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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
Ilex opaca
Both male and female plants required for pollination and seed set.
Specimen tree. Screen.
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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, Sharp spines (teeth) on leaves.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds.
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Habitat, Upland woods, second bottom but will not tolerate long flooding. Often an understory plant.
Documented in Lee County in a site likely to be natural.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Does best in warmer areas of South Florida
- Moderately slow growth
Fagus grandifolia
Shade tree. It is known for its smooth light gray bark. Its leaves turn yellow and then light brown remaining on the tree until nearly spring and prov
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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 is a large tree that will produce dense shade and many root suckers. Take this into consideration when deciding where to plant it. Slow growing.
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Wildlife, Fruits (a nut in a bur) are valued by wildlife.
Tree valued for nesting by some songbirds.
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Habitat, Upland, mesic to dry mesic hardwood forests.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage
Larval host for walnut sphinx (Amorpha juglandis).
- Excellent choice for narrow spaces
- Excellent small hedge
- Critically endangered
- Ideal for smaller spaces
Magnolia macrophylla var. ashei
Very large leaves. This is a very rare species endemic to a few steep-sided ravines and bluffs in the Florida panhandle.
This species is listed as End
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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 and spread by birds and small mammals.
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Habitat, Slope forest, upland mixed forest. Ravines. Andy's photo is of a planted specimen that appears to nearly lack the red/purple splotches at the bases
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Beetles are the primary pollinators of magnolia flowers. The flowers have a hardened carpel to avoid damage by the
- Tall and stately
- Forms an open canopy
- Requires protection from strong winds
- Available single or multi-stalked
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
Bidens alba
Many of us think of this is a weed that we allow to grow for its value to insects.
Casual settings, especially toward the rear of 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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Considertions, Once you have this plant, you will always have this plant. It can be quite weedy. The seeds have barbs which stick to clothing and pet fur.
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Habitat, Ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts native bees, butterflies.
Larval host for the dainty sulphur (Nathalis iole) butterfly.
- Moderately salt tolerant
- Relatively uncommon in South Florida
- Attractive blue-green to silver leaflets
Bacopa caroliniana
Lemon bacopa is distinguished by blue flowers, a hairy upper stem, and by the lemony scent of its crushed foliage.
Spreading ground cover around the
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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, swamps, ditches
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host plant for white peacock (Anartia jatrophae) butterflies. Insect pollinated.
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Showy red berries
- Highly nutritious fruit
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Noted for it's round satellite "ball" flowers and round "button" fruits. Fragrant.
Sources disagree on salt tolerance of this plant.
Wetlands and wet
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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, Foliage is poisonous to livestock and humans.
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Wildlife, Deer browse the foliage. Ducks and other birds including jays, cardinals, nuthatches, titmice, warblers, and mockingbirds consume the seed.
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Habitat, Marshes, swamps, river floodplains
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Host plant to several moths including titan sphinx (Aellopos titan) and hydrangea sphinx (Darapsa versi
- Mostly bare in the coldest months
- Beautiful exotic foliage
- Rapid growth
- Uniquely shaped with a muscular look
- Prolific fruiter
Salix caroliniana
While generally a swamp plant, this tree can grow in uplands. Stems root readily and most of the stems stuck in a moist substrate will survive withou
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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, Weak wood, easily broken.
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Habitat, Swamps, marshes, floodplains, glades around gator holes. Open, wet, sunny areas.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Larval host plant for Viceroy (Basilarchia archippus).
The species is wind pollinated, but bees harves
- Fragrant clusters of flowers in fall
- Attractive mottled bark
- Majestic and graceful
- Stunning and colorful while in bloom
- Highly wind tolerant
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
Quercus pagoda
The range map for this species suggests that it might occur in the ApalachicolaRiver floodplains even where it had not been documented.
Shade tree. T
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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, Fallen/falling acorns can be a maintenance issue.
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Wildlife, Acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, blue jays, ducks, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer and black bear
Provides c
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Habitat, Floodplains of large rivers, predominantly the greater Apalachicola River system.
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Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance
Host plant for the banded hairstreak, Edwards' hairstreak, gray hairstreak, white-M hairstreak Horace's duskywing and the J
- Flowers profusely year round
- Silvery blue-green fronds
- Excellent choice for narrow spaces
- Slender trunk, 4" in diameter
- Somewhat drought tolerant
- Long emerald crownshaft
Achillea millefolium
Can be grown as a groundcover.
This is a species on the southern limits of its range in North Florida. Its known occurrence (ISB 2020) is sparse in 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, In Florida, basal leaves are typically visible during the winter.
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Wildlife, Several cavity-nesting birds use yarrow to line their nests. Adding yarrow to nests may inhibit the growth of parasites. Some small birds eat the seed
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Habitat, Ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Attracts butterflies, bees, and other insect pollinators. Attracts bees and butterflies. Larval host for Painted L
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Very showy clusters of red flowers
- Showy display of fruit
- Prominant olive crownshaft, slightly buldging
Sagittaria lancifolia
Grow as an emergent along pond or lake edges or in aquatic gardens.
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit.
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Habitat, Marshes, wetter portions of wet prairies, swamps, roadside ditches with marsh-like character.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Flowers attract pollinators.
- Stunning during brief late spring bloom
- Often hosts orchids, ferns and bromiliads
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Majestic, sprawling canopy
- Available single or multi-stalked
- Uniquely shaped with a muscular look
Cercis canadensis
Bloom can be long lasting relative to other early spring blooming trees -- as long as a month. Duration is dependent on temperature. Flowers grow dire
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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, At the extreme south end of its range, it may not bloom well. The wood is weak and is likely to break off during a high wind event unless grouped with
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Habitat, Upland hardwood forests. Bluffs, hammocks, secondary woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Larval host for Henry's elfin (Callophrys henrici) and io moth (Automeris io).
Popular with bees including bumbleb
- Highly versatile
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
- Ideal for smaller spaces
- Unique foliage and silhouette
