Landscape Uses:
	Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
	A fairly common element of rockland hammock edges in the Florida Keys, rarer elsewhere. It tolerates disturbed, even scraped, soils, but needs some organic material to thrive.
Availability:
	Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
	Medium shrub with velvety leaves and showy yellow flowers.
Height:
	Typically 3-6 feet in height. Usually taller than broad.
Growth Rate:
	Moderate.
Range:
	Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward and Collier counties; disjunct in Manatee County, where presumed extirpated; West Indies, Mexico and Central America.
Habitats:
	Rockland hammock edges and canopy gaps and coastal rock barrens.
Soils:
	Moist, well-drained limestone soils, with 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:
	Moderate to high; plants growing in extremely dry soils may die during extended periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
	Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color:
	Yellow.
Flower Characteristics:
	Showy, about 1" wide.
Flowering Season:
	All year; peak winter to spring.
Fruit:
	Narrow carpels arranged in a cup shape, separating at maturity.
Wildlife and Ecology:
	Possible larval host plant for common checkered-skipper (Pyrgus communis), mallow scrub-hairstreak (Strymon istapa) and tropical checkered-skipper (Pyrgus oileus) butterflies.
Horticultural Notes:
	Can be grown from seed. Small seedlings are easily transplanted.
Comments:
	The attractive silvery foliage and showy yellow flowers makes this a good choice in sunny, coastal, rockand areas.