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Sassafras albidum
Red/orange fall color is excellent. Leaves have three separate shapes: ovoid, tri-lobed, or mitten-shaped (left or right). Mature trees tend to have f
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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, Like other members of this family, sassafras trees are threatened by the spread of the redbay ambrosia beetle and the laural wilt fungus it carries. M
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Wildlife, Birds consume fruit.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Dry mesic forests.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Fall color, Interesting foliage
Larval food for spicebush butterfly(Papilio troilus), tiger swallow-tail(papilio glaucus), palamede
- Healthy edible fruit
- Handsome
- Breathtaking and memorable
- Highly salt tolerant
- Unique purple-brown crownshaft
- Excellent small hedge
Saccharum giganteum
Specimen plant or background plant in moist informal garden. This is a mid-sized bunching grass until the flower stalk shoots up in the fall. Then 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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Considertions, The flower stalks need to be removed once no longer showy.
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Wildlife, Birds will eat the seeds. Provides cover.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, marshes, coastal swales, cypress ponds, lake shores, cutthroat seep.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Host plant for the Clouded Skipper butterfly (Lerema accius)
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Did You Know?, Yerba mate, the traditional tea-like beverage from South America, is made with leaves of a close relative to our holly trees, the Ilex Paraguayanis.
Y
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Christmas tree shape
- Massive, nutrient-dense edible fruit
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
Vallesia antillana
It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida and as critically imperiled in South Florida by The Institute for Regional Conservation.
Specimen
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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, Tropical rockland hammock, coastal rock barren, beach dune, coastal strand. Lower Keys only.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
- Lush, dense shade tree
- Beloved in South Florida
- Deciduous
- Highly wind tolerant
- Highly salt tolerant
- Underutilized
Phoebanthus spp.
Not typically available commercially.
One (P. tenuifolius) in the panhandle,the other on the peninsula. P. tenuifolius is almost endemic (there is an
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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, Attracts birds when seeds are present.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Scrubby flatwoods, sandhill. P. grandifolorus: dry flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees and butterflies.
- Very showy bright yellow flowers
- Wonderfully fragrant flowers
- Available single or multi-stalked
Chionanthus pygmaeus
Emerald ash borer is a problem in the northeast and if it reaches Florida, it would likely be lethal to this species.
This tree is listed as as Endang
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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, Fruits used by birds.
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Habitat, Scrub and scrubby flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Probably bee pollinated.
- Very showy bright yellow flowers
- Easy/Carefree
- Ringed trunk
- Unusually shaped, asymmetrical tree
- Fragrant in the evening
Euploca polyphylla
Sprawling. Best used as a wildflower.
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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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Habitat, Flatwoods near edges of open wetlands; roadsides through such places. Coastal thickets.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts a variety of pollinators, especially butterflies.
- Prominant olive crownshaft, slightly buldging
- Attractive mottled bark
- Pleasant rounded shape
- Stunning
Carya glabra
Called pignut because pigs eat the nuts.
Excellent specimen or shade tree in areas where its roots will not be disturbed.
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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, Does not tolerate root disturbance. The author has lost multiple trees due to a fungal root pathogen that was apparently able to enter the tree when r
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Wildlife, A favorite food of squirrels.
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Habitat, Xeric hammock, mixed upland forest, pine-oak-hickory woods.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for many moths including; luna moth (Actias luna), hickory leafroller moth (Ar
- Majestic
- Beautiful exotic foliage
- Delicious edible fruit
- Year-round blooms
- Christmas tree shape
Passiflora pallens
This is listed as Endangered by the FDACS. Please acquire from reputable sources with appropriate permits.
Use on trellis or scramble up a mature tr
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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, Wildlife eat the fruits.
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Habitat, Pineland hammocks and edges of forested wetlands.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Pollinated by bees.
Does not seem to be as attractive for butterflies as its cousi
- Majestic and graceful
- Very slow growth
- Long emerald crownshaft
- Very full crown
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
- Unique and prized
Sisyrinchium angustifolium
Groundcover. Foliage is low and neat even during periods when there are no flowers (flowers in mid-spring). Plant not visible in winter. Can be natura
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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, Cutthroat seeps, moist roadsides, hammocks, bogs, river banks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Beneficial sweat bees, bumble bees, bee flies, and syrphid flies are attracted to nectar and pollen.
- Attractive and unique swollen trunk
- Requires high humidity
- Adequate fertalization required
- Unique fluffy fronds
- Dense, full crown
Litsea aestivalis
Litsea aestivalis is listed as Endangered by the State of Florida. Since that listing, the laurel wilt disease has come to Florida, and is known to k
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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, Fruits eaten by birds and mammals.
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Habitat, Near the edges of forested wetlands and some seasonal ponds wtih open centers.
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Did You Know?, Attracts flies and small bees.
A likely host for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.
- Highly nutritious fruit
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Cornerstone plant in South Florida
