Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations.
Ecological Restoration Notes:
A rare epiphyte in hammocks and swamps.
Availability:
Grown by enthusiasts.
Description:
Epiphytic wildflower.
Dimensions:
Stems about 2-3 feet in length; erect or pendent.
Growth Rate:
Slow.
Range:
Miami-Dade County and the Monroe County mainland north to Martin and Lee counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America. Very rare outside of Collier County. In Broward County, known from two locations; in Palm Beach County, known from one location; perhaps extirpated in Martin County.
Habitats:
Swamps and moist forests.
Soils:
Epiphytic; grows on the trunks and branches of trees and shrubs.
Nutritional Requirements:
Moderate; can grow on nutrient poor substrate, but needs some nutrient inputs to thrive.
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 substrate and high humidity and is intolerant of long periods of drought.
Light Requirements:
Light shade.
Flower Color:
White.
Flower Characteristics:
Showy. Fragrant, especially at night.
Flowering Season:
All year.
Fruit:
Capsule containing numerous minute seeds. Dispersal is by wind.
Horticultural Notes:
Primarily grown from seed in a sterilized flask.
Comments:
It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida.
Gann, G.D., M.E. Abdo, J.W. Gann, G.D. Gann, Sr., S.W.
Woodmansee, K.A. Bradley, E. Verdon and K.N. Hines. 2005-2008. Natives For Your Neighborhood. http://www.regionalconservation.org.
The Institute for Regional Conservation, Miami.