Description
Botanical Name: Dyschoriste oblongifolia
Common Name: Twinflower, Oblongleaf Twinflower, Oblongleaf Snakeherb
Description: This is one of the the three species of Twinflower native to Florida. It a very pretty, low growing, perennial groundcover for the sun, part sun, part shade areas of your garden. It’ll grow denser in the sun or part sun. It matures to only 6-12 inches tall and spreads by underground runners to form nice clumps. It also reseeds, but not aggressively. The cute little lavender/purple flowers can bloom spring through fall, with the heaviest bloom is in late spring. Give it moist, well-drained soil. It can tolerate some drought, but not extended periods of it. I wouldn’t plant it in the full sun in a very dry area. Is deer and rabbit resistant.
Per the Florida Wildflower Foundation: ‘Oblongleaf twinflower is a low-growing wildflower found in dry to moist sandhills, flatwoods and mixed upland forests in North and Central Florida. It attracts bees and butterflies, including the Malachite (Siproeta stelenes) and White peacock (Anartia jatrophae), and is a host plant for the Common buckeye (Junonia coenia). Look for small pale-green eggs laid singly on leaves. Common buckeye caterpillars eat both leaves and flowers and may be seen on the plants year-round and especially in fall.
Oblongleaf twinflower has small (1-inch) blooms that are light blue to purple and funnel-shaped, with five lobed petals. The lower petals bear dark marks or streaks that extend into the throat. Each bloom has four stamens and five lobed calyces that are pubescent and subtend the flower. Leaves are simple, oblong to linear, dark green and pubescent. They are oppositely arranged on thin stems. Fruits are capsules that, when mature, dry and split open, dispersing the seeds.’
Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray.
This plant in 1-gallon containers is 5 – 8 inches tall.
Plant Lore: The common name “twinflower” refers to its flowers being born in pairs (“twins”) atop the stems.
Florida Hardiness Zones 8 – 10
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