General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower gardens.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Small herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: Basal rosette to about 1 inch in height; to 4 inches when in flower. Taller than broad when in flower.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Peninsular Florida from Miami-Dade and Collier counties scattered north to Indian River, Osceola, Sumter and Citrus counties; southern Texas, Mexico, Central America and South America. Not documented on barrier islands in Florida, but possibly historically present; it grows well at
Pan’s Garden in Palm Beach.
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 pinelands and marl prairies.
Soils: Seasonally wet to moist, moderately well-drained to well-drained sandy or limestone soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Pink.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual
(2005).
