General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also an accent shrub in coastal uplands.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A somewhat rare element of beach dunes and coastal strand.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Small, dense shrubby herb. Leaves greenish with a silvery cast, to 2 inches long.
Dimensions: Typically 1-3 feet in height. As broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate to slow.
Range:
Southern United States west to Texas and south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; Cuba, Mexico, Central America and northern South America.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Open coastal uplands.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy 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: Frontline; grows in direct salt wind but away from constant salt spray.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous. Fragrant. Unisexual, with male flowers above and female below, clustered toward the ends of the stems.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and cuttings.
