General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower gardens.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description: Medium annual wildflower.
Dimensions: About 3-4 feet in height. Sometimes as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. In the Monroe County Keys, known only from Key West to Big Pine Key. In Miami-Dade County, known only from Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park northeast along the Miami Rock Ridge to the Richmond Pine Rocklands. In Collier County, known only from the Pinecrest area of Big Cypress National Preserve.
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: Pine rocklands and rockland hammock edges.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well 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: Moderate to high; plants growing in extremely dry soils may die during extended periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color: Purple.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Nutlet.
Horticultural Notes: need info
References: A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants
Comments: The foliage is aromatic when crushed. It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida.
