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Carolina Yellow-eyed-grass

Xyris caroliniana

Found in dry to moist pine pine flatwoods, moist pine savannas, longleaf pine sandhills, scrubby flatwoods, FL dry prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

36
Good

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 3 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to July

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 64 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 4

Prairies and grasslands

Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County
Limestone prairie. Shown: Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Georgia, a neighboring state.Grand Prairie, Coosa Valley Prairies, Floyd County, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, 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.

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 167 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Xyris

  • Megisto cymelaLittle Wood Satyr
  • Coleophora xyridella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
13BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Xyris

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
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Xyris

  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Xyridaceae
Flower color
White or yellow

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Carolina Yellow eyed grass

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankG4G5 [G5]
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources