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Halesia diptera
Use as a specimen plant or as an understory in a mixed hardwood forest setting. This tree blooms in early spring before the leaves come out.
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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, Hummingbirds and cardinals are known to be interested in the nectar. Squirrels may eat the fruits.
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Habitat, Dry-moist sites. Upland hardwood forests on fertile mesic slopes and ravines, hammocks, floodplain forests, slope forests, seep slopes, floodplains wi
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
Larval plant for several moth species.
Primary pollinators are bees.
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Did You Know?
- Attractive light to medium green crownshaft
- Attractive dark green leaves
- Drought tolerant
- Narrow crown
Acer negundo
Its twisting shape makes it an interesting specimen 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, Fast growing, fairly weak hence somewhat prone to breaking.
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Wildlife, Squirrels and other rodents eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Found naturally in floodplains. Has become widely established in ruderal settings.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Attracts pollinators, particularly native bees. Larval host for Cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia).
- Dense canopy
- Beautiful rounded canopy
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
- Handsome
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Damaged by citrus canker
Varronia globosa
Background shrub.
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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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Considertions, Can become weedy in the right conditions.
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume food. Attracts various pollinators especially bees and butterflies.
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Habitat, Old fields, open areas, edges of hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Attracts butterflies including malachite, atala, and daggerwinds (Haehle and Brookstone 1999).
- Not recommended
- Readily pruned into attractive shapes
- Elegant and compact
- Salt tolerant
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
Quercus laurifolia
Depending on who you ask, there are two laurel oaks in Florida. Q. laurifolia (swamp laurel oak) and Q. hemisphaerica (Darlington oak, sand laurel oa
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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, Somewhat weak, and compared to live oak, short-lived.
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Wildlife, Produces acorns that are used by rodents, including squirrels, and other mammals
Acorns used by woodpeckers, jays, and wild turkeys.
High in tannins.
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Habitat, River floodplains, secondary woods.
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Did You Know?, Larval host for Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) and White M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).
Larval host for several moth species (some of the c
- Massive stature
- Unique foliage
- Attractive contrast between flowers and foliage
- Unusual deep green leaves with bronze underside
Ruellia noctiflora
Moist wildflower meadow
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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, Flowers open at night
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Habitat, Wet flatwoods and bogs
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Did You Know?, Pollinated by Sphinx moths
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Excellent edible fruit
- Smaller stature
- Will not tolerate frost
- Beautiful, natural globe shape
Asclepias lanceolata
Don't confuse this native with the non-native tropical or scarlet milkweed (Asclepias curassavica), that is often sold in big box stores, which has re
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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.
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Wildlife, Larval host plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; possible larval host of soldier (Danaus eresimus) butterflie
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Habitat, Wet flatwoods, savannas, marshes, swamps
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host plant for monarch (Danaus plexippus) and queen (Danaus gilippus) butterflies; possible larval host of soldier (Danaus eresi
- Narrow crown
- Fragrant clusters of flowers in fall
- Easy/Carefree
Scutellaria integrifolia
Salt tolerance has not been studied but it has been recorded (in New England) in salt marshes, suggesting tolerance of at least brackish water and lik
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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, It's a prolific reseeder.
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Habitat, Upland mixed forests, flatwoods, sandhill, ruderal areas.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Flowers attract pollinators, likely bees, flies, and/or butterflies and moths.
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Edible, healthy fruit
- Can be grown indoors
Rudbeckia mollis
Use in a wildflower garden. Good for roadside wilflower plantings.
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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, Seeds eaten by small birds.
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Habitat, Mostly ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bumble bees, butterflies
Larval host for the silvery checkerspot, found only in extreme north Florida.
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Available multi-stalked
- Excellent hedge choice
- Edible, healthy fruit
Nephrolepis exaltata
Very similar in appearance to several non-natives which are invasive pests, esp. N. cordifolia. If there are spherical tubers amongst the roots, it's
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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 can be aggressive. Be careful to plant it where you can contain it.
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Habitat, Wet-dry sites. Swamps, hammocks, yards.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Edible, healthy fruit
- Massive stature
- Stunning during brief late spring bloom
- Retains leaves until just before blooming
Bursera simaruba
This tree has a thick trunk and both the trunk and branches can twist into interesting shapes. The bark is red to bronze and peels. It's also called t
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Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges.
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray.
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Wildlife, Kingbirds and other flycatchers eat the fruits (IRC, Haehle and Brookwell 1999).
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Habitat, Moist hammocks, dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests, coastal uplands, urban areas
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for dingy purplewing (Eunica monima) (IRC).
Attracts bees and other insect pollinators
- Pyramidal crown
- Dense, full crown
- Prominent blue-gray crownshaft
- Does best with periodic fertalization
- Requires high humidity
- Prolific fruiter
Coreopsis lanceolata
In central Florida, lanceleaf has a relatively short blooming period compared to Leavenworth's tickseed - wrapping things up by mid-summer, whereas C.
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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, Will self-seed and so could become weedy.
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Habitat, Sandhills, edges of cypress swamps and marshes, ruderal areas.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts butterflies and pollinators.
- Unique foliage and silhouette
- Briefly bare for about a month in the winter
- Elegant, dense canopy
