General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Not recommended for general landscape use.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A common element of open, coastal uplands.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Small perennial herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Typically 1-3 feet in height. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north along the coasts to Flagler and Levy counties; the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and northern South America. On the east coast, very rare north of Brevard County.
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: Beach dunes, coastal strand and coastal grasslands.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderately low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water, but tolerates short term inunation by salt water from storm surge with minimal damage.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Frontline; grows in direct salt wind but away from constant salt spray.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White glad appendages.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Summer.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seeds and cuttings.
