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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
Uvularia spp.
All bellworts that occur in Florida are rare. Please do not transplant from the wild unless there is imminent danger of site destruction (permits may
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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, Slope forest, bluffs, river swamps. Rare.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
- Showy fall color
- Not a true jasmine
- Handsome
- Unique swollen blue-green to silver trunk
Seymeria spp.
They are included here because they are valuable to insects and because they are lovely and good to have in a native garden if you are lucky enough to
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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, Both species are hemi-parasitic (semi-parasitic) and difficult to grow without appropriate host plants.
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Habitat, Open upland woods and disturbed edges.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host for black buckeye.
Attracts insects.
- Compact size
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Colorful new leafs
- Tropical silhouette
- Excellent small to medium hedge
Quercus austrina
Relatively small for an oak. Use as specimen tree or in a grove.
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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, Birds, squirrels, racoons, deer and other wildlife eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Well drained bottomlands and bluffs.
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Did You Know?, Larval host for brown duskywing butterfly (Erynnis horatius), and gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).
- Damaged by citrus canker
- Uncommon edible fruit
- Rapid growth
- Unique foliage and silhouette
- Very fast growth rate
Amorpha fruticosa
Multistemmed shrub that can form small thickets. Plant as a screen, hedge, or background 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, Can become aggressive in some habitats.
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Habitat, Moist hammocks, dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreu
- Requires shade when young
- Colorful older leaves
- Symmetrical shape
Coreopsis floridana
This is one of our larger (taller and larger flowers) Coreopsis species.
Useful as a colorful wildflower along the edge of a wetland. Often overlooke
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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, Wet prairie, herbaceous seepage areas, wet roadsides.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts many different butterflies and pollinators.
- Easily trimmed for smaller spaces
- Narrow canopy
- Stately and uncommon
- Attractive dark green leaves
Ilex coriacea
Occurs naturally at the edges of wooded areas and creates a hedge-like appearance.
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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, It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds.
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Habitat, Wet flatwoods, titi swamps, bogs.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Attractive light to medium green crownshaft
Guaiacum sanctum
While most of these slow-growing trees were harvested for their wood, one Florida key retained its population because it was privately owned. It's now
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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
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Considertions, Very slow growing--as little as an inch per year after the seedling stage if not fertilized.
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Wildlife, Catbirds and mockingbirds eat the seeds. (IRC)
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Habitat, Rockland hammock.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host plant for lyside sulphur (Kricogonia lyside) butterflies. (IR
- Ideal for smaller spaces
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Prominent blue-gray crownshaft
- Unique swollen blue-green to silver trunk
- Prized scent, used in commercial perfumes
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
Chasmanthium sessiliflorum
Border plant. Also used for restoration.
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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, Birds and other wildlife consume seed.
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Habitat, Moist sites.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits
- Very showy clusters of flowers
- Towering
- Year-round blooms
- Slow Growth
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Damaged by citrus canker
Carya glabra
Called pignut because pigs eat the nuts.
Excellent specimen or shade tree in areas where its roots will not be disturbed.
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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, Does not tolerate root disturbance. The author has lost multiple trees due to a fungal root pathogen that was apparently able to enter the tree when r
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Wildlife, A favorite food of squirrels.
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Habitat, Xeric hammock, mixed upland forest, pine-oak-hickory woods.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for many moths including; luna moth (Actias luna), hickory leafroller moth (Ar
- Majestic
- Beautiful exotic foliage
- Delicious edible fruit
- Year-round blooms
- Christmas tree shape
Ilex opaca var. arenicola
Specimen plant. Slow growing.
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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, Leaves have sharp spines. It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.
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Wildlife, Fruits principally eaten by birds.
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Habitat, Scrub.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Thorns
Pollinated by bees. Documented bee species include Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Megachilepetulans and Xylocop
- Prominant gray-olive crownshaft
- Colorful older leaves
- Recently classified invasive
- Unusually shaped, asymmetrical tree
- Somewhat drought tolerant
- Unique, sweet, almond-like flavor
Borrichia frutescens
Natural range is restricted to coastal areas.
Native borders, foundation plant, especially in salty environments. Can be trimmed.
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury.
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Considertions, Suckers heavily forming large patches.
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Wildlife, Birds and small mammals use the seeds.
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Habitat, Salt marsh, tidal flats.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar plant for great southern white (Ascia monuste), gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), so
- Will not tolerate frost
- Relatively uncommon in South Florida
- Very full crown
