General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes: It can be used as one of many understory herbs in pine rocklands.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Erect medium herb.
Dimensions: About 1-3 feet in height. Usually taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Endemic to the Monroe County Keys and Miami-Dade County. On the mainland, native from Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park northeast along the Miami Rock Ridge to the Miami River.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Pine rocklands and coastal hammocks.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content.
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 to high; plants growing in extremely dry soils may die during extended periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Green.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Three-lobed green capsule.
References: Hammer 2004
Comments: The leaves may take on a metalic sheen. It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida. See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory's
Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000).
