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Staggerbush

Lyonia mariana

Found in pine flatwoods, savannas, pocosin-sandhill ecotones, less commonly in dry rocky woodlands in the lower Piedmont (especially with chestnut oak). Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

74
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
Up to about 5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous or evergreen
Bloom
April to May
Fruiting season
September to October

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 27 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Forests and woodlands

Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain.
Named place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

17CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Lyonia

  • Argyrostrotis quadrifilarisFour-Lined Chocolate, Hickory Leafroller
  • Argyrostrotis sylvarumWoodland Chocolate
  • Catocala andromedaeAndromeda Underwing
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Datana majorMajor Datana, Azalea Caterpillar
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Datana ranaecepsPost-Burn Datana
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Nola pustulataSharp-Blotched Nola
  • Pangrapta decoralisDecorated Owlet
Show all 17
  • Paonias astylusHuckleberry Sphinx
  • Sphinx gordiusApple Sphinx
  • Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
  • Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
  • Zomaria andromedanaAndromedana Moth
  • Zomaria rosaochreanaYellow-Striped Zomaria
  • Eucosmophora sideroxylonella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
19BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Lyonia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
4Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Lyonia

  • Andrena kalmiae
  • Colletes productus
  • Melitta melittoides
  • Perdita novaeangliae
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Ericaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Pink or white
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankS3S4
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources