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Quercus arkansana
This is a rare species in Florida. Retain it if present.
Shade tree.
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Wildlife, Squirrels, racoons, deer and other animals eat the acorns.
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Habitat, Upland pine forest, pine-oak-hickory woods, bayheads. Slopes.
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Did You Know?, Larval host for the white-M hairstreak.
- Wonderfully fragrant flowers
- Beautiful sweeping fronds with drooping leaflets
- Completely bare in winter
Chamaecyparis thyoides
The natural distribution in Florida is predominantly related to soil and drainage conditions. If you provide them, it should grow successfully from L
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray wo
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Wildlife, Provides cover for birds and mammals.
Attracts deer and squirrels. Deer browse can be so intense as to limit survival of saplings.
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Habitat, Forested seepage areas, swamps, low stream banks
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Width often exceeds height
- Cold tolerant
- Very rare
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
- Elegant
- Year-round blooms
Damburneya coriacea
Foliage when crushed smells like citrus.
This small tree has an elegant appearance that makes it suited to use as a specimen plant. The glossy evergr
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray wo
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Considertions, Potentially subject to laurel wilt disease.
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Wildlife, Wildlife food plant.
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Habitat, Tropical hammocks. This is naturally an understory tree and also as a colonizer of disturbed sites.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Insect pollinated. Said to be a good honey plant (Haehle and Brookwell 1999).
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
- Bright red fruits
- Wind tolerant
- Pineapple-like showy fruits (female plants)
- Unique, fern-like leaves
Phlox spp.
Florida has a number of Phlox species, almost all found in forested settings. The common roadside species (Phlox drummondii) is not a Florida native (
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Wildlife, Some phlox species attract hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Open woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts butterflies and bees.
- Very full crown
- Smaller stature
- Wonderfully fragrant
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Moderately drought tolerant
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
Sporobolus junceus
In nature, this grows in habitats with frequent fire. In the garden, it will grow best if you remove built-up thatch (or burn it once every few years
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhills.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
- Stout, swollen trunk
- Very rare
- Beloved in South Florida
- Stunning long emerald crownshaft
- Colorful fall foliage
Heliotropium curassavicum
Can be used as a groundcover in semi-shady areas. Perhaps more interesting than showy.
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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
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Habitat, Moist, typically salty areas, dunes.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Nectar plant for Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri), great southern white (Ascia monuste), and other but
- Rare and unique
- Fruit attracts wildlife
- Lush, dense shade tree
- Moderately slow growth
- Stunning during brief late spring bloom
- Wide umbrella-shaped canopy
Casasia clusiifolia
Specimen plant, hedge plant. Large shrub to small tree. Large, showy, shiny leaves.
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray wo
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Considertions, Dioecious (separate male and female plants), so both male and female are required to get fruits.
Mature fruits are not attractive (young fruits are ni
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Wildlife, Fruit is eaten by birds and mammals. Mockingbirds specifically are reported to enjoy the fruits.
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Habitat, Coastal hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host plant for tantalus sphinx (Aellopus tantalus) moths.
Nectar plant for mangr
- Dense, full crown
- Prized scent, used in commercial perfumes
- Mostly bare in the coldest months
- Attractive blue-green to silver leaflets
- Stately and uncommon
Amsonia ciliata
The blue tubular flower opens into 5 petal-like lobes with a white center. Several blossoms grow in a loose cluster. Narrow seed pods and dark yellow
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Wildlife, Ruby-throated hummingbirds are attracted to the nectar.
Avoided by mammalian herbivores.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, chalky hills.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
The flowers attract long-tongued insects such as carpenter bees, hummingbird moths, and butterflies. Not known to be a lar
- Healthy edible fruit
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Width often exceeds height
- Slow Growth
- Dark green leaves
Hypericum lissophloeus
Listed as Endangered in Florida. Please follow all State requirements for growing and transporting this species.
Best used as a shoreline plant in t
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Wildlife, Foliage and seeds are food source for birds and mammals.
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Habitat, Sandhill upland lake margins, sinks. Alsays open. Always sandy. Tolerant of dramatic water fluctuations.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark
Attracts insect pollinators, especially bees.
- Rare and unique
- Showy creamy white flowers
- Attractive symmetrical appearance
- Unique, stout pineapple-like trunk when young
- Moderately rapid growth
- Prolific fruiter
Bourreria succulenta
Weeping branches.
Specimen tree, hedge, or screen.
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray.
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Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds
Fruits are harvested by a variety of birds
Birds are attracted to insects which are attracted by the flowers
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Habitat, Rockland hammock.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Attracts a variety of bees and butterflies
- Unique purple-brown crownshaft
- Beautiful sweeping fronds with drooping leaflets
- Arched, recurving fronds
- Easy/Carefree
Morella caroliniensis
Foliage fragrant when crushed.
Bayberry is an actinorhizal plant: its roots feature nitrogen fixing nodules formed in symbiosis with the nitrogen fixi
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Considertions, Clonal: it usually sends up sprouts from its roots to form thickets.
The wood is somewhat brittle, but it will grow back if cut to the ground.
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Wildlife, Fuits are eaten by birds, especially yellow-rumped warblers (which are very efficient at digesting the waxy fruits), in the fall and winter (NC State
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Habitat, Wet sites. Bogs, swamps, flatwoods depressions, cutthroat seeps.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting foliage
It is a host plant for the Red-banded Hairstreak butterfly (NC State Extension Service)
- Long emerald crownshaft
- Huge extremely fragrant flowers
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
Platanus occidentalis
It's paint-chip white and brown-green bark provides winter interest.
The natural range is from north Florida into southern Canada. This species has
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Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water.
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray.
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Habitat, Stream banks, in floodplains and bottomlands.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance
- Moderately salt tolerant
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
- Smaller stature
- Prefers acidic soil
- Showy clusters orange-yellow fruits in spring
- Hummingbird favorite
