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Euphorbiaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
Description: |
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Small to medium herb-like shrub. |
Height: |
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Typically 2-4 feet in height. Usually taller than broad. |
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. |
Habitats: |
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Marshes, swamps and wet pinelands. |
Soils: |
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Moist to seasonally inundated, well-drained limestone or calcareous soils, without humus. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well 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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Yellowish-green. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Inconspicuous. |
Flowering Season: |
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All year. |
Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous capsule. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Horticultural Notes: |
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Comments: |
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See also a 2022 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog about the unique mechanisms that Stillingia aquatica uses to survive both flooding and drought conditions. |
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