General Landscape Uses:
Coastal lawns and golf courses.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description: Small creeping herbaceous grass.
Dimensions: Typically 6-12 inches in height; to 2 feet in flower. Spreading and forming large open or dense patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south mostly along the Florida coasts to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Old World.
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: Wet to moist coastal areas, occasionally inland.
Soils: Wet to moist, well-drained to inundated sandy, limestone, or organic soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: High; tolerates flooding by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Pioneer; grows in unconsolidated substrate in direct salt wind and spray.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Green inflorescence turning brown.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Spring-fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous light brown caryopsis.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
Comments: It can be mowed and is being used as a lawn grass in coastal areas.
