General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Found along the east coast on beach dunes in the pioneer zone in bare sand.
Availability:
Grown by one or two native plant nurseries in South Florida.
Description: Small rhizomatous herbaceous sedge.
Dimensions: Typically 2-3 inches in height. Spreading from underground stems (rhizomes) with individual clumps emerging from bare sand.
Growth Rate: Moderate to slow.
Range:
Miami-Dade County north along the east coast to Brevard County (Satellite Beach); West Indies, southern Mexico (Yucatan), Central America, South America and the Old World.
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: Beach dunes.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Pioneer; grows in unconsolidated substrate in direct salt wind and spray.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White to yellowish.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Summer-fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Horticultural Notes: Primarily grown from division. This is a difficult species to grow.
Comments: It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida.
