General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Medium herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: About 2-3 inches in height; to 3 feet when in flower. Usually taller than broad, but sometimes falling over and forming open patches.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties. Scattered and nowhere common in South Florida. Perhaps extirpated in Broward County.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Pinelands.
Soils: Dry to moist, well-drained sandy soils, without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
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: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Purplish or rarely white.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies. Attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. Valuable source of insects for birds.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed.
Comments: See a 2018 post on the
Treasure Coast Natives blog on Blazing Stars and their flowers.
