Flowers open white and rapidly turn pink. Use as a specimen plant. Can also be used as a hedge. , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure t , Wildlife, Attracts birds , Habitat, Dry sites. Coastal hammocks. Disturbed sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts various pollinators. Larval host for Florida white (Appias drusilla) butterfli

Foliage when crushed smells like citrus. This small tree has an elegant appearance that makes it suited to use as a specimen plant. The glossy evergr , 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 , Considertions, Potentially subject to laurel wilt disease. , Wildlife, Wildlife food plant. , Habitat, Tropical hammocks. This is naturally an understory tree and also as a colonizer of disturbed sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Insect pollinated.  Said to be a good honey plant (Haehle and  Brookwell 1999).

Both the common and scientific genus names refer to the lizard-like shape of the drooping flower head. This is a wetland plant. It can form dense pat , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Eaten by wood ducks and other foraging birds. , Habitat, Shallow water of streams, swamps, wet forests, ditches. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Nectar plant for hairstreaks and other insects esp. bees and flies, but apparently mostly wind p

Don't confuse this native with the two highly invasive ardisias: coral ardisia (A. crentata) and shoebutton ardisia (A. elliptica). While this will gr , 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 , Considertions, Weak wood. , Wildlife, Birds eat the berries. , Habitat, Moist to dry hammocks , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Attracts Halictid bees.

Specimen plant or natural background screen. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Cover for birds and mammals. Deer browse the foliage. , Habitat, Moist sites. Acid soils. Upland hardwood forest, slope forest , banks of seep streams, bluffs. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Pollinated by bees.  Stamens will suddenly "snap" out of pockets in the petals and hit the insect with its load of

Wildflower garden especially in sunny moist areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Said to spread easily from seed to the extent that it can become hard to control. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. , Habitat, Moist flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many pollinators, especially important for native bees.

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.

This is a Florida endemic. Screen plant esp. for sunny, dry sites. Specimen plant where its shiny foliage will be appreciated. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Slow growing. , Wildlife, Larger birds and small mammals eat the fruit. , Habitat, Dry sites. Scrub, scrubby sandhill. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Bees and other pollinators.

Groundcover in coastal sandy areas. Useful for dune stabilization. , 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 , Habitat, Coastal dunes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Three species occur in Florida. Please plant your local variety. Wildflower garden where it is very showy in late summer/early fall. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Some birds and small mammals consume consume the seeds (https://flawildflowers.org/). , Habitat, Dry flatwoods, sandhill, scrub. This species can be seen at the Starkey Wilderness Preserve in Pasco County. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia). Attracts insects, especially bees.

Although drought-tolerant, this shrub/small tree may benefit from a few deep, thorough soakings during extremely dry periods. When young, it tends to , 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, Thorns on trunks and branches. Place where flowers and fragrance can be enjoyed, but away from walkways. Can suffer from root rot if too wet. , Wildlife, The thorny branches make good cover for birds and other wildlife. Fruits are not generally valued. Attracts pollinators. There are 2 subspecies, V. fa , Habitat, Coastal uplands, ruderal, shell middens , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Attracts pollinators and uses ants both for protection against unwanted insects.

Has shiny, stiff leaves 2.5 to 5 inches long. Often used as a hedge plant. Fast growing. Can also work as an individual specimen. A good choice for d , 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 , Wildlife, Dense foliage can be good bird nesting habitat.  Fruits are dispersed by wind. , Habitat, Dry sites near the coast. Hammocks and pinelands. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts pollinators.