General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and a few native plant nurseries.
Description: Medium herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: About 2-3 inches in height; to 3 feet when in flower. Usually taller than broad, but sometimes falling over and forming open patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties. Scattered and nowhere common in South Florida. Perhaps extirpated in Broward County.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Pinelands.
Soils: Dry to moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
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: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Purplish or rarely white.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies. Attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. Valuable source of insects for birds.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
Comments: See a 2018 post on the
Treasure Coast Natives blog on Blazing Stars and their flowers.
