Groundcover in dry, open areas, mostly along the coast. Wildflower and rock gardens.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
A relatively common element of coastal uplands along both coasts. Probably misidentified as being present in pine rocklands in southern Miami-Dade County, where the critically imperiled E. cokeri occurs.
Availability:
Native plant nurseries.
Description:
Small sprawling shrub, woody at the base. Leaves clustered toward the ends of the stems, bright glossy yellowish-green, about 1-1 1/2 inches long.
Dimensions:
About 1-3 feet in height. Rooting from stems touching the ground and becoming much broader than tall.
Growth Rate:
Moderate.
Range:
Monroe County Keys north along the coasts to Volusia, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.
Habitats:
Coastal thickets throughout South Florida and pine rocklands in the Florida Keys.
Soils:
Moist to seasonally wet, well-drained sandy or limestone 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:
Secondary line; tolerates significant salt wind without injury, but usually is somewhat protected.
Drought Tolerance:
High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements:
Full sun.
Flower Color:
Pinkish-white or white.
Flower Characteristics:
Semi-showy, about 1/2" long.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Round golden-yellow berry containing a single seed, in dense clusters. All year; peak winter-spring.
Wildlife and Ecology:
Provides food for birds.
Horticultural Notes:
Primarily grown from cuttings under mist.
Comments:
An excellent groundcover in open, dry sites along the coast.
Gann, G.D., M.E. Abdo, J.W. Gann, G.D. Gann, Sr., S.W.
Woodmansee, K.A. Bradley, E. Verdon and K.N. Hines. 2005-2008. Natives For Your Neighborhood. http://www.regionalconservation.org.
The Institute for Regional Conservation, Miami.