General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also an accent open groundcover in shady areas. Identified by Fair Child Tropical Botanic Garden as a native that does especially well in shade in this
brochure.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description: Large herbaceous, almost woody grass.
Dimensions: About 3-6 feet in height, sometimes more when climbing into other vegetation. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north, mostly along the coasts, to Brevard and Lee counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. Very rare north of the Miami River in southeastern Florida. Perhaps never present or extirpated in Broward County; perhaps extirpated in Palm Beach County; known from one location in Martin County.
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: Hammocks.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or sandy soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
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: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Light shade.
Flower Color: Greenish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Summer-fall.
Fruit: Shiny black caryopsis.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
Comments: Looks like a miniature bamboo.
