Bacopa caroliniana
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Blue Waterhyssop, Lemon Hyssop
Plantaginaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Flower | |
| Size: | 0.25 - 0.5 ft tall by extensive mats ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Short-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Blue | |
| Fruit Color: | NA | |
| Phenology: | Winter dormant | |
| Noted for: | Showy flowers |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Spreading ground cover around the edges of retention ponds and aquatic gardens. Groundcover in restoration areas. Also used in aquariums. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Easily roots from division or stem cuttings. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Aquatic ----- to ----- Aquatic) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Aquatic ----- to ----- Aquatic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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: | Broadly tolerant, prefers some organics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
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| Insects: | Larval host plant for white peacock (Anartia jatrophae) butterflies. Insect pollinated. | |
| Native Habitats: | Marshes, swamps, ditches |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 8A 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | Over the centuries, this plant has been used in religious and medical contexts. The plant has a broad distribution including a long history of ethnobotanical uses in India, leading to the suspicion that it may not be native to North America. | |
| General Comments: | Lemon bacopa is distinguished by blue flowers, a hairy upper stem, and by the lemony scent of its crushed foliage. |