General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A common but barely noticeable understory wildflower of open upland ecosystems.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and available in Naples at
Everglades Native Designs.
Description: Small creeping herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Typically 3-12 inches in height. Spreading and forming small open or dense patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast.
Range:
Widespread in North America south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. Rare in the Monroe County Keys.
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: Pinelands and coastal uplands.
Soils: Moist to dry, well-drained sandy or limestone 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: Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Two blue petals and one white petal.
Flower Characteristics: Showy, about 1" wide; flowers are open in the morning.
Flowering Season: All year; peak in summer.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.
Wildlife and Ecology: Wilting flowers attract insects.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from cuttings and seed.
References: Hammer 2004
Comments: Similar in appearance to the weedy exotic
common dayflower, but the lowest petal is white. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
