Flaveria linearis – Yellow Top

A beautifully grown flowering plant of Flaveria linearis photographed in the native plant garden of Ryan Leavengood, a member of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society.

Flaveria linearis is a common, easily grown perennial found in open, sunny areas in pine flatwoods and coastal situations from Jackson County in the Panhandle, south to the Monroe County keys. It is easily grown from seeds as well as vegetatively by division or cuttings, the latter readily rooting in a glass of water or a pot of moist soil. Its cultivation is undemanding and requires nothing more than moist, but well-drained soil, and a half-day or more of full sun. It tends to be short-lived in cultivation, especially if grown in very rich or heavily fertilized soil.

Although it bears small flower heads, Flaveria linearis puts on an attractive show due to the sheer number and brilliant golden-yellow color of the flower heads. Plants in flower are irresistable to a wide variety of insects including flower beetles, native bees, and butterflies. After flowering, the plants get a somewhat unkempt appearance due to the old dried flower heads but a little judicious pruning soon leads to a burst of fresh, bright green, new growth.

Flaveria linearis may be grown in flower beds, cottage gardens, bee or butterfly gardens, wildflower gardens, or along the sunny edges of shrub borders or tree plantings. Because it can tolerate much adversity, it may also be grown in tough urban situations as well as sites where construction has disturbed the soil and there is much rubble present. It naturally occurs in coastal sites and is thus also recommended for coastal gardens. The bright yellow flower heads and its long stems make Flaveria linearis a good plant for cut flowers. And, while it has no medicinal or herbal uses that I know of, its growth habit and appearance permit its use in herb gardens, where its bright green leaves will constrast nicely with silvery-leaved herbs. Its wide natural range from Florida's Panhandle to the Floria Keys indicates that it is an adaptable plant capable of being grown throughout the entire State of Florida. Yet, in spite of its vigorous, carefree nature, it is well-behaved in most gardens and is rarely, if at all, ever weedy due to aggressive self-seeding. Its ease of cultivation, showy golden flower heads, and benefits to native insect wildlife, highly recommend Flaveria linearis for any garden that can accommodate its needs, including those of novice gardeners or gardeners with little experience growing perennials, wildflowers, or native plants.

Image and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Pentas lanceolata 'Gloria's Heirloom Pink'

Pentas lanceolata 'Gloria's Heirloom Pink'

Pentas lanceolata is an evergreen perennial or subshrub native to Africa and Yemen that is commonly used as a flowering landscape plant in frost-free areas and as an annual or houseplant in colder regions. Old-fashioned cultivars are rather large plants that grow to about 4 feet tall and wide, whereas modern cultivars tend to be more compact. Its common names are listed in a variety of references as Egyptian star flower or Egyptian star cluster, but, at least in south Florida, it is never known by those names and it is always referred to by the common name of pentas.

Pentas is very easily cultivated in well-drained but moist soil in full sun to light shade and it is easily propagated from seeds or cuttings, with the cuttings rooting easily in either a glass of water or soil. Poorly drained soils promptly lead to root rot and it struggles in excessively dry soil, thus, it is best to keep it moderately moist and to avoid extreme garden situations. It is much cultivated for the attractive flowers, which are borne throughout the year and come in shades of white, pink, red, magenta, and lavender. The flowers will last about five days when cut and placed in a vase of water and pentas is sparingly used as a cut flower and in flower arrangements.

Pentas is also highly recommended for butterfly gardens as a nectar plant. Unfortunately, modern cultivars are not particularly attractive to butterflies and, if used in butterfly gardens, one needs to seek out the large, old cultivars. One of these is 'Gloria's Heirloom Pink'. It is a selection found by the outstanding native plant gardener, Gloria Hunter, in the 1950s on the island of Palm Beach. It is a vigorous plant with bright pink flowers and in my garden it is a great favorite of honeybees and gulf fritillary, monarch, and queen butterflies. This cultivar is sparingly found in cultivation in the West Palm Beach region, mostly in the gardens of native plant enthusiasts with whom Gloria has generously shared cuttings.

Pentas lanceolata 'Gloria's Heirloom Pink' with a gulf fritillary butterfly (Agraulis vanillae).

Although pentas has been cultivated in the untold thousands throughout southern Florida, it has not shown invasive tendencies and it has been found outside of cultivation in Florida only in Miami-Dade County. I have seen such wild plants growing in moist, partially shaded, rocky places in Miami-Dade County but they had reverted to their wild form and were scarcely recognizable as pentas. The plants were rather spindly, wispy things barely a foot tall and with dull whitish flowers. I found this unusual since cultivated plants that revert to their wild form are usually more vigorous than the cultivated forms but these were decidedly less vigorous. Also, and perhaps the reason pentas has not shown invasive tendencies, they appeared short-lived, were never found in large numbers, and occurred in sites only where there was little or no competition from other plants.

Images and text © 2013 Rufino Osorio

Crotalaria pumila – Low Rattlebox

Crotalaria pumila is an annual or short-lived perennial that generally grows up to about 12 inches tall and about as wide or wider. It has alternate leaves with each leaf divided into three segments. The flowers are bright golden yellow with usually some red streaks, the streaks being especially pronounced on the back of the banner petal. Flowers are soon followed by inflated light brown pods with loose seeds that rattle when the pods are shaken. The plant does not spread vegetatively; however, the pods eventually split open with great suddenness and ballistically hurl the seeds several feet away from the parent plant.

The principal horticultural uses are as a small ornamental wildflower, as a low groundcover, and as a butterfly garden or insect garden plant. Two groups of insects are attracted to Crotalaria pumila: the foliage is used by the caterpillars of the cassius blue butterfly and the bella moth (a beautiful day-flying moth with white wings banded with orange-pink spots), while the flowers attract small native bees, which serve as the principal pollinators. Plants are very easily grown in any open, sunny spot with well-drained soil and the seeds germinate within a few days if the hard seed coat is lightly nicked or scratched between two sheets of sandpaper.

Crotalaria pumila: has a remarkably wide range that includes Florida as well as the western United States. It has also been reported from Maryland, and it has been introduced on the Hawaiian Islands. Outside of the United States, it occurs in both the Lesser and Greater Antilles and from Mexico south to Paraguay and Argentina.

USDA Distribution Map

 

© 2010 Rufino Osorio (exclusive of the USDA map).

Funastrum clausum

Funastrum clausum is a vigorous vine with long stems capable of climbing to great lengths. It is commonly known as white twine-vine or white milkweed-vine and is usually associated with wet areas such as ditches, pond margins, and the edges of mangroves and swamps. The plant is tolerant of disturbance and is occasionally found in overgrown thickets in old empty lots and along railroad tracks. It has a variety of horticultural uses and can be grown in a moist, sunny area wherever a vigorous, freely flowering vine is desired. It is also highly recommended for insect and butterfly gardens since the sweetly fragrant flowers attract a wide variety of insects and the foliage is eaten by the caterpillars of monarch, queen, and soldier butterflies.

Funastrum clausum is native to Florida and Texas in the United States. Outside of the United States, it occurs throughout a very wide area from Mexico to Argentina, as well as in the Caribbean.

Until recently, this plant was known as Sarcostemma clausum and it is still found under that name in many publications and web sites.

© 2010 Rufino Osorio.