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Baptisia simplicifolia
This plant is a legume and its roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules on them. It is useful on nutrient poor soils.
Baptisia simplicifolia is a Florida en
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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 to livestock and humans.
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Wildlife, Deer and rabbits browse the foliage, and as a legume it provides nutritious, protein-rich food.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhills and other upland open pinelands
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host for wild indigo duskywing (Erynnis baptisiae) and Zarucco duskywing (Erynnis zarucco) butterflies.
Pollinated by bumble bee
- Towering
- Flowers profusely year round
- Tropical silhouette
- Fragrant clusters of flowers in fall
Cartrema floridanum
This is a Florida endemic.
Screen plant esp. for sunny, dry sites. Specimen plant where its shiny foliage will be appreciated.
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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, Slow growing.
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Wildlife, Larger birds and small mammals eat the fruit.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Scrub, scrubby sandhill.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Bees and other pollinators.
- Showy fall color
- Tiered branches
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
Cornus amomum
Has considerable winter interest as its bark is smooth and red.
Wet site hedge, wet site specimen plant especially if a clump is suitable.Rarely plan
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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 small mammals consume the fruit. Fruits used by birds and small mammals.
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Habitat, Riverine swamps, natural levees along streams, lake margins. Typically in areas with shallow annual inundation, typically during the winter/early spri
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers
Larval host for cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia) and spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon).
Attracts long
- Thick branching into attractive silouttes
- Wonderfully fragrant
- Attracts butterflies and bees
Coreopsis major
Leaves are whorled at intervals around the stem.
Wildflower garden, butterfly garden or meadow. Stems spread but not aggressive.
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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, Sandhill.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts insects, especially bees and butterflies.
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Tolerance
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Habitat
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Did You Know?
- Christmas tree shape
- Unique, sweet, almond-like flavor
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Ringed trunk
Dodonaea viscosa
Has shiny, stiff leaves 2.5 to 5 inches long.
Often used as a hedge plant. Fast growing. Can also work as an individual specimen. A good choice for d
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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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Wildlife, Dense foliage can be good bird nesting habitat. Fruits are dispersed by wind.
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Habitat, Dry sites near the coast. Hammocks and pinelands.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Attracts pollinators.
- Slender trunk, 4" in diameter
- Requires occassional fertalization
- Unique, sweet, almond-like flavor
Lysiloma latisiliquum
It's a legume, so nitrogen fixation may help it survive in low nutrient soils.
Fast growing.
Shade tree. Attractive for its lacy foliage. Does well a
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Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges.
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Considertions, Fallen seed pods are messy, so use in a mulched landscape area.
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Wildlife, Attracts birds especially gnatcatchers, vireos, flycatchers, and migrating warbles (many eat the insects that are attracted to the flowers and leaves)
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Habitat, This is generally a species of disturbed areas in and around tropical rockland hammock and pine rocklands.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Larval host for Large Orange Sulfur (Phoebis agarithe), Mimosa Yellow (Eurema nise), amethyst hairstreak, and Cassius Blue (Lepto
- Stout, swollen trunk
- Delicious edible fruit
- Prominant gray-olive crownshaft
- Prominent blue-gray crownshaft
- Unique, stout pineapple-like trunk when young
- Attracts butterflies
Ulmus alata
May need trimming to form a single trunk tree for landscaping.
Makes an excellent specimen tree due to the corky wings on its twigs. Older speciments
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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 to the Dutch elm disease (not a problem in Florida). Has a shallow root system
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Wildlife, Important early spring food for songbirds.
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Habitat, Floodplains, slopes, well-drained forests.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for the question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis)
- Stunning during brief late spring bloom
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Symmetrical shape
Ilex vomitoria
Many cultivars have been developed or found in the wild ranging from weeping forms to little round balls ('Shillings').
To get fruits, both a male and
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon (
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Considertions, Tends to produce suckers, which can be removed if you wish to have a specimen tree. It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in t
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds.
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Habitat, Coastal scrub, coastal dunes, coastal flatwoods, river swamps, scrub, secondary woods, pine-oak-hickory woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Unique purple-brown crownshaft
- Moderately salt tolerant
- Not a true pine
- Slender trunk, 4" in diameter
- Elegant appearance
Crataegus flava
Specimen plant, screen plantings, sometimes with unusual or weeping form.
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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, Thorns.
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.
Used as browse by deer and rabbits.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Open woods, mixed woods, sandy pinelands.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns
Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hemaris thysbe), striped hairstreak butterfly(Satyrium liparops), and blinded sphinx
- Elegant appearance
- Tall and stately
- Showy reddish peeling bark
- Stately and uncommon
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
Sorghastrum nutans
This was one of the important grasses of the mid-western prairies. Survives occasional flooding and repeated burning.
Plant in the rear of a wildflow
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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 eat seeds.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhills.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Larval host for pepper and salt skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon).
- Rapid growth
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Unique swollen blue-green to silver trunk
- Drought tolerant
Nymphaea mexicana
The range of this plant appears to encompass most of Florida with actual occurrances having been found in streams with appropriate water chemistry (ap
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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, Aquatic. Quiet pools in spring-run streams, spring-fed lakes and ponds, still water.
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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
- Attractive and unique swollen trunk
- Often draped with Spanish moss
- Handsome
- Attractive dark green leaves
- Elegant appearance
- Distinctive-looking fruit with spiked exterior
Argemone mexicana
This is one of Florida's most showy and most under-appreciated wildflowers. Look for it along disturbed roadsides in mid-late winter and early spring.
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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, Sharp thorn-like prickles cover most of the plant. Highly toxic.
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Habitat, Ruderal areas. Common on dry roadsides.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns
Attracts pollinators including bees, flies, and beetles. Documented bee species include Apis mellifera (honeybee), Dialictus
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Prominant gray-olive crownshaft
- Very showy clusters of red flowers
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Fragrant in the evening
