General Landscape Uses:
Wildflower gardens.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Small herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Typically 3-9 inches in height. Many plants may occur together forming large masses.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; Bahamas. In the Monroe County Keys, disjunct from Miami-Dade County to the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key.
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, prairies and moist disturbed sites.
Soils: Moist to wet, well- to moderately-drained freshwater soils.
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: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White to lavender and yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: All year; peak spring-summer.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene. All year.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Nectar plant for zarucco duskywing (
Erynnis zarucco) butterflies. Attracts bees and other insect pollinators.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
Comments: Spreads readily from seed in the garden and may become a little weedy. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
