General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Identified by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden as a native that does especially well in shade in this
brochure.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Small herbaceous grass.
Dimensions: About 3-6 inches tall. As broad as tall except when in flower.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland; Greater Antilles, Mexico and Central America.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: A wide variety of forests.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements: Light shade to moderate shade.
Flower Color: Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Spring-fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.
