General Landscape Uses:
Groundcover in sunny moist soils. Wildflower gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A widespread and common understory grass of open uplands and short hydroperiod wetlands, but rather weedy in disturbed ecosystems.
Availability:
Widely available in central Florida. Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast and South Florida. Available in Boynton Beach at
Sustainscape (561-245-5305).
Description: Small to medium herbaceous clumping grass.
Dimensions: Typically 6-18 inches in height. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; West Indies, southern Mexico and Belize.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Pinelands, prairies and open coastal areas.
Soils: Moist to wet, well-drained or occasionally inundated freshwater or brackish soils.
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: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Whitish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season: Summer-fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Wildlife and Ecology: Birds eat the abundant seeds. Attracts pollinators.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
Comments: Can become somewhat weedy in open, disturbed sites. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
