General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wet to moist wildflower and butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in central Florida. Available in Lake Worth at
Amelia's SmartyPlants (561-540-6296).
Description: Medium herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Typically 2-3 feet in heigth. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Endemic to Florida from Nassau County and the Panhandle south to Miami-Dade, Highlands, and Lee counties. Presumed extirpated in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. In Broward County, last collected in the Parkland area in 1982. Not documented on barrier islands in South Florida, but possibly historically present; it is cultivated at
Pan’s Garden in Palm Beach.
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: Wet to moist, seasonally inundated sandy soils, without humus.
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: Yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Fall-winter.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies and birds. Also provides source of insects for birds.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
