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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.
N
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Readily pruned into attractive shapes
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Mostly bare in the coldest months
Physostegia leptophylla
Water gardens and pond edges. Moist wildflower gardens.
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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, Humminbirds are attracted to the nectar.
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Habitat, Wet prairie, wet savannas, pond edges.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Generally pollinated by bumblebees. Other long tongued bees, hummingbirds and the occasional butterfly sip nectar from the flowers (Ne
- Formal, old-world appearance
- Not recommended
- Huge extremely fragrant flowers
Ilex opaca
Both male and female plants required for pollination and seed set.
Specimen tree. Screen.
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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 spines (teeth) on leaves.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds.
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Habitat, Upland woods, second bottom but will not tolerate long flooding. Often an understory plant.
Documented in Lee County in a site likely to be natural.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Does best in warmer areas of South Florida
- Moderately slow growth
Ulmus americana
This tree is subject to Dutch elm disease. Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS 2008). In most of eastern North America, this tree
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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, While Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS, 2018), the planting practices that result in massive losses of street trees north of F
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Wildlife, Seeds used by birds in spring when little else is available.
Used for nesting.
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Habitat, Floodplain forest, wet mesic forests, hardwood swamps.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage
Larval host for: Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma), Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), Painted Lady (Vanessa ca
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Very full crown
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
Cornus alternifolia
Small specimen tree. Can also work as an understory tree.
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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.
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Habitat, Slope forest, upland hardwood forest. Bluffs, creek forests.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Larval host for cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia) and spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon).
- Smaller stature
- Imposing stature
- Does best with periodic fertalization
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Not a true pine
Cardiospermum corindum
Blooms all year. Recruits readily in the garden from seed.
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gard
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray.
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Wildlife, Larval host plant for Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and silver-banded hairstreak (Chlorostrymon simaethis) butterflies; occasional larval host for th
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Habitat, Coastal hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Larval host plant for Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and silver-banded hairstreak (Chlorostrymon sim
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Beautiful rounded dense canopy
- Flowers profusely year round
Calydorea caelestina
This is an endangered species. Please do not steal from the wild.
Mostly grown as a curiosity as it is an early morning bloomer and nearly invisible
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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, Is endemic to only a few counties in NE Florida and does best in a fire-controlled habitat.
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Wildlife, Attracts bumblebees (Huegel, C. 2013. Palmetto 31: 3-6)
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Habitat, Wet to mesic flatwoods. Does well in fire-maintained habitats.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
- Attractive silver-gray foliage
- Can be trimmed into manicured shapes
- Narrow canopy
- Recently classified invasive
- Massive, breathtaking and impressive
Quercus marilandica
Small to medium tree often with somewhat scruffy form. Retain in a natural setting if present.
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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, Fallen/falling acorns can be an issue.
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Wildlife, The acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, blue jays, white-breasted nuthatches, American crows and wild turkey
Attracts small mammals including squirrels,
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Habitat, Pine-oak-hickory woods, dry longleaf pinelands with loamy soils or clay hardpan, dry secondary woods.
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Did You Know?, Host plant for the White-M Hairstreak and Horace's Duskywing butterflies.
- Intoxicating fragrance
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Very fast growth rate
Salvia azurea
Wildflower garden, suitable for naturalizing.
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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, pine-oak-hickory woods, secondary woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar source for native bees, including bumblebees, and other pollinators (Xerces Society)..
Attracts butterflies
- Requires high humidity
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Magnificent showy flowers in summer
- Unusually shaped, asymmetrical tree
- Highly salt tolerant
Andropogon virginicus
This plant can be used as a background planting that will create a light orange haze during the late fall and winter months. Andropogon virgnicus var.
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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, Can be aggressive in disturbed lands.
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Wildlife, Provides food and nesting material for many small birds and other small animals.
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Habitat, Open seepage areas, flatwoods, marshes, ruderal areas.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Larval host for zabulon skipper (Poanes zabulon).
- Ringed trunk
- Wind tolerant
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
- Very full crown
Pluchea spp.
These pretty little plants are not typically grown, most likely because they are annuals or short-lived perennials and require moist settings.
Moist
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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, Savannas, cypress glades, savannas, marshes, wet ditches, wet prairie.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees, wasps, and butterflies.
- Deciduous
- Narrow canopy
- Not a true jasmine
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
Erythrina herbacea
Forming a thicket for wildlife protection.
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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, It has thorns, but they are rather small.
The seeds of Cherokee bean are poisonous and purportedly used for rat poison in Mexico.
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Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds.
Due to its dense foliage and thorny stems, coral bean serves as a refuge for small birds and animals.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Upland mixed forest, thickets, tropical hammocks, coastal dunes, sandhill, flatwoods, tropical hammock, pine rocklands. This species can b
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Thorns
Attracts long-tongued pollinators.
- Cornerstone plant in South Florida
- Unique, sweet almond flavor
- Compact and versatile
- Healthy edible fruit
- Flowers year round
