Staggerbush Traditional Cache

Coastal Plain Staggerbush is one of the species of Lyonia in Florida. I think this is it. Please BYOP and check the cache info at the bottom of the page.

Coastal Plain Staggerbush

Lyonia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. There are about 35 species native to Asia and North America.

These are shrubs and trees, deciduous or evergreen. Some have rhizomes. The leaves are spirally arranged and the inflorescences grow in the leaf axils. The flowers are usually white, sometimes red. The fruit is a capsule

Lyonia fruticosa, the poor-grub or coastal plain staggerbush, is a plant species native to the US states of Florida, southern Georgia and the extreme southern part of South Carolina. It grows in pine woodlands and shrub bogs at elevations less than 100 meters (333 feet).

Lyonia fruticosa is an evergreen shrub up to 3 m (10 feet) tall. Leaves are broadly eliptical, up to 6 cm (2.4 inches) long. Flowers are white, urn-shaped, hanging downward. Fruit is a dry, egg-shaped capsule about 4 mm in diameter.

The plant blooms in early spring and through summer, and are important sources of nectar for butterflies and bees. It is a Florida native, grows between six and 12 feet; the Institute for Regional Conservation, however, tops staggerbush out at six feet. 

Seminoles used the wood to make bowls for their smoking pipes. It is used in landscaping as an accent plant. It's also spelled in three words, as in coastal plain staggerbush. Other names include poor-grub and rusty lyonia.

The flowers on coastalplain staggerbush, lyonia fruticosa, are cool, but what really makes this plant a show-stopper is the coppery foliage. Hit it with the bright rich sunlight, and it's absolutely gorgeous, thanks in large measure to hairs under each leaf. It's a common plant found in pine flatwoods and forests. It produces clusters of flowers — the ones we've seen have been white, but they can be pink, from what we've read.

Fall coloration transforms the leathery leaves to reddish tints. Its foliage is believed to be poisonous to young grazing animals. This must be what makes them "stagger" or "poor-grub".

The common name applies to the genus Lyonia. The species have no distinctive common names.

I stepped over this harmless corn snake, before I realized it was there. I was too intent on looking at my iPhone, to get more than 527' from the nearest cache. I turned around to take the picture of this beautiful snake. It never moved, but was gone when I passed the same spot on the way back.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, "micro" pill bottle. This kind you have to push down a tab to be able to unscrew the lid. Please make sure it snaps back in place, when you replace the lid. Please BYOP and remember to put the rubber band back on the log roll, and make sure the plastic bag is well sealed.