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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , 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 , Wildlife, Birds consume fruit. , Habitat, Dry sites. Dry mesic forests. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval food for spicebush butterfly(Papilio troilus), tiger swallow-tail(papilio glaucus), palamede

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.

Sunny garden where a large, clumping grass is an asset. Noted for silvery-blue foliage that turns bronze in fall. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, If used in a garden, too much water, shade, or fertilizer can cause it to get top-heavy and fall over. , Wildlife, Provides cover and seed for many species of songbirds. , Habitat, Flatwoods, prairies. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for the Delaware skipper (Anatrytone logan) and the dusted skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna).

Retain in the landscape for coastal protection where present. Used for dune restoration. , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, Provides some cover for wildlife and maybe some foods. , Habitat, Salt marsh, dunes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance

Relatively small for an oak. Use as specimen tree or in a grove. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds, squirrels, racoons, deer and other wildlife eat the seeds. , Habitat, Well drained bottomlands and bluffs. , Did You Know?, Larval host for brown duskywing butterfly (Erynnis horatius), and gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).

Shrub for woodland edge or casual garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Fruits are prized by a variety of birds and mammals. , Habitat, Sandhills, scrub, flatwoods, cypress swamp margins. Acid soils. Mesic to dry-mesic flatwoods, edges of bayneads, cypress depressions, cutthroat seeps. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Pollinated primarily by native bees.

This species is more common in adjacent states and occurs broadly in mid-western prairies.  Its range barely makes it into Florida.   The southern end , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Prairies, rocky glades , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

This is a small clonal oak that can be used in a thicket as a screen. , 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 , Wildlife, Valued by the Florida scrub-jay for its acorns which are relatively low in tanins Used by woodpeckers and wild turkey Valued by squirrels, racoons and , Habitat, Scrub, dunes, scrubby flatwoods, scrubby high pine. , Did You Know?, Fall color Larval host plant for Horace's duskywing Erynnis horatius), Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvenalois), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cec

It is listed as Endangered by the state of Florida. Understory tree. Use as screen or specimen plant. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and small mammals. Hummingbirds visit the flowers. , Habitat, Rockland hammock in coastal areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Nectar plant for Schaus' swallowtail (Heraclides aristodemius) and other butterflies.

Even small plants can have large tap roots that run deep, but are easily transplanted. Endemic to Florida. Small specimen plant or groundcover. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Sandhill, dry flatwoods, upland mixed forests, ruderal sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many different kinds of pollinators - bees, wasps, and butterflies.

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.