Leaves have sharp spiny tips. Specimen plant. Low 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 , Considertions, The leaves have hard, sharp points. , Wildlife, Provides wildlife cover , Habitat, Dry sites. Scrub, scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host plant for cofaqui giant skipper (Megathymus cofaqui) and yucca giant skipper (Megathymus yuccae) butte

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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Burr-covered nuts can cause a problem in residential landscapes. , Wildlife, Nuts are consumed by birds and other wildlife. , Habitat, Dry, open sandy woods, hammock edges, sandy roadsides, fence rows in sandy fields, dry bluffs, pine-oak-hickory woods, floodplains, calcareous river h , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Fall color, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host for orange-tipped oakworm moth (Anisota senatoria) which can cause signi

Endemic.  This plant is listed as endangered by the State of Florida. Harvesting and transporting from the wild require landowner permission and may r , 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 , Considertions, Be careful to plant only your local verbenas.  Closely related verbenas hybridize, and you do not want to damage the genetics of the species found nat , Habitat, Back dunes, dunal swales, coastal hammocks. Sandy open areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar source for a variety of butterflies and moths, including Gulf fritillaries, hawkmoths and long-tailed skippers. Pollinated by mi

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)

While this tree has a limited native distribution in Florida, it also occurs as far west as Texas in similar types of settings. Shade tree. Can be us , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, While not known to occur in Florida, this species is potentially susceptible to  Dutch elm disease. , Wildlife, Seeds used by birds when little else is available. Used for nesting. , Habitat, Floodplain forest, hydric hammock, bottomland forest. On limestone. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval food for the Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis)

The range of this species barely makes it into north Florida but extends north to southern Canada. Shade tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Fallen/falling acorns can be a maintenance issue. , Wildlife, Acorns appreciated by squirrels, deer, turkey and other wildlife Used by birds for resting and nesting Larval host for gray hairstreak butterfly , Habitat, Mesic calcareous hammocks. , Did You Know?, Larval host for the white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).

In some parts of the world, this is an invasive species. In Florida, it is well behaved. Grow on a trellis or let climb a tree. Can also be used as a , 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 , Wildlife, Animals eat the fruits. , Habitat, Pinelands, hammocks, shell middens. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), Julia Heliconian (Dryas iulia) and Zebra Heliconian (Heliconius charitonius) butte

Grow as an emergent along pond or lake edges or in aquatic gardens. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit. , Habitat, Marshes, wetter portions of wet prairies, swamps, roadside ditches with marsh-like character. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Flowers attract pollinators.

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).

Flower color varies, which gives the plant a multi-hued array of flowers. Listed as Threatened in Florida Specimen plant where its showy, multi-color , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Good cover for birds, and birds and other wildlife enjoy the fruit. , Habitat, Pine rockland, rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for the Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus). Nectar plant for a variety of butterflies.

Blooms open late in the day and remain open through the night. Fragrant. Can be agrown as an anuual north of its native range.  Considered to be invas , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Extremely vigorous, may overtop other plants. Can be planted further north but should be treated as an annual. , Habitat, Disturbed wetland and lake edges, mangrove fringes. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Pollinated by moths.

Rarely grown but worthy of consideration for moist areas. Poisonous and nectar may be toxic to some insects. Grow on support or up a tree in moist ar , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, The flowers, leaves, and roots are poisonous and may be lethal to humans and livestock. The species nectar may also be toxic to honeybees if too much , Wildlife, Possibly used by hummingbirds, but toxins in the nectar may make it a last resort. , Habitat, Bogs, acidic swamps, wet river swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts bees.