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

This plant is listed as Endangered in Florida where the southern limit of its range barely makes it into the state. Moist site garden though will tol , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Floodplains, moist deep woods, thickets. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Attracts bees.

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.

All bellworts that occur in Florida are rare. Please do not transplant from the wild unless there is imminent danger of site destruction (permits may , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Slope forest, bluffs, river swamps. Rare. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

There is potential name confusion with this species since it was formerly considered to be a subspecies of O. hirtellus (Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. s , 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, Unfortunately, this low growing grass is not visible during winter-spring, so its use is somewhat restricted to areas where this is not an issue. , Habitat, Moist sites. Shade. Moist hammocks. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for Carolina satyr (Hermeuptychia sosbius) butterfliy (IRC)

This plant is believed to be extirpated in the wild in Florida.  According to most sources, it was known from a single area south of Miami near Biscay , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without i , Habitat, Coastal areas. Dunes and limerock and said to like hollows near mangroves. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Nectar attracts  butterflies.

Sometimes difficult to establish in new areas, but definitely worth the effort. Wildflower garden, meadow. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Reported to attract hummingbirds. , Habitat, Sandhill, clayhill, scrub, ruderal , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies, bees, other insects. Larval host to the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) a

Two color morphs, green and silver. Since it often occurs along the upland margin of mangrove swamps, it is sometimes referred to as the 4th Florida m , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, The seeds are primarily dispersed by water. , Habitat, Upper edges of mangrove swamps and on lower parts of dunes. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Nectar source and larval host plant for martial scrub hairstreak (Strymon martialis) and

The range of this species includes much of eastern North America up into southern Canada.  Its occurrence in Florida is sparse with appropriate substr , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Benefits from periodic removal of old fronds. , Habitat, Rocky hammocks and upper margins of swamps. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Dry meadows. Wildflower gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Sandhill, scrubby flatwoods, mesic flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many butterflies (NSIS), bees and other pollinators.  One documented bee is Halictus ligatus (Deyrup et al. 2002).

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.

Closely related plants occur in the Caribbean and Central America. Yellow or orange flowering plants are not the Florida native. In recent years plant , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This species is cold sensitive and will die back if it freezes. Usually resprouts from the base. There are recent observations of the plant in north F , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the fruits and disperse seeds. Hummingbirds come for nectar , Habitat, Dry sites. Coastal forests, upland forests, hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for the pluto sphinx moth Butterflies, noted for attracting zebrawing  Attracts long-tongued bee