This is Florida's only native annual sunflower.  The Bradford County location is near both a major road and a railroad and may be a waif. Moist wildf , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Pinelands, savannas, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Primarily pollinated by bees. The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) is a goldenrod pol

Small specimen tree or large shrub. Background edge and screen plantings. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Attracts abundant insects including bees, wasps, butterflies, and diurnal moths. The species is considered a honey plant, furnish

Specimen plant. Forms a large rosette of spine-tipped leaves. Flower stalks rise to 6-8 ft. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without i , Considertions, Spine-tipped leave are very sharp. , Wildlife, Provides wildlife cover , Habitat, Cultivated. Dry sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Pollinated by moths though hummingbirds may be attracted to the nectar.  Larval host plant for cofaqui giant skipp

It can be difficult to maintain habitat for this plant.  Keeping the competition down seems to be critical (mow, burn, etc.). We know of no Florida nu , Tolerance , Considertions, foliage and seeds have toxic properties, primarily due to the lupine alkaloids , Habitat, Open, sandy woods. Adapted to fire. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for several butterflies. Attracts bees including bumblebees.

The silvery undersides of the leaves are striking. Erroneously listed as a host for palamedes swallowtail butterflies. Palamedes swallowtails only fee , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by woodpeckers, kingbirds, red-eyed vireos, mockingbirds, robins, thrushes, crows, cardinals, squirrels, mice among others. Deer brows , Habitat, Bay swamp, forested seep slopes, floodplains of small streams, low flatwoods where fire has been excluded. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for Eastern tiger swallowtail (Pterou

May be semi-parasitic on the roots of other plants which makes it challenging to grow. Best planted near a potential host such as an oak. May die back , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure t , Considertions, Has thorns. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife will eat the fruit. , Habitat, Scrub, xeric hammocks, swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Thorns Attracts pollinators, especially bees.  Documented bees in clude Agapostemon splendens, Augochloropsis sumptuosa,

Wild cotton is a rare plant; it needs protection against missuses and protection against removal from natural populations. Use as a short-lived "shru , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, It is not legal to plant this plant, but the reasons are very dated. A Florida law was passed in the early 1900s banning the growing of wild cottons, , Habitat, Dry sites. Tropical hammock, coastal berm, shell mound. Disturbed area. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies. Flowers attract bees, flies, thrips, grass hoppers,

Cover plant, hedge plant, screen. , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Birds eat the fruits.  Occasionally attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Coastal dunes. Disturbed areas in tropical hammocks (needs light) and pine rocklands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts butterflies and other pollinators  including ants and bees (IRC).

Its small to medium size make it appropriate for small landscapes as a specimen tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and other wildlife. , Habitat, Pine rockland, hammocks. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Nectar plant for Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus), red-banded hairstreak (C

Typically not used in landscape settings. However, if appropriate management can be provided (fire), then seed-bearing plants have considerable landsc , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small birds consume seeds. , Habitat, Open seepage areas, forested seepage areas, flatwoods, sandhill, clayhill, scrub, coastal uplands , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Wind pollinated.

The range of this plant appears to encompass most of Florida with actual occurrances having been found in streams with appropriate water chemistry (ap , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Aquatic. Quiet pools in spring-run streams, spring-fed lakes and ponds, still water. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Everything from flies, to beetles, and various sorts of bees have been recorded on water lilies (In Defense of Plants blog).  Given the

While it is related to chestnuts, its not generally subject to chestnut blight, and if it gets it, will likely recover. Natural settings as a small s , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Burr-covered nuts can cause a problem in residential landscapes. , Wildlife, Nuts are consumed by birds and other wildlife. , Habitat, Dry, open sandy woods, hammock edges, sandy roadsides, fence rows in sandy fields, dry bluffs, pine-oak-hickory woods, floodplains, calcareous river h , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Fall color, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host for orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria) which can cause signi