Florida's Wildflowers
Blues and Purples

Pale Meadowbeauty - Rhexia mariana L.

Family - Melastomataceae

Habitat - Savannahs, wet prairie, marshes, wet pinelands.

Description - Florida native wildflower, perennial forb/herb to 2 1/2 feet high. Leaves are sessile, elliptic with entire margins to 1 1/2 inches long.

Flowers - Range in color from pinkish to lavender or purple, occasionally white, 2 inches across, from spring through fall.

Dixie Iris - Iris hexagona

Family - Iridaceae

Habitat - Margins of lakes, streams. Swamps, marshes.

Description - Native perennial Florida herb to about 3 feet high with bright green, erect, sword like leaves, clump forming from rhizomes on wet, rich organic soils, not salt or drought tolerant. Can be propagated from seed or division.

Flower - Purple flowers produced in February, March followed by a 6 ridged, beaked capsule containing flat, corky seeds.

Crossleaf Milkwort - Polygala cruciata

Family - Polygalaceae

Habitat - Wet pinewoods, wet prairie, margins of freshwater marshes on sandy soils.

Description - Native. Annual, Forb/herb. 4 to 6 inches high. Whorled linear leaves in groups of four.

Flower - 1 1/2 inch cluster of purplish-rose and white to whitish-green flowers.

Lakela's Mint, Spotless Petal Balm - Dicerandra immaculata

Family - Lamiaceae

Habitat - Scrub, on white or yellow acidic sands.

Description - Lakela's mint, also known by the common names of Spotless balm and Olga's mint is a rare and endangered plant endemic to a two county area of Florida's Atlantic coastal ridge. Under 20 inches tall, this member of the mint family has strong aromatic oils that deter insect predation. Leaves are opposite, about an inch long with in-rolled margins. Habit of growth is erect in full sun or light shade, arched or sprawling when shaded. Flower is two lipped, tubular with a rose-lavender color. Antlers are exserted, spurred and white.

Chapman's Gayfeather - Liatris chapmanii

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Pinelands, dry to moderately moist sandy soils.

Description - Florida native perennial herb, basil leaves 2-6 inches tall, to about 3 feet with flower stalk. An uncommon wildflower of South Florida. 1 of 18 species of Liatris present in Florida, Chapman's Gayfeather is a Butterfly nectar plant.

Blazing Star- Liatris tenuifolia

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Pinelands, Sandhill. Dry to moderately moist sandy soils.

Description - Florida native perennial herb, 6-8 inches tall, to 3 feet or more when blooming.

Flower - Lavender bell shaped 1/4 inch flowers on long tufted spikes up to 30 inches in length.

Sky-blue Lupine - Lupinus diffusus

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Sandhill, Pine Scrub, Oak Scrub

Description - Perennial, Subshrub, Forb/Herb, to 3 feet in height, erect to sprawling. Leaves oblong to elliptical, pubescent.

Flower - Clusters of whorled purplish-blue, 1/2 inch flowers produced on many long racemes.

Narrowleaf Blue-eyed grass - Sisyrinchium angustifolium

Family - Iridaceae

Habitat - River and creek banks, hammocks, bogs, other moist sites

Description - Perennial, clump forming grass like Forb/herb up to 24 inches in height

Flower - 3/4 inch, violet-blue with yellow center, tips of petals pointed

Grassleaf Roseling - Callisia graminea

Family - Commelinaceae

Habitat - Dry Scrub, Scrubby flatwoods

Description - Native, Endemic, Annual, Forb/Herb. Plant grows in grass-like tufts 1 foot or less in height.

Flower - 3/4 inch 3 lobed rising on branched stalks above plant.

American Bluehearts, Common Bluehearts - Buchnera americana

Family - Scrophulariaceae

Habitat - Pinelands, Meadows, Bogs, Ruderal

Description - This native wildflower is found throughout the state. Small (1/2 inch diameter) blue or white 5 petal flowers with notched tips are produced on spikes from early spring through fall. Height to 24 inches with lanceolate leaves, leaf margins are occasionally toothed. Grows in sandy soils with a median amount of moisture.