General Landscape Uses:
Specimen shrub.
Availability:
Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Shrub 3-9 feet tall with arching branches. With leathery and sparsely hairy leaves 1.5-3 inches long. Fetid flowers either maroon or pink with maroon streaks.
Dimensions: Often 3 feet in height in Florida.
Range:
Southern Georgia and Florida south to Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Manatee counties, and west to Madison and Taylor counties.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Habitats: Sandy flatwoods, sandhills
Soils: Moist to dry, well-drained sandy 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: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.
Flower Color: Maroon
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: April - June.
Fruit: Berry 1-1.5 inches long
Wildlife and Ecology: Larval host plant for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus floridanus) butterflies.
Horticultural Notes: Can be difficult to establish due to the long taproot.
References: Hall (
2020)
Comments: We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page.
