An easy to grow perennial wildflower with small trumpet-like lavender flowers that adorn this Florida Native ground cover. Can be grown in partially shaded areas. It attracts and hosts the beautiful Buckeye Butterfly. Unlike its cousin the 'Swamp twin flower', this variety grows more slender and tall as oppose to bushy and short.
How to care for Oblongleaf or Common Twin Flower
Light. Full sun to part sun. A bright spot gives the most flowers.
Water. Water while it establishes. It handles dry soil, but long, very dry spells can kill it in a garden, so water during droughts.
Soil and feeding. It grows in sandy, nutrient-poor soil, acidic to slightly alkaline. Rich soil and heavy feeding are not needed.
Size. Grows to about 1 ft, often only 4–8 inches, and spreads wider than tall.
Good to know. A Florida native of pinelands and sandhills. It is a larval host for the common buckeye butterfly, and bees visit the lavender flowers. It goes dormant in winter and can be divided.
Sources: Florida Native Plant Society Plant Database: Dyschoriste oblongifolia · Natives for Your Neighborhood (Institute for Regional Conservation): Dyschoriste oblongifolia
