General Landscape Uses:
Specimen in borders.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida. Available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Perennial herb with a dark blue-gray smooth, solitary stem up to 3 feet tall.
Dimensions: Typically 3 feet in height, often broader than tall.
Range:
Eastern United States south to Lake and Citrus counties; absent from eastern coastal 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: Flatwoods, hammocks, riverbanks.
Soils: Moist to wet, moderately well-drained sandy soils, with or without humus.
Nutritional Requirements: Low to moderate; it can grow in nutrient poor soils or soils with some organic content.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: White
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Spring.
Fruit: Inflated black legume.
Wildlife and Ecology: Attracts native bees and other beneficial insects. Larval host plant for wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) butterfly.
Horticultural Notes: Plant turns black when dried.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Wunderlin and Hansen 2011
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. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
