General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Small succulent herb with short, erect stems.
Dimensions: About 3-6 inches tall. Usually taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north along the west coast to Charlotte County; disjunct in Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties; West Indies, Mexico and South America. Rare in the Monroe County Keys. In Miami-Dade County, collected once in the early 1900s in a pineland just south of the Miami River.
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: Open coastal areas.
Soils: Moist, well-drained to periodically inundated brackish sandy or limestone soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy, open in morning.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule with tiny black seeds.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and cuttings.
References: Hammer 2004
