General Landscape Uses: Accent coastal wildflower and bedding plant.

Ecological Restoration Notes: A relatively common element of coastal areas, especially the ecotones between mangrove swamps and coastal uplands.

Description: Small to medium shrub with silvery-green leaves and attractive yellow flowers.

Dimensions: Typically 2-3 feet in height; to 5 feet in South Florida. Colonial, and spreading much broader than tall.

Growth Rate: Moderate.

Range: Eastern and southeastern United States west to Texas and south to the Monroe County Keys; Bahamas, Cuba and southern Mexico.

Habitats: Coastal wetlands and beaches.

Soils: Wet to moist, well-drained to periodically inundated brackish soils.

Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.

Salt Water Tolerance: Moderate; tolerates brackish water or occasional inundation by salt water.

Salt Wind Tolerance: High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury.

Drought Tolerance: Moderate to low; requires moist to wet soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.

Light Requirements: Full sun to light shade.

Flower Color: Yellow.

Flower Characteristics: Showy compound heads, about 1″ wide.

Flowering Season: All year; peak spring-summer.

Fruit: Inconspicuous achene.

Wildlife and Ecology: Provides moderate amounts of food and cover for wildlife. Nectar plant for great southern white (Ascia monuste), gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), southern broken-dash (Wallengrenia otho) and other butterflies.

Horticultural Notes: Grown from seed or cuttings. Break up seed heads into a pot with 2″ or more of potting soil and sprinkle a little soil into the pot, almost covering the seeds. Place in light shade or full sun and keep moist.

References: Hammer 2004

Comments: In Florida, distinguished from B. arborescens by its silver foliage (in the Bahamas, B. arborescens is also silver). In Florida and Cuba, the two species form a rare natural hybrid, B. x cubana. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation’s Flower Friday page.