General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Medium shrub.
Dimensions: Typically 3-4 feet in height. Usually taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Peninsular Florida from Volusia, Marion, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Scrubby flatwoods and scrub.
Soils: Moist to dry, 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: Pink.
Flower Characteristics: Showy inflorescence.
Flowering Season: Fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.
Wildlife and Ecology: Occasional larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies. Attracts pollinators.
Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
