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.

Availability: Grown by enthusiasts.

Description: Small herbaceous wildflower.

Dimensions: Typically 4-8 inches in height. Taller than broad.

Growth Rate: Fast.

Range: Widespread in eastern North America south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; very rare and primarily growing as an ephemeral weed in Miami-Dade County.

 Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.

 Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.

Habitats: Open disturbed sites.

Soils: 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: Pale to dark blue.

Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.

Flowering Season: Spring.

Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule.

Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for common buckeye (Junonia coenia) butterflies.

Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page.