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Sassafras albidum
Red/orange fall color is excellent. Leaves have three separate shapes: ovoid, tri-lobed, or mitten-shaped (left or right). Mature trees tend to have f
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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, Like other members of this family, sassafras trees are threatened by the spread of the redbay ambrosia beetle and the laural wilt fungus it carries. M
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Wildlife, Birds consume fruit.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Dry mesic forests.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Fall color, Interesting foliage
Larval food for spicebush butterfly(Papilio troilus), tiger swallow-tail(papilio glaucus), palamede
- Healthy edible fruit
- Handsome
- Breathtaking and memorable
- Highly salt tolerant
- Unique purple-brown crownshaft
- Excellent small hedge
Cirsium horridulum
Natural landscapes including meadows and butterfly gardens.
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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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Considertions, Purple thistle is a thorny plant - be very careful when handling.
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Wildlife, The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds.
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Habitat, Coastal plain, edges of salt marshes, pinewoods, prairies and disturbed areas.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns
Larval host to little metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis) and painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies.
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- Swollen, succulent branches
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Readily pruned into attractive shapes
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Mostly bare in the coldest months
Staphylea trifolia
This plant is listed as Endangered in Florida where the southern limit of its range barely makes it into the state.
Moist site garden though will tol
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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, Floodplains, moist deep woods, thickets.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Attracts bees.
- Salt tolerant
- Recently classified invasive
- Relatively uncommon in South Florida
Iva frutescens
Retain in the landscape for coastal protection where present. Used for dune restoration.
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Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation)
High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and
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Wildlife, Provides some cover for wildlife and maybe some foods.
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Habitat, Salt marsh, dunes.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
- Highly nutritious fruit
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Unique, sweet, almond-like flavor
- Pineapple-like showy fruits (female plants)
Oplismenus setarius
There is potential name confusion with this species since it was formerly considered to be a subspecies of O. hirtellus (Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. s
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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, Unfortunately, this low growing grass is not visible during winter-spring, so its use is somewhat restricted to areas where this is not an issue.
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Habitat, Moist sites. Shade. Moist hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Larval host for Carolina satyr (Hermeuptychia sosbius) butterfliy (IRC)
- Fruit attracts wildlife
- Unique foliage and silhouette
- Dense, full crown
Vallesia antillana
It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida and as critically imperiled in South Florida by The Institute for Regional Conservation.
Specimen
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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, Tropical rockland hammock, coastal rock barren, beach dune, coastal strand. Lower Keys only.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
- Lush, dense shade tree
- Beloved in South Florida
- Deciduous
- Highly wind tolerant
- Highly salt tolerant
- Underutilized
Asimina incana
Specimen shrub.
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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, May be difficult to establish because of its long tap root.
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Wildlife, Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit.
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Habitat, Sandhills, flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
The flowers produce an odor similar to rotting meat to attract blowflies or carrion beetles for cross pollination.
Larval host for zebr
- Narrow crown
- Elegant
- Stunning colorful foliage
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
Litsea aestivalis
Litsea aestivalis is listed as Endangered by the State of Florida. Since that listing, the laurel wilt disease has come to Florida, and is known to k
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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, Fruits eaten by birds and mammals.
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Habitat, Near the edges of forested wetlands and some seasonal ponds wtih open centers.
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Did You Know?, Attracts flies and small bees.
A likely host for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.
- Highly nutritious fruit
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Cornerstone plant in South Florida
Aronia arbutifolia
Often grows with ink berry and palmettos.
Beautiful early spring-blooming shrub. Grow at edge of wooded areas or as a specimen.
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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, Various birds eat the berries including titmice, nuthatches, warblers, chickadees, cardinals, grosbeaks, and orioles.
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Habitat, Wet sites. Seep slopes, wet flatwoods, edges of swamps.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Flowers attract bees and butterflies. Pollinated by bees.
- Massive stature
- Very rare
- Stunning colorful foliage
- Very full crown
- Briefly bare for about a month in the winter
Symphyotrichum chapmanii
Based on the BONAP range map, this species is a "near endemic" -- it occurs only in the panhandle and a 3 counties in southern Alabama.
At this time,
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Tolerance, Unknown
Unknown
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Wildlife, Small birds eat the seed.
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Habitat, Wet flatwoods, bogs, savannahs, prairies
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar plant for many butterfly species but also visited by other native insect pollinators.
- Beautiful, natural globe shape
- Uncommon
- No longer recommended
Hibiscus coccineus
Its deeply divided leaves look somewhat like marijuana leaves(Cannabis spp.).
Specimen plant in moist areas. There is also a white-flowered variant.
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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, Attracts hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Wet sites. Strands, sloughs, swamps, brackish and freshwater marshes; commonly in water.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Larval host of Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady Butterfly, Common Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper b
- Attractive variegated foliage
- Tiered branches
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Elegant
- Often hosts orchids, ferns and bromiliads
