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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, The flower stalks need to be removed once no longer showy. , Wildlife, Birds will eat the seeds.  Provides cover. , Habitat, Flatwoods, marshes, coastal swales, cypress ponds, lake shores, cutthroat seep. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Host plant for the Clouded Skipper butterfly (Lerema accius) , 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

Younger specimens have a conical shape, but older trees tend to flatten out at the top. In some areas, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea)has strangled ma , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can produce knees, even if grown in uplands. , Wildlife, Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be assoc , Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for baldcypress sphinx (Isoparce cupressi) moth.

Requires a reliable cold period to persist. In most of Florida it can be treated as an annual in gardens. Listed as Endangered by the State of Florida , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, The further south you go, the more short-lived this species gets.  Except in extreme north Florida, treat as an annual or at least don't assume that i , Wildlife, Small birds and small mammals consume the seed. , Habitat, Upland glades, openings in upland mixed forests on calcareous soils. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many pollinators, especially bees.

Low growing groundcover. Can be used as a turf substitute in low traffic areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Dry-moist-wet sites. Disturbed wet prairies, ruderal areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host  for common buckeye (Junonia coenia), phaon crescent (Phyciodes phaon) and white peacock (Anartia jatr

Shade tree. Screen along wetland edges. Street tree for use in parking lots and median strips. Many acres have been planted to attract bees for honey , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Fallen fruits can be mildly messy. , Wildlife, Seeds eaten by birds. , Habitat, Stream banks, swamps, pond and lake margins. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits Pollinated by bees.

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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and mammals. , Habitat, Near the edges of forested wetlands and some seasonal ponds wtih open centers. , Did You Know?, Attracts flies and small bees.  A likely host for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.

Based on the BONAP range map, this species is a "near endemic" -- it occurs only in the panhandle and a 3 counties in southern Alabama. At this time, , Tolerance, Unknown Unknown , Wildlife, Small birds eat the seed. , Habitat, Wet flatwoods, bogs, savannahs, prairies , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar plant for many butterfly species but also visited by other native insect pollinators.

Can be pruned. Works well as a specimen plant. Its thick, large leaves make it stand out from most other plants in the landscape. Very useful in sett , 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 , Considertions, Fast growing, tends to sprawl. Very cold sensitive if planted inland from the coast even in the counties noted as its range. Unless cold is extreme, i , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. , Habitat, Coastal uplands , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Nectar plant for Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus), julia (Dryas iulia