FNPS Plant Database
Ctenium aromaticum
toothache grass
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Nomenclature
Common Name:
toothache grass
Synonym(s):
Genus species:
Ctenium aromaticum
Family:
Poaceae (Gramineae)
Plant Specifics
Form:
grass
Size:
Foliage short (about 6 inches) with bloom stalks 3-5 ft tall. Clumps about 3-5 ft wide.
Life Span:
long-lived perennial
Flower Color:
green
Fruit Color:
brown
Phenology:
winter dormant; flowers summer-fall
Noted For:
Landscaping
Recommended Uses:
Restoration of savannas. Curiosity in the wildflower garden.
Considerations:
Availability:
Propagation:
seed
Light:
Moisture Tolerance:
Always Flooded------------------------------------------------Extremely Dry
-|----|----|----|----
<-------------------> ----|----|----|----|-
Usually moist, occasional inundation ---to--- Not wet but not extremely dry
Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water
Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
Soil or Other Substrate:
Sand
Soil pH:
acidic to neutral
Suitable to Grow In:
8A, 8B, 9A, 9B
USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

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Ecology
Wildlife:
Small birds consume seed.
It is the larval host plant of arogos skipper (Atrytone arogos) butterflies.
Native Habitats:
Cutthroat seeps, wet flatwoods, savannas.
Natural Range in Florida:
Visit the USF Libraries Atlas of Florida Plants
Comments:
Ethnobotany:
General Comments:
Citations:
Huegel, Craig N. 2012. Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Osorio, Rufino. 2001. A Gardener's Guide to Florida's Native Plants. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants. https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ , accessed 2025. Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.
