The inflorescence consists of a few long-stalked flowers with 6 tepals and many bulblets that tend to sprout in place. The first leaf from the bulblet , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Ruderal, especially roadside ditches. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Pollinated by bees and other insects.

Makes a good specimen tree or a cluster of in wet areas along margins of lakes and ponds. This tree is columnar in form and can make a formal-looking , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sensitive to drying. Difficult to grow unless its moisture requirements are met. , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Moist-wet sites. Seepage swamps, bay swamps, edges of cypress domes, low flatwoods. This species is likely restricted to wetland edges both by its ne , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Flowers attract a variety of insects including bees and flies.

If grown in a freshwater environment, S. patens will grow much bigger. Use as a shoreling stabilization plant on edges of sand beaches and saltmarsh. , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt , Wildlife, Birds and other animals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Salt and brackish water of shores, farmlands, marshes, dunes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance