General Landscape Uses:
Not recommended for general landscape use. It can be incorporated into habitat restorations but it can be very aggressive, recruiting readily from seed and growing very quickly.
Availability:
Occasionally grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Medium herbaceous grass.
Dimensions: 1-2 feet; to 3 feet when in flower.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States, the West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
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: A wide variety of sunny upland or seasonally innundated ecosystems.
Soils: Moist to wet, moderately well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt 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: Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Horticultural Notes: Can easily be grown from seed.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
