Uniola paniculata
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Sea Oats
Poaceae (Gramineae)
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Grass | |
| Size: | 4 - 6 ft tall by wide-spreading ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Yellow | |
| Fruit Color: | Brown | |
| Phenology: | Winter dormant. Deep-rooted and spreading by rhisomes. Blooms spring-fall. | |
| Noted for: | Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen plant. Mass plantings on beach dunes for stabilization. Seed heads useful in dried arrangements. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Considerations: | Spreads aggressively via rhizomes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | Seed, division, root cuttings.. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales, Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Full Sun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Not wet but not extremely dry ----- to ----- Very long very dry periods | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Mostly neutral | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
Birds and other wildlife eat the seeds. | |
| Insects: | ||
| Native Habitats: | Beach dunes, coastal grasslands. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
10A 10B 11 8A 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | This plant is used heavily for dune stabilization. It is illegal to dig it up in Florida due to its important role in protecting the dunes. | |
| General Comments: | This is a protected plant as it is of major importance to the stabilization of beach dunes. |