Natives For Your Neighborhood
Conservation of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems

General Landscape Uses: Groundcover and borders.

Availability: Rarely grown by native plant nurseries.

Description: Coarse perennial grass 1.5 feet tall, forming small clumps. Leaves with or without short, red hairs.

Dimensions: Typically 1-2 feet in height, up to 3 feet when flowering.

Range: Eastern half of the United States from Maine west to Texas and south throughout the state of Florida.

 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.

Habitats: Wetlands, swamps, wet hammocks.

Soils: Wet to moist, seasonally inundated organic, sandy or calcareous soils, with or without humusy top layer.

Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term 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 moderate shade.

Flower Color: Green or purplish.

Flower Characteristics: Showy.

Flowering Season: Summer-fall.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for clouded skipper (Lerema accius) and Delaware skipper (Anatrytone logan) butterflies.

References: Taylor (2009), Minno, Butler & Hall (2005)

Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.