General Landscape Uses: Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Identified by Fair Child Tropical Botanic Garden as a native that does especially well in shade in this brochure.
Ecological Restoration Notes: A rare epiphyte in hammocks and swamps.
Description: Epiphytic herb with thick, succulent leaves. Leaves 2-6 inches long.
Dimensions: About 6-9 inches in height. Spreading and forming small clumps broader than tall.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range: Miami-Dade and Collier counties and the Monroe County mainland; disjunct in Indian River and Brevard counties; West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America.
Habitats: Moist hammocks and swamps.
Soils: Epiphytic; or terrestrial in moist, well-drained humusy leaf litter, acid to neutral pH.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow on nutrient poor substrate, but needs some nutrient inputs to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term 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: Green.
Flower Characteristics: Inconspicuous.
Flowering Season: All year; peak in summer.
Fruit: Inconspicuous berry.
Horticultural Notes: Can be grown from cuttings.
References: Miami-Dade County Landscape Manual (2005).
Comments: Most plants sold as P. obtusifolia are from tropical American stock; local material is recommended. It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida. See also Florida Natural Areas Inventory’s Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Florida page (Chafin 2000).
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