General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wildflower and butterfly gardens.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida.
Description: Small to medium herbaceous wildflower.
Dimensions: About 6-24 inches in height. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Georgia and Florida south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; northern Bahamas. Not documented on barrier islands in South Florida, but possibly historically present; it is cultivated at
Pan’s Garden in Palm Beach.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Pinelands.
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 long-term 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: Light purplish.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: An inconspicuous aggregate of nutlets.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies.
Comments: See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
