FNPS Plant Database

Conoclinium coelestinum

mistflower, blue mistflower
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Bradford, Martin County Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

mistflower, blue mistflower

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Conoclinium coelestinum

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1-2 ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

blue,purple,lavender

Fruit Color:

Phenology:

Winter dormant. Blooms late summer into fall. Forms large patches by rhizomes.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Moist wildflower garden or butterfly garden. Edges of water features. Will spread to form large patches.

Considerations:

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed, division. Seeds are available through the Florida Wildflowers Growers Cooperative.

Light:

Full Sun, Part Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam, Organic

Soil pH:

adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.

Don't know your zone? Click here to search by zip code.

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Nectar plant for obscure skipper ( Panoquina panoquinoides ), salt marsh skipper ( Panoquina panoquin ), southern broken-dash ( Wallengrenia otho ), three-spotted skipper ( Cymaenes tripunctus ) and other butterflies. ( IRC )


Attracts bees.

Native Habitats:

Riverine swamps, cypress savannas.

Natural Range in Florida:

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Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

Citations:

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell. (1999). Native Florida Plants. Gulf Publishing Company. Houston, TX.


Hammer, Roger. (2015). Attracting Hummingbirds and Butterflies in Tropical Florida. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Huegel, Craig N. (2012). Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.


Traas, Pamela. (2001). Gardening for Florida's Butterflies. Great Outdoors Publishing Co., St. Petersburg, FL.


North Carolina State Extension. (Undated). North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. ( https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/ ). North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, Greensboro, NC.


Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. (1999+). Atlas of Florida Plants. ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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