General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also in water gardens and along pond and lake margins.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Small creeping herb.
Dimensions: About 1-3 inches in height. Creeping across the ground or shallow water and forming large mats.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southern United States south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; West Indies.
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: Marshes and swamps.
Soils: Wet to moist, seasonally inundated organic, sandy or calcareous soils, with or without 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: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
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: Yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Spring-fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed or divisions.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
