General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Availability:
Grown by a few native plant nurseries in central and northern Florida.
Description: Small compact densely-branched shrub with numerous underground branches. Leaves small, thick and bluish-green, about 1/4 to 2/3 inches long; the new growth is pinkish.
Dimensions: Typically, 1-2 feet in height. Spreading from underground stems and forming masses broader than tall.
Growth Rate: Slow.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to St. Lucie, Hendry and Collier counties; also reported for Martin and Palm Beach counties, where either absent or very rare.
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.
Habitats: Pinelands.
Soils: Moist to dry, well-drained sandy soils, without humus, acid pH.
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: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White to pink.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Blue berry; edible.
Wildlife and Ecology: Provides food and cover for wildlife. Nectar plant for butterflies and other pollinators. Birds and other animals eat the fruits.
Comments: Very similar to
Vaccinium myrsinites, but with bluish foliage.
