General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A common, although usually inconspicuous, understory herb in pinelands and prairies.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Small herbaceous wildflower with silvery leaves.
Dimensions: Typically 2-4 inches in height. It sprawls or spreads across the ground forming small, open patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southern United States west to Arizona and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. 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 ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.
Habitats: Pinelands and prairies.
Soils: Moist, 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: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: Spring-fall.
Fruit: Small globose capsule with brown seeds.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
