|                    Saw-grass, Jamaica swamp sawgrass
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                |                    Cladium jamaicense  
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                |                    Cyperaceae 
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                 Landscape Uses:
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                 Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. | 
               
                Ecological Restoration Notes:  | 
               
              
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                 The dominant species of much of the Everglades.  Also present in a number of other wetland ecosystems including wet pinelands. | 
               
              
                | Availability: | 
               
              
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                 Available at native plant nurseries in central and South Florida. | 
               
              
                | Description: | 
               
              
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                 Large herbaceous sedge with saw-toothes leaf margins. | 
               
              
                | Height: | 
               
              
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                 Typically 3-6 feet in height; to 10 feet when in flower.  Clonal and sometimes spreading and forming large patches. | 
               
              
                | Growth Rate: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate. | 
               
              
                | Range: | 
               
              
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                 Southern United States west to New Mexico and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. | 
               
              
                | Habitats: | 
               
              
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                 Marshes, wet prairies and wet pinelands. | 
               
              
                | Soils: | 
               
              
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                 Wet, seasonally inundated freshwater to brackish soils on a variety of substrates. | 
               
              
                | Nutritional Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. | 
               
              
                | Salt Water Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low to moderate; may tolerate some brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water. | 
               
              
                | Salt Wind Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. | 
               
              
                | Drought Tolerance: | 
               
              
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                 Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. | 
               
              
                | Light Requirements: | 
               
              
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                 Full sun to light shade. | 
               
              
                | Flower Color: | 
               
              
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                 Brown inflorescence. | 
               
              
                | Flower Characteristics: | 
               
              
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                 Semi-showy inflorescence. | 
               
              
                | Flowering Season: | 
               
              
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                 Summer-fall. | 
               
              
                | Fruit: | 
               
              
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                 Inconspicuous achene. | 
               
              
                | Wildlife and Ecology: | 
               
              
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                 This is the dominant species of the Everglades marsh, especially in the Shark River Slough.  Larval host plant for Palatka skipper (Euphyes pilatka) butterflies. | 
               
                     
                | Horticultural Notes: | 
               
              
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                 Can be grown from seed. | 
               
              
                | Comments: | 
               
              
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                 Sawgrass is aptly named as the edges of the leaves are armed with tiny, sawlike prickles. Technically it is not a grass, but a sedge. | 
               
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                    James Johnson, 2014 In habitat, Everglades National Park, Florida
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