Small's Yellow-eyed-grass

Xyris smalliana

Found in ponds, lakes and their shores; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; freshwater marshes. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Good

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

Profile 94%

Height: Up to about 5 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Wet to standing water

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Xyris smalliana — bloom photograph — (c) Jay Horn, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: July to August

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 56 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

Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 111 animals.

American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Pipit
Anthus rubescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American White Pelican
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Wigeon
Anas americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Anhinga
Anhinga anhinga
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Rail
Laterallus jamaicensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Skimmer
Rynchops niger
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-crowned Night-heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-winged Teal
Anas discors
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bonaparte's Gull
Chroicocephalus philadelphia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

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: Yellow

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Small's Yellow eyed grass

Conservation status

Florida rank	S4S5
Global rank	G4G5
FL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Small's Yellow-eyed-grass

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Xyris