| Eyebright ayenia
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| Ayenia euphrasiifolia
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| Malvaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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A somewhat weedy understory herb in pine rocklands. |
| Availability: |
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Grown by enthusiasts. |
| Description: |
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Small creeping herb. |
| Height: |
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About 2-4 inches in height. Spreading across the ground and forming small patches. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Moderate. |
| Range: |
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Monroe County Keys and Miami-Dade County; West Indies. Also collected once Palm Beach County (Lantana). In Miami-Dade County, not native north of the Miami River. In the Monroe County Keys, apparently disjunct from Miami-Dade County and North Key Largo to the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key; also collected in Key West in the mid 1800s. |
| Habitats: |
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Pine rocklands. |
| Soils: |
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Moist, well-drained limestone soils, without humus. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Moderate; grows near salt water, but is protected from direct salt spray by other vegetation. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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High; does not require any supplemental water once established. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
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Red. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Inconspicuous. |
| Flowering Season: |
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All year. |
| Fruit: |
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Inconspicuous warty capsule. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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| Horticultural Notes: |
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| Comments: |
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