FNPS Plant Database

Balduina angustifolia

coastalplain honeycombhead, yellow buttons
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Mark Hutchinson, Hernando Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter FNPS

Nomenclature

Common Name:

coastalplain honeycombhead, yellow buttons

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Balduina angustifolia

Family:

Asteraceae (Compositae)

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

2-3 ft tall by 0.5 ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

yellow

Fruit Color:

NA

Phenology:

Annual (efloras.org), but seeds sprout shortly after flowering with a small rosette overwintering to flower in the next summer-fall.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Casual wildflower bed, typically to the back as the flower stalks are tall.  We recommend treating this like a biennial.

Considerations:

Not drought tolerant.

Availability:

Native Nurseries, Seed

Propagation:

Seed. It may reseed on its own, but there is a necessity to recognize the 1st year rosette. Will only reseed in sandy open areas.

Light:

Full Sun

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:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

acidic to circum-neutral

Suitable to Grow In:

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



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies

Attracts a variety of butterflies, including gulf fritillary, for nectar.





Attracts many native  insects , especially bees including miner , sweat metalic sweat ,   resin, leaf-cutter, nomad, long-horned, bumble , and carpenter bees.  





The endemic ground-dwelling bee, Hesperapis or balduina bee ( Hesperapis oraria ), is dependent on this species.





Attracts the non-native but economically important honey bee.

Native Habitats:

Open, dry sites. Naturally grows in scrub and scrubby flatwoods.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

General Comments:

The first year, this plant is a small rosette. The second year, it grows in height and flowers.



Balduina angustifolia is endemic to the southeastern coastal plain from Mississippi to Georgia with most of its range being within Florida (BONAP 2014).



Archbold bee study (scientific names)



Attracts many  insects , especially bees including Perdita bequaerti, Agapostemon splendens, Augochlora pura, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Dialictus coreopsis, D. miniatulus, D. nymphalis, D. placidensis, D. tegularis, Evylaeus pectoralis, Halictus ligatus, Nomia heteropoda, Anthidiellum notatum rufimaculatum, A. perplexum, Coelioxys dolichos, C. germana, C. mexicana, C. sayi, C. texana, Megachile albitarsis, M. brevis pseudobrevis, Mgeorgica, M. inimica, M. mendica, M. petulans, M. policaris, M. pruina, M. texana, M. xylocopoides, Dolichostelis louisae, Trachusa fontemuitae, Nomada fervida, Svastra aegis, Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, B. pennsyl.uanicus, Xylocopa micans,  and X. virginica krombeini  (Deyrup et al. 2002). 



 

Citations:

BONAP. 2014.  http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Balduina angustifolia.png



EFLORAS.ORG.  2021.   http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=250066204



Huegel, Craig, N.  2012.  Native wildflowers and other ground covers for Florida landscapes. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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