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

Water gardens and pond edges.  Moist wildflower gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Humminbirds are attracted to the nectar. , Habitat, Wet prairie, wet savannas, pond edges. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Generally pollinated by bumblebees.  Other long tongued bees, hummingbirds and the occasional butterfly sip nectar from the flowers (Ne

Can be pruned either as a small tree or a large shrub. Can also be used as a hedge. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Thorns. , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and small mammals. Good cover plant. , Habitat, Moist hammocks. Rare. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Thorns Native bees love the flowers.

Both male and female plants required for pollination and seed set. Specimen tree.  Screen. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sharp spines (teeth) on leaves. , Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds. , 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. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Bees pollinate flowers.

This is a rare species in Florida. Retain it if present. Shade tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Squirrels, racoons, deer and other animals eat the acorns. , Habitat, Upland pine forest, pine-oak-hickory woods, bayheads. Slopes. , Did You Know?, Larval host for the white-M hairstreak.

Tolerates winter flooding. This is a wetland plant. It is rarely grown, but it has potential in appropriate sites. Wet wildflower garden. For appeara , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Moist sites. Hydric and mesic pine flatwoods, edges of sloughs, savannas, bogs, ditches. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host of  Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady Butterfly, Common Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper butterflies and  four

Retain if present in natural setting. Can be grown in a wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Pine rocklands, swampy forests on stumps and logs just above high water levels, in humus. , 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

Two varieties exist, both occur in this area. Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods, dry flatwoods. Also known from some rockland areas in Miami-Dade County. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees. Documented bee visitors include  Agapostemon spleizdens, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis suinptuosa

Flowers tend to appear in spring or after a significant rainfall. Otherwise inconspicuous. Small wildflower or plant in with other low groundcovers. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Dome swamp, wet flatwoods, wet prairie. In ditches, wet pastures, roadsides. Often in burned areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators.

Restoration of savannas. Curiosity in the wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small birds consume seed. , Habitat, Cutthroat seeps, wet flatwoods, savannas. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits it is the larval host plant of arogos skipper (Atrytone arogos) butterflies.

Fragrant. Noted for its 3-parted glossy leaves. Can be used as as a specimen plant, screen, or possibly a hedge. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, The fruit is eaten by birds and small mammals. Also used for cover or nesting by birds. , Habitat, Coastal uplands , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host plant for Bahamian swallowtail (Heraclides andraemon), giant swallowtail (Papilio cre

This plant is easy to grow. Weak wood. Hedge plant, specimen plant, woodland plant. Plant where the silky brown/gold undersides of the foliage will b , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Plant where it will have space. While many specimens in natural scrub settings are slow growing, this plant can be a robust growing in the landscape. , Wildlife, Birds and other animals eat the fruit. , Habitat, Sandhill, scrub. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Thorns Nectar plant for butterflies. Attracts bees and flies.  A pollinator magnate. Watching insects swarm over my tough bully