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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.
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- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Christmas tree shape
- Massive, nutrient-dense edible fruit
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.
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- Swollen, succulent branches
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Readily pruned into attractive shapes
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Mostly bare in the coldest months
Cornus alternifolia
Small specimen tree. Can also work as an understory tree.
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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 small mammals consume the fruit.
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Habitat, Slope forest, upland hardwood forest. Bluffs, creek forests.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Larval host for cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia) and spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon).
- Smaller stature
- Imposing stature
- Does best with periodic fertalization
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Not a true pine
Ulmus americana
This tree is subject to Dutch elm disease. Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS 2008). In most of eastern North America, this tree
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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, While Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS, 2018), the planting practices that result in massive losses of street trees north of F
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Wildlife, Seeds used by birds in spring when little else is available.
Used for nesting.
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Habitat, Floodplain forest, wet mesic forests, hardwood swamps.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage
Larval host for: Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma), Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), Painted Lady (Vanessa ca
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Very full crown
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
Physocarpus opulifolius
This plant is rare in Florida. It is much more common further north where it is absolutely spectacular in early spring.
Specimen plant. It can be pru
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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, Seep stream (banks). Further north, it also occurs along lake edges.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Mining bees are known to be frequent pollinators of ninebark flowers. Both short and long-tongu
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Tolerance
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Habitat
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Did You Know?
- Completely bare in winter
- Edible, healthy fruit
- Unusually shaped, asymmetrical tree
- Requires ample space and light
- Striking silhouette
- Unique flowers, with petals like banana peels
Coreopsis major
Leaves are whorled at intervals around the stem.
Wildflower garden, butterfly garden or meadow. Stems spread but not aggressive.
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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, Sandhill.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts insects, especially bees and butterflies.
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Tolerance
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Habitat
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Did You Know?
- Christmas tree shape
- Unique, sweet, almond-like flavor
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Ringed trunk
Ostrya virginiana
The wood is noted as being very strong, hence the common name "ironwood"
Does not do well much south of its natural range.
Small specimen tree. Also
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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, Seeds are not popular with most birds, but it provides good cover.
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Habitat, Dry-mesic deciduous woods. Hammocks, bluff microsites.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Hurricane wind resistance
- Falls over easily, may require staking
- Produces aromatic flowers year-round
- Elegant and compact
- Massive stature when mature
- Attractive light to medium green crownshaft
Castanea pumila
While it is related to chestnuts, its not generally subject to chestnut blight, and if it gets it, will likely recover.
Natural settings as a small s
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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, Burr-covered nuts can cause a problem in residential landscapes.
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Wildlife, Nuts are consumed by birds and other wildlife.
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Habitat, Dry, open sandy woods, hammock edges, sandy roadsides, fence rows in sandy fields, dry bluffs, pine-oak-hickory woods, floodplains, calcareous river h
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Fall color, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Larval host for orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria) which can cause signi
- Unusual deep green leaves with bronze underside
- Can be kept narrow
- Healthy edible fruit
- Uncommon
- Available single or multi-stalked
Sabatia decandra
Not generally planted. Likey best saved if present or otherwise enjoyed in the wild.
Wildflower in moist areas.
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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, Wet flatwoods, bogs, cypress swamps, ruderal areas, wet prairie, margins of ponds.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Likely pollinated by bees.
- Formal appearance
- Ringed trunk
- Majestic, sprawling canopy
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
Quercus michauxii
Shade tree. While native to moist sites, this oak does well in moderately dry areas as well. Makes a good street tree and can be used in parking lot i
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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 prized by squirrels, deer, turkey and other wildlife.
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Habitat, Mesic sites near swamp edges and second bottoms of floodplains. May occur in uplands on shallow soils over limestone.
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Did You Know?, Larval food for brown duskywing butterfly (Erynnis horatius), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).
- Symmetrical shape
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Unique, sweet, almond-like flavor
Taxodium distichum
Younger specimens have a conical shape, but older trees tend to flatten out at the top. In some areas, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea)has strangled ma
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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, Can produce knees, even if grown in uplands.
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Wildlife, Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds.
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Habitat, Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be assoc
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for baldcypress sphinx (Isoparce cupressi) moth.
- Not as popular as it once was
- Very full crown
- Often draped with Spanish moss
- Iconic symbol of the south
Cardiospermum corindum
Blooms all year. Recruits readily in the garden from seed.
Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gard
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray.
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Wildlife, Larval host plant for Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and silver-banded hairstreak (Chlorostrymon simaethis) butterflies; occasional larval host for th
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Habitat, Coastal hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Larval host plant for Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and silver-banded hairstreak (Chlorostrymon sim
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Beautiful rounded dense canopy
- Flowers profusely year round
