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Opuntia spp.
These species are, in combination, found throughout Florida and from a cultivation perspective, are very similar. In nature, O. stricta tends to be i
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Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges.
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure t
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Considertions, Thorns! The thorns on this plant make weeding around it difficult. Best planted where no one will be walking adjacent to the plant.
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Habitat, Coastal dunes, coastal grasslands.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Thorns
Nectar plant for Meske's skipper (Hesperia meskei) butterflies.
Attracts a variety of insect
- No longer recommended
- Thick branching into attractive silouttes
- Can be grown indoors
- Native
Iris savannarum
This iris and I. hexagona were considered to be a single species until recently. I. savannarum is the most common iris species in Florida.
Moist wil
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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, Marshes, wet prairie, dome swamps, riverine swamps in openings.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees esp. bumblebees.
- Sprawling and informal shrub
- Beautiful silhouette
- Highly wind tolerant
- Not recommended
- Excellent small to medium hedge
Euonymus americanus
Shady settings. Interesting for its green twigs and red warty fruits. In good habitats it can form dense clones.
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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 other wildlife consume seed.
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Habitat, Seep slopes, rich woods, hammocks, upland mixed forest, bluffs, floodplains.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy fruits
Insect pollinated, especially by bees.
- Relatively compact and narrow canopy
- Wonderfully fragrant at night
- Native
Chamaecyparis thyoides
The natural distribution in Florida is predominantly related to soil and drainage conditions. If you provide them, it should grow successfully from L
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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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Wildlife, Provides cover for birds and mammals.
Attracts deer and squirrels. Deer browse can be so intense as to limit survival of saplings.
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Habitat, Forested seepage areas, swamps, low stream banks
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Width often exceeds height
- Cold tolerant
- Very rare
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
- Elegant
- Year-round blooms
Ipomoea imperati
Poisonous if ingested.
Groundcover in open, dry, sandy sites especially on dunes and the upper fringes of beaches.
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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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Habitat, Beach dunes.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts insects, especially bees.
- Attracts butterflies
- Elegant appearance
- Massive, nutrient-dense edible fruit
- Available multi-stalked
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
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis
This species can be distinguished from related non-natives by its trailing stems and lance-shaped leaves.
Stachytarpheta urticifolia, commonly sold by
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Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges.
Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure t
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Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Coastal strand, open areas in dry mesic hardwood forests, sometimes nestled under trees along sandy roadsides.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host for tropical buckeye (Junonia genoveva) butterfly.
Nectar plant for many butterflies and moths including: Bahamian swallow
- Highly nutritious fruit
- Rapid growth
- Towering
- Iconic symbol of the south
Ilex ambigua
Plant as a small understory tree. Good as a general background plant that is appropriate to wildlife.
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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, It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals.
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Habitat, Dry hammocks, sandhills, scrub, dunes.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Moderately slow growth
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
- Critically endangered
- Stunning
Coleataenia longiflora
Restoration proects and casual moist-site 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, Provides cover for invertebrates.
Seeds eaten by some birds and small animals.
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Habitat, Wetland edges and low adjacent uplands.
- Magnificent showy flowers in summer
- Elegant and compact
- Will not tolerate frost
- Symmetrical shape
- Attractive symmetrical appearance
Osmundastrum cinnamomeum
Called cinnamon fern because of the color of its fertile fronds. In Florida it sends up its fertile fronds in the spring and fall; farther north in it
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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, This species typically grows on seepage edges of swamps and in the upper reaches of baygalls (bay swamps). It is not found in long-term standing wate
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
- Unique swollen blue-green to silver trunk
- Magnificent
- Excellent small to medium hedge
- Attractive shade tree
- Beautiful shiny green leaves
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
Juniperus virginiana
The blue fruits on this tree are actually fleshy cones.
Often used as a screen by planting in one or two fairly dense rows. Also useful as a backgrou
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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, Birds eat the fruit-like cones and use the foliage for cover.
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Habitat, Calcareous soils, shell mounds, coastal hammocks, second growth on open rocky fields. Open.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
- Very showy clusters of red flowers
- Prominent blue-gray crownshaft
- Thick branching into attractive silouttes
- Majestic and graceful
Symphyotrichum concolor
Benefits from controlled burns. There are contradictions in herbarium databases, and reliable observations in counties where there are no herbarium sp
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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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Wildlife, Used as browse by deer to the extent that in some states, browsing is an issue.
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Habitat, Dry, sandy
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar plant for many butterfly species but also visited by other native insect pollinators.
- Tiered branches
- Wind tolerant
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Massive stature
- Width often exceeds height
- Slender and elegant
