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Rudbeckia spp.
Multiple species are native to Florida. Most are attractive and many are easy to grow. This is a catch-all for species not listed individually. Ple
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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, Small seed-eating birds pick out the seeds from the mature flower heads.
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Habitat, Vary by species. Mostly sandhills, bogs, roadsides, ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attract butterflies, bees and wasps.
- Long emerald crownshaft
- Can be grown indoors
- Somewhat drought tolerant
- Colorful new leafs
- No longer recommended
Leucothrinax morrisii
The fan-shaped leaves are about 3 feet across and have silvery undersides.
Listed as Endangered by the FDACS. Please act responsibly and acquire only
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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, Used as a bird nesting area and food source.
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Habitat, Coastal strand, maritime hammock, pine rockland, rockland hammock, coastal berm
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host plant for monk skipper (Asbolis capucinus) butterflies.
- Dark green leaves
- Wind tolerant
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
Solidago odora var. chapmanii
This forms clumps but does not form large clones, which means it will not take over a garden.
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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Wildlife, Songbirds such as goldfinches and sparrows eat the seeds, and mice and deer browse the foliage and flowers.
Provides cover for many small animals inc
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Habitat, Typically a plant of mesic to dry flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods. Can be ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Used for nectar by butterflies.
Attracts a wide variety of pollinators, especially bees. Documented bee visitors include Colletes maiz
- Not as popular as it once was
- Slow Growth
- Long-lived perennial
- Native
Polystichum acrostichoides
The range of this species includes much of eastern North America up into southern Canada. Its occurrence in Florida is sparse with appropriate substr
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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, Benefits from periodic removal of old fronds.
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Habitat, Rocky hammocks and upper margins of swamps.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- No longer recommended
- Highly wind tolerant
- Stately and uncommon
- Unusual stilt roots
- Beloved in South Florida
Carphephorus corymbosus
Dry meadows. 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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Habitat, Sandhill, scrubby flatwoods, mesic flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts many butterflies (NSIS), bees and other pollinators. One documented bee is Halictus ligatus (Deyrup et al. 2002).
- Stunning colorful foliage
- Excellent small hedge
- Underutilized
- Showy red berries
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Salt tolerant
Asimina triloba
Flowers are dark maroon, not showy.
Small specimen tree. Also works well as a component of floodplain forests.
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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, Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit.
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Habitat, River floodplains, predominantly to the north of Florida. In most of Florida, Asimina parviflora would be more appropriate yet very similar in appear
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Pollinated by flies and beetles
- Requires ample space and light
- Available multi-stalked
- Salt tolerant
- Massive, breathtaking and impressive
- Attractive blue-green to silver leaflets
Lonicera sempervirens
Coral honeysuckle's bark exfoliates.
Climbs by twining
Given a trellis or fence this plant makes a great hedge. It can also make a good groundcover t
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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, If growing on a trellis, will need to be trimmed back annually.
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Wildlife, Flowers attract hummingbirds.
Birds, especially cardinals, eat the seeds - digesting the outer flesh of the fruit and aiding in distribution of the
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Habitat, Upland hardwood forests, floodplains, secondary woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host for Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon) and Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) butterflies.
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Mostly bare in the coldest months
- Stately and uncommon
- Showy creamy white flowers
- Prominent blue-gray crownshaft
Tripsacum floridanum
Grows well well north of its native range. Documented in very southern counties with an outlier in Martin County -- that outlier is also unique in th
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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 get messy after cold spells.
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Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by birds. Provides cover for lizzards and other small animals.
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Habitat, Pine rockland. Also cultivated. Dry sites.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Larval host for Byssus Skipper (Problema byssus).
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Highly wind tolerant
- Symmetrical shape
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Elegant appearance
Agave decipiens
Can be distinguished from non-native agave by its bare basal trunk. Endemic to southern peninsular Florida from the Monroe County Keys north along the
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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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Considertions, Sharp pointed leaves and sap that can be irritating to the skin. Only blooms once.
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Habitat, Coastal hammocks, shell middens, dry coastal uplands.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Larval host for Yucca Giant Skipper (Megathymus yuccae) and Cofaqui Giant Skipper (Megathymus cofaqui). Pollinate
- Unique, stout pineapple-like trunk when young
- Unique foliage and silhouette
- Wide umbrella-shaped canopy
- Stunning
Hamelia patens
Closely related plants occur in the Caribbean and Central America. Yellow or orange flowering plants are not the Florida native.
In recent years plant
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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, This species is cold sensitive and will die back if it freezes. Usually resprouts from the base.
There are recent observations of the plant in north F
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Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the fruits and disperse seeds.
Hummingbirds come for nectar
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Habitat, Dry sites. Coastal forests, upland forests, hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for the pluto sphinx moth
Butterflies, noted for attracting zebrawing
Attracts long-tongued bee
- Silvery blue-green fronds
- Lush, dense shade tree
- Easy/Carefree native
- Excellent small hedge
- Attractive light to medium green crownshaft
- Bright red fruits
Brickellia cordifolia
This is a rare plant. Please acquire responsibly (don't steal from the wild).
Not common in the nursery trade (we are aware of one North Florida nurs
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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, Open woodlands
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Especially attractive to butterflies.
- Attractive symmetrical appearance
- Beautiful rounded canopy
- Very rare
- Slender and elegant
- Easy/Carefree
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
Gleditsia triacanthos
Very thorny. In the northern parts of its range, a thornless cultivar is planted.
Specimen tree. To avoid insect issues, best not to plant in large n
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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, Very sharp thorns. Tree is short-lived in the southern parts of its range (includes Florida).
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Wildlife, The seed pods have edible sweet pulp and are eaten by deer, opossums, squirrels, crows, starlings, and quail.
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Habitat, Upper portions of riverine floodplains, fertile uplands, stream banks. Planted in upland areas.
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Did You Know?, Thorns
Larval host for Epargyreus clarus (Silver-Spotted Skipper) and several moths including Catocala innubens (The Betrothed), Catocala minuta (Lit
- Tall and stately
- Flowers year round
- Wonderfully fragrant
- Pleasant rounded shape
- Prolific fruiter
- Excellent small to medium hedge
