General Landscape Uses:
Specimen plant, foundation planting. Best for natural landscapes and along shady streams and ponds.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Multistemmed shrub with arching branches. Small, white, urn-shaped flowers are showy in the spring. Flowers 3/8 inch, shiny green leaves 2-4 inches long. Brown, flaking trunk.
Dimensions: Typically 6-14 feet in height. Usually taller than broad.
Range:
Rare and scattered in the eastern United States south to Polk County.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Habitats: Swamps, streams, wet hammocks
Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to well-drained, usually organic soils, often with acid pH.
Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Light shade. Can tolerate deep shade. Does not perform well in full sun.
Flower Color: White
Flower Characteristics: Showy. Borne in many flowered racemes at the leaf axils.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Rounded brown capsule.
References: Hall (
2020), Wunderlin and Hansen (
2011), Nels
Comments: Tends to sucker. We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
