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Saccharum giganteum
Specimen plant or background plant in moist informal garden. This is a mid-sized bunching grass until the flower stalk shoots up in the fall. Then it
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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, The flower stalks need to be removed once no longer showy.
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Wildlife, Birds will eat the seeds. Provides cover.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, marshes, coastal swales, cypress ponds, lake shores, cutthroat seep.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Host plant for the Clouded Skipper butterfly (Lerema accius)
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Did You Know?, Yerba mate, the traditional tea-like beverage from South America, is made with leaves of a close relative to our holly trees, the Ilex Paraguayanis.
Y
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Christmas tree shape
- Massive, nutrient-dense edible fruit
Bletia purpurea
Retain if present in natural setting. Can be grown in a wildflower garden.
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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, Pine rocklands, swampy forests on stumps and logs just above high water levels, in humus.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
The flowers do not produce nectar but use food deception to attract various bees including Euglossa, Thygater and Melipona, a genus of
- Width often exceeds height
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Colorful older leaves
- Attractive contrast between flowers and foliage
Phytolacca americana
Interesting red stems. Makes a good specimen plant in an informal garden. Weedy in appearance if in large numbers and stems tend to split when branche
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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, The roots and seeds are poisonous.
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Wildlife, Birds eat the berries.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, disturbed areas.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Attracts bees including Augochlora pura, Augochloropsis metallica, A. sumptuosa, Dialictus miniatulus, D. nymphalis, D. p
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Elegant
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Attractive dark green leaves
- Available single or multi-stalked
- Attracts butterflies and bees
Ulmus rubra
This tree is subject to Dutch elm disease which is not know to occur in Florida as of 2018 (IFAS, 2018).
Medium shade tree for informal settings. Som
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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, Susceptible the Dutch elm disease.
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Wildlife, Seeds used by songbirds when little else is available. Used for nesting.
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Habitat, Rich mesic to dry mesic forests, wooded bluffs, calcareous soils.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage
Larval host for question mark butterfy (Polygonia interrogationis).
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Can be kept narrow
- Excellent small to medium hedge
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Highly wind tolerant
Asclepias lanceolata
Don't confuse this native with the non-native tropical or scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), that is often sold in big box stores, which has re
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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, Toxic.
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Wildlife, Larval host plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; possible larval host of soldier (Danaus eresimus) butterflie
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Habitat, Wet flatwoods, savannas, marshes, swamps
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; possible larval host of soldier (Danaus eresi
- Narrow crown
- Fragrant clusters of flowers in fall
- Easy/Carefree
Batis maritima
Coastal stabilization is salt-flat areas. Can be used ornamentally as a groundcover or bush-like mound in coastal areas.
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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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Habitat, Saltmarshes and flats.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Larval host and adult nectar plant for the great Southern white (Ascia monuste) and Eastern pigmy blue (Brephidium isophthalma) b
- Self-shedding fronds
- Will not tolerate frost
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Can be kept narrow
Nymphaea jamesoniana
Likely more common than suggested by the known county occurrences as likely overlooked since its blooms are nocturnal.
It is not clear to this author
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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, Open only at night. Fragrant.
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Habitat, Aquatic. Marsh, lake. Roadside ditches.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers
This particular water lily blooms only at night. Personal observation, and a published research study suggest that t
- Massive stature when mature
- Towering
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
Gaylussacia mosieri
Rarely gown likely because of its need for moist sites.
Shrub in an informal, moist garden and would make a good backdrop for a bog garden, or a good
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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 a variety of birds and mammals.
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Habitat, Bogs, wet savannas, edges of bayheads, mesic to hydric flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
Pollinated by native bees.
- Excellent edible fruit
- Stunning long emerald crownshaft
- Not a true jasmine
Tridens flavus
Rear of garden as a screen. Native meadows.
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Tolerance, Unknown
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon (major storms).
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Wildlife, Turkey and quail eat the seed. Provides cover for small ground-dwelling animals.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, open woodlands
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Did You Know?, Butterflies, moths
- Medium stature
- Beautiful rounded dense canopy
- Unique foliage
- Moderately rapid growth
Helianthus debilis subsp. vestitus
Despite the appearance of the county-based range map, the actual range is limited to the coastal areas.
Wildflower garden. Groundcover.
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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
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Considertions, West and east coast beach sunflowers can hybridize, so it is best not to plant east coast beach sunflower withing the natural range of wet cost beach
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Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Beach dune. Disturbed areas near coast (ruderal)
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Primarily pollinated by bees.
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Extremely popular
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
Ilex verticillata
Rarely grown in Florida.
In wet places, it can be planted as a specimen plant for winter interest. When it loses its leaves in the fall, just the ber
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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 bird species eat the fruit.
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Habitat, Floodplains, creek swamps.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits
Pollinated by bees.
- Forms an open canopy
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
- Self-shedding fronds
- Critically endangered
- Elegant, dense canopy
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
Callicarpa americana
Fruits are magenta. There is a white-fruited/white-flowered variety, uncommonly found naturally in Florida, that is sold occasionally.
Specimen plant
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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, Cut back in winter to encourage blooming and good form.
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Wildlife, Many bird species consume the fruit. including catbirds, mockinbirds, and robins.
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Habitat, Dry mesic hardwoods, xeric hammock, scrubby flatwoods, flatwoods, disturbed dry-moist woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for for spring azure butterflies and snowberry clearwing moths.
Attracts various p
- Stunning
- Deciduous
- Underutilized
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
