General Landscape Uses:
Wildflower gardens, locations that need early spring interest.
Availability:
Rarely grown by native plant nurseries in northern Florida.
Description: Creeping perennial wildflower one foot tall with white flowers in the spring. The plant is dormant in the summer.
Dimensions: Typically 6-12 inches in height.
Range:
Eastern half of the United States from Maine to North Dakota south to Texas and Walton to Hamilton counties.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Mesic, calcareous hammocks.
Soils: Moist, well-drained limestone or calcareous sandy soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
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; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun in the spring, light to moderate shade in the summer.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Two inch pod.
Horticultural Notes: Roots are poisonous to humans.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Wunderlin and Hansen 2011, Osorio 2001
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.
