General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Medium herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Basal rosette 1-3 inches in height; up to 3 feet when in flower.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Palm Beach and Collier counties, but rare and scattered in the southernmost parts of its range.
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.
Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Wet pinelands.
Soils: Moist to wet, well-drained sandy soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
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: Full sun.
Flower Color: Purplish.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Fall-winter.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies. Attracts native bees and other beneficial insect pollinators.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
