General Landscape Uses:
Wildflower garden, groundcover.
Availability:
Commonly available at native plant nurseries in central Florida.
Description: Sprawling short lived perennial wildflower 1.5-2 feet tall and 3-4 feet wide. Abundant rosy pink clusters of flowers.
Dimensions: Up to 2 feet in height, broader than tall.
Range:
Endemic to Florida. Levy, Lake, and Volusia counties south to Sarasota, De Soto, and Indian River counties. Also present in Lee, Collier, Broward, and Dade 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: Back dunes, coastal hammocks, pinelands.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy soils, with or without a humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Low; it grows in nutrient poor soils.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate 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: High; does not require any supplemental water once established.
Light Requirements: Full sun.
Flower Color: Pinkish to bluish.
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: February-October.
Fruit: Nutlets.
Wildlife and Ecology: Nectar plant for butterflies.
References: Hall (
2020), Hammer (
2016), Osor
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. Horticultural synonyms:
Verbena tampensis.
See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory's
Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000).
