General Landscape Uses:
Water gardens and along pond and lake edges.
Availability:
Widely available in central Florida. Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast and South Florida. Available in in Boynton Beach at
Sustainscape (561-245-5305).
Description: Large herbaceous grass.
Dimensions: About 3-4 feet in height; to 6 feet when in flower. About as broad as tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys. In the Monroe County Keys, disjunct from Miami-Dade County to Big Pine Key.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of Postal Code Areas of IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Habitats: Marshes, mostly inland, rarely coastal.
Soils: Wet to moist, poorly-drained to moderately well-drained sandy or calcareous 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: Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Brownish inflorescence.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: Fall-spring.
Fruit: Inconspicuous caryopsis.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and division.
