General Landscape Uses:
An excellent groundcover for water gardens and along pond and lake margins.
Availability:
Widely cultivated.
Description: Medium herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: About 2-3 feet in height. Forming small clumps about as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Nearly throughout Florida south to Palm Beach, Glades and Collier counties. In Palm Beach and Martin counties, native to the Dupuis Reserve and J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area.
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: Swamps, marshes and wet prairies.
Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to moderately well-drained organic soils.
Nutritional Requirements: High; requires rich organic soils for optimal growth.
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 to light shade.
Flower Color: Purple.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Capsule.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food for birds.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed or divisions.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
