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Giant whitetop
Rhynchospora latifolia
Cyperaceae
 

Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

General Landscape Uses: Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also wet wildflower gardens.

Availability: Grown by enthusiasts.

Description: Medium herbaceous wildflower.

Dimensions: About 2-3 feet in height. Taller than broad.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Southeastern United States west to Texas and Oklahoma and south to Miami-Dade and Collier counties. Presumed locally extinct in the wild in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, where last collected in 1949 and 1961 respectively.

Plant Map 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.

 Map of ZIP codes with habitat recommendations from the Monroe County Keys north to Martin and Charlotte counties.

Habitats: Marshes and wet pinelands.

Soils: Wet to moist, moderately well-drained sandy soils, without humus.

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: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.

Drought Tolerance: Low; requires moist to wet soils and is intolerant of long periods of drought.

Light Requirements: Full sun.

Flower Color: White bracts.

Flower Characteristics: Showy.

Flowering Season: Spring-summer.

Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.

Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from seed and divisions.


Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Copyright by: Shirley Denton

Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley


Other data on Rhynchospora latifolia available from:



 
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