General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts and occasionally by native plant nurseries.
Description: Small succulent herb with short, erect stems.
Dimensions: About 3-6 inches tall. Usually taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north along the west coast to Charlotte County; disjunct in Miami-Dade and Pinellas counties; West Indies, Mexico and South America. Rare in the Monroe County Keys. In Miami-Dade County, collected once in the early 1900s in a pineland just south of the Miami River.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Open coastal areas.
Soils: Moist, well-drained to periodically inundated brackish sandy or limestone soils.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Yellow.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy, open in morning.
Flowering Season: All year.
Fruit: Inconspicuous capsule with tiny black seeds.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and cuttings.
