| Mock bishopsweed, Herbwilliam
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| Ptilimnium capillaceum
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| Apiaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wet wildflower and butterfly gardens. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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| Availability: |
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Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida. |
| Description: |
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Small to medium annual herb. |
| Height: |
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About 6-18 inches in height. Usually taller than broad. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Fast. |
| Range: |
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Eastern and central United States west to Texas and south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties; West Indies. |
| Habitats: |
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Swamps and wet disturbed sites. |
| Soils: |
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Wet to moist, well-drained to poorly-drained sandy or organic soils, with humusy top layer. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun. |
| Flower Color: |
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White. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy. |
| Flowering Season: |
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All year. |
| Fruit: |
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A pair of inconspicuous carpels pendent from a supporting axis. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Larval host plant for black swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) butterflies.
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| Horticultural Notes: |
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| Comments: |
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This self seeds and can be somewhat weedy. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's Flower Friday page. See a 2019 post on the Treasure Coast Natives blog on dominant mudflat species including mock bishopsweed.
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