FNPS Plant Database

Baccharis dioica

broombush falsewillow
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

broombush falsewillow

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Baccharis dioica

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

Shrub

Size:

3–6 (10) ft

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white, yellow

Fruit Color:

white

Phenology:

Fall bloomer

Noted For:

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Where a moderate-sized shrub is wanted.

Considerations:

Availability:

Propagation:

Cuttings.

Light:

Moisture Tolerance:

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

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Not wet but not extremely dry -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salt

Soil or Other Substrate:

Soil pH:

Calcareous (high pH)

Suitable to Grow In:

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

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Vouchered In:

Distribution
Vouchered
Not vouchered
Selected
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No county distribution is available for this plant yet.
Starting…
Map coded by Melissa Fernandez-de Cespedes (Paynes Prairie Chapter)

Ecology

Wildlife:

Butterflies

Nectar attracts butterflies.

Native Habitats:

Coastal areas. Dunes and limerock and said to like hollows near mangroves

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

This plant is believed to be extirpated in the wild in Florida. According to most sources, it was known from a single area south of Miami near Biscayne Bay. Old specimens at the University of Florida Herbarium for Escambia and Okaloosa counties were re-examined in 2006 and re-identified as Baccacharis dioica. It has also been reported to have been found on a dune near Mobile, AL (Woodlanders, Inc.) and introduced into the nursery trade from there. The map of herbarium speciment locations on the Florida Plant Atlas have not been updated. Plants commercially available in FL apparently come from imports from the Bahamas.
FNPS Plant Print

Citations:

Gann, G.D, C.J. Abbott, C.G. Stocking, K.N. Hines, and collaborators. (2001+). Hammock groundsel, Broombush Falsewillow. Natives For Your Neighborhood. ( https://www.regionalconservation.org/beta/nfyn/plantdetail.asp?tx=Baccdioi ). Accessed 2025. The Institute for Regional Conservation. Delray Beach, FL.


Global Biodiversity Information Facility. (Undated). Baccharis dioica Vahl. ( https://www.gbif.org/species/3129751 ). Accessed 2025.


Woodlanders, Inc. (Undated). Product description: Baccharis dioica. ( https://woodlanders.net/products/baccharis-dioica ). Accessed 2025.


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, FL.

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