Landscape Uses:
	Accent grass in sunny coastal locations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
Availability:
	Widely cultivated.
Description:
	Large herbaceous grass.
Height:
	About 3-4 feet in height; to 6 feet or more when in flower. Spreading from underground stems and forming large patches.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate.
Range:
	Eastern and southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies and Mexico. Absent or very rare in the upper Florida Keys.
Habitats:
	Beach dunes and open coastal areas.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained sandy 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:
	Frontline; grows in direct salt wind but away from constant salt spray.
Drought Tolerance:
	High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
	Full sun.
Flower Color:
	Light brown inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics:
	Showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season:
	All year; peak in summer.
Fruit:
	Inconspicuous light brown caryopsis. Primarily late summer to early fall.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	The most important stabilizer of sand on beach dunes. Most plants are established through vegetative reproduction.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed and division.
Comments:
	It is illegal to collect the flower spike or seed heads in Florida, without a permit. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page and a 2022 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog about the mysteries of the Sea-oat.