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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
Gordonia lasianthus
Makes a good specimen tree or a cluster of in wet areas along margins of lakes and ponds.
This tree is columnar in form and can make a formal-looking
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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, Sensitive to drying. Difficult to grow unless its moisture requirements are met.
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Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Moist-wet sites. Seepage swamps, bay swamps, edges of cypress domes, low flatwoods. This species is likely restricted to wetland edges both by its ne
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Flowers attract a variety of insects including bees and flies.
- Heavy feeder
- Attractive contrast between flowers and foliage
- Beloved in South Florida
Chasmanthium sessiliflorum
Border plant. Also used for restoration.
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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, Moist sites.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits
- Very showy clusters of flowers
- Towering
- Year-round blooms
- Slow Growth
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Damaged by citrus canker
Penstemon multiflorus
This species is almost endemic to Florida. Its range overlaps into southern Georgia and southeastern Alabama.
The range includes all of Florida thoug
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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, Said by Bok Tower to sometimes attract hummingbirds.
Seeds likely dispersed by wind.
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Habitat, Dry flatwoods, sandhill, ruderal areas. Well-drained upland habitats
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host to Baltimore checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)
Attracts bees.
- Wonderfully fragrant at night
- Breathtaking
- Stunning
- Prominant olive crownshaft
- Rare and unique
- Elegant appearance
Drypetes diversifolia
It is listed as Endangered by the state of Florida.
Shade tree. Can be used as a specimen tree for its light colored bark. Slow growing.
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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 fruit.
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Habitat, Rockland hammock.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark
Larval host for Florida white (Appias drusilla) butterfly.
- Excellent small to medium hedge
- Stout, swollen trunk
- Heavy feeder
- Distinctive-looking fruit with spiked exterior
- Beautiful shiny green leaves
Morella inodora
Screen along the edge of swamps. Primarily used for restoration.
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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 eat the fruits.
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Habitat, Shrub-tree bogs, bayheads, swamps, especially with Cyrilla racemiflora.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Elegant
- Does poorly oceanside
- Medium stature
- Handsome
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Adequate moisture required
Rhododendron austrinum
Specimen plant. Can form large patches if allowed to do so.
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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, Poisonous if ingested.
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Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Slope forest, upland mixed forest, upland hardwood forest, bottomland forest. Rare.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts pollinators, especially bees.
- Moderately slow growth
- Stunning colorful foliage
- Uncommon
Phlox spp.
Florida has a number of Phlox species, almost all found in forested settings. The common roadside species (Phlox drummondii) is not a Florida native (
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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, Some phlox species attract hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Open woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts butterflies and bees.
- Very full crown
- Smaller stature
- Wonderfully fragrant
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Moderately drought tolerant
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
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
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
Phytolacca americana
Interesting red stems. Makes a good specimen plant in an informal garden. Weedy in appearance if in large numbers and stems tend to split when branche
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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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Considertions, The roots and seeds are poisonous.
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Wildlife, Birds eat the berries.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, disturbed areas.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Attracts bees including Augochlora pura, Augochloropsis metallica, A. sumptuosa, Dialictus miniatulus, D. nymphalis, D. p
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Elegant
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Attractive dark green leaves
- Available single or multi-stalked
- Attracts butterflies and bees
Bletia purpurea
Retain if present in natural setting. Can be grown in a wildflower garden.
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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, Pine rocklands, swampy forests on stumps and logs just above high water levels, in humus.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
The flowers do not produce nectar but use food deception to attract various bees including Euglossa, Thygater and Melipona, a genus of
- Width often exceeds height
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Colorful older leaves
- Attractive contrast between flowers and foliage
