General Landscape Uses:
Water gardens and along pond and lake edges.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries. Available in in Boynton Beach at
Sustainscape (561-245-5305).
Description: Large herbaceous grass.
Dimensions: About 3-4 feet in height; to 6 feet when in flower. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys. In the Monroe County Keys, disjunct from Miami-Dade County to Big Pine Key.
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: Marshes, mostly inland, rarely coastal.
Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to moderately well-drained sandy or calcareous 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: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Fall-spring.
Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.
References: Nelson 2003
