General Landscape Uses:
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes. Also a creeping groundcover in moist to relatively dry areas.
Ecological Restoration Notes: Primarily associated with disturbed uplands and can become weedy, but it is relatively easy to control.
Availability:
Widely available in central Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in South Florida. Available in Boynton Beach at
Sustainscape (561-245-5305) and in Lake Worth at
Indian Trails Native Nursery (561-641-9488) and at
Amelia's SmartyPlants (561-540-6296)..
Description: Small herbaceous wildflower, usually creeping along the ground; dormant in the winter in the northernmost parts of its range.
Dimensions: About 3-9 inches in height. Spreading and forming large, open or dense patches several feet across.
Growth Rate: Fast.
Range:
Scattered from Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland north to Brevard, Marion, Alachua and Citrus counties, perhaps spreading north; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Disturbed uplands and (rarely) hammock edges, including shell mounds.
Soils: Moist to moderately dry, well-drained sandy, limestone, or organic soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish 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: Light shade to full sun.
Flower Color: Blue.
Flower Characteristics: Semi-showy.
Flowering Season: Spring-fall.
Fruit: Inconspicuous nutlet.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies. This has been reported as a possible larval host plant for the Fulvous hairstreak in Cuba (
Fernández-Hernández 2007), along with other native sage (
Salvia) species.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from cuttings, division or seed.
