Natives For Your Neighborhood
Conservation of rare plants, animals, and ecosystems

General Landscape Uses: Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.

Ecological Restoration Notes: A rare understory herb in freshwater wetlands.

Availability: Widely available in central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in northeast and South Florida. Available in Groveland at Green Isle Gardens, and in Sarasota at Florida Native Plants Nursery.

Description: Erect medium to large wildflower. Leaves about 3 inches long.

Dimensions: Typically 3-5 feet in height. Taller than broad.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Widespread in North America south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland. Rare in South Florida. Not documented on barrier islands in South 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 Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.

Habitats: Swamps, wet hammocks and wet prairies.

Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to moderately well-drained organic soils, with or without humus.

Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.

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: Light shade to moderate shade or full sun.

Flower Color: Bright pink and white or rarely white.

Flower Characteristics: Showy.

Flowering Season: Summer.

Fruit: Slender pod (follicle) with wind dispersed seeds.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; possible larval host of soldier (Danaus eresimus) butterflies. Nectar plant for Delaware skipper (Anatrytone logan), fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus), giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), monarch (Danaus plexippus), ocola skipper (Panoquina ocola), sachem (Atalopedes campestris) and variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) and other butterflies. It also attracts bee pollintors and hummingbirds.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.

Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page and Monarchs & Milkweed flyer.