Natural landscapes including meadows and butterfly gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Purple thistle is a thorny plant - be very careful when handling. , Wildlife, The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds. , Habitat, Coastal plain, edges of salt marshes, pinewoods, prairies and disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Larval host to little metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis) and painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies. N

Wetland wildflower garden. , 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 ( , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Salt, brackish, or fresh water marshes, sloughs, ditches, borders of mangrove and other swamps, wet forest clearings. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and various pollinators. , Propagation, Fruit ones don't come true from seed so propagate vegetatively with either cuttings or by grafting onto a hardy rootstock. , Did You Know?, The plant is smaller, typically a large shrub, and more cold hardy. The fruits are sweet, with a thinner, edible red skin and the white flesh interior

Groundcover or border plant in shady areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, It reseeds easily and can expand aggressively. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume seed. , Habitat, Dry-moist sites. Bluffs, floodplains, wet hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits Larval host for pepper and salt skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon), common roadside skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis), and Bell's roadside skipper

In natural settings, benefits from fire. Bog gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Bogs, savannas, seep slopes, seepy edges of marshes and wet prairies, seepy roadside swales. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Pollinated by bees

In the natural environment, this species benefits from periodic fire. Very difficult to see except when in bloom. Retain if present. Could be grown a , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Rarely grown as difficult to find seeds or bulbs and seedlings are subject to fungal diseases. , Habitat, Mesic flatwoods, wet prairie, wet flatwoods, open seepage areas such as cutthroat seeps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies including swallowtails. Reported possible pollinators include spicebush swallowwtail, cloudless sulfur (Phoebis se

In nature, this grows in habitats with frequent fire.  In the garden, it will grow best if you remove built-up thatch (or burn it once every few years , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhills. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage

Slower growing and generally smaller than live oak. Extremely drought tolerant. In environments where there is fire, this is often a small clonal shru , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Valued by the Florida scrub-jay for its acorns which are relatively low in tanins and often used as a nesting tree. Acorns used by woodpeckers and wil , Habitat, Scrub, sandhill, scrubby flatwoods, flatwoods, coastal hammocks. Increases in flatwoods under winter burn management. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for oak hairstreak (Fixsenia favonius), Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-b

Endemic to western peninsular Florida from Tampa south to Charlotte County. Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sometimes the flower stalks are too tall and heavy to stand. Can be cut back mid-summer to reduce height. In a large garden, the twisted fallen stalks , Habitat, Flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

Given that this is short-lived (biennial) and difficult to transplant or grow from seed, this is perhaps best encouraged in places where it grows natu , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Hard to establish. Biennial, though may reseed. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for  frosted elfin (Callophyris irus) butterfly, which is listed as  Endangered in Flori

Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Mesic to wet flatwoods, seep slopes, bogs, savannas, ditches, secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

In a 2020 study of salt in irrigation water (https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/55/7/article-p1119.xml), this species was found t , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Can become weedy. , Wildlife, Attracts  hummingbirds. , Habitat, Dry sites. Open, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies.

Highly tolerant of fire once established. Shade tree. Woodland tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Huge pine cones litter the ground, so not a good tree for a lawn. , Wildlife, Known for its use by squirrels, especially fox squirrels. Birds also eat the nuts. Old trees in well managed (properly burned) natural sandhill and fl , Habitat, Sandhill, mesic to dry flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance