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Rudbeckia spp.
Multiple species are native to Florida. Most are attractive and many are easy to grow. This is a catch-all for species not listed individually. Ple
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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, Small seed-eating birds pick out the seeds from the mature flower heads.
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Habitat, Vary by species. Mostly sandhills, bogs, roadsides, ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attract butterflies, bees and wasps.
- Long emerald crownshaft
- Can be grown indoors
- Somewhat drought tolerant
- Colorful new leafs
- No longer recommended
Rhus aromatica
Range barely reaches north Florida.
Specimen shrub, border, windbreak. This is a spreading, somewhat sprawling shrub.
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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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Wildlife, Provides nesting, roosting and loafing cover for a variety of songbirds and game birds.
Its fruit may not be the first choice of many kinds of wildlif
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Habitat, Dry, somewhat open woods.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Primarily pollinated by bees.
- Formal, old-world appearance
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Drought tolerant
Zanthoxylum clava-herculis
Wood is quite soft and weak. This author had one break in a storm. It did however resprout from low on the trunk and the sprout is now about 15 ft t
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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
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Considertions, Quite thorny.
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit.
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Habitat, Hammocks, wet woods, dunes, shell middens.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns
Larval host for giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Showy display of fruit
- Beautiful sweeping fronds with drooping leaflets
- Killed by citrus greening (HLB)
Diospyros virginiana
Persimmon wood is very hard and nearly black--it's in the ebony family.
Typically grown for its fruit. Plant in full sun. Also useful as an early suc
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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
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Considertions, Tent caterpillars can be an aesthetic issue and fruit drop can be messy. Persimmons are dioecious, so if you wish to have fruit, make sure that you ha
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Wildlife, Fruits are used by a broad array of small mammals and some birds.
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Habitat, Dry-moist-wet sites. Disturbed sites, wetland edges, old fields, sandhill.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for royal walnut moth (Citheronia regalis), pecan carpenterworm moth (Cossula magnifi
- Very showy clusters of red flowers
- Tall and romantic
- Formal appearance
- Dense, full crown
- Wonderfully fragrant
Spartina bakeri
Large clump-forming grass with uses as tall groundcover, specimen plant, or border plant. Nice along edges of ponds and water features.
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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
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Habitat, Wet prairie, edges of marshes, but mostly inland--rarely coastal.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Magnificent
- Adequate moisture required
- Requires protection from strong winds
- Beloved in South Florida
Lupinus diffusus
Given that this is short-lived (biennial) and difficult to transplant or grow from seed, this is perhaps best encouraged in places where it grows natu
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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, Hard to establish. Biennial, though may reseed.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Larval host for frosted elfin (Callophyris irus) butterfly, which is listed as Endangered in Flori
- Very full crown
- Attractive symmetrical appearance
- Majestic and graceful
Crinum americanum
This is a wetland plant, but it will do well once established in a moist garden setting.
Moist wildflower gardens. Easily grown along streams.
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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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Habitat, Riverine swamps, riverine marshes, open wet prairies.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers
Pollinated by sphinx moths. Larval host for Spanish moth a.k.a. convict caterpillar (Xanthopastis timais)
- Easily trimmed for smaller spaces
- Elegant
- Adequate fertalization required
- Tall and romantic
- Can be trimmed into manicured shapes
Magnolia virginiana
The silvery undersides of the leaves are striking.
Erroneously listed as a host for palamedes swallowtail butterflies. Palamedes swallowtails only fee
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray
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Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by woodpeckers, kingbirds, red-eyed vireos, mockingbirds, robins, thrushes, crows, cardinals, squirrels, mice among others.
Deer brows
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Habitat, Bay swamp, forested seep slopes, floodplains of small streams, low flatwoods where fire has been excluded.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host plant for Eastern tiger swallowtail (Pterou
- Briefly bare for about a month in the winter
- Attractive silver-gray foliage
- Heavy feeder
Vernonia gigantea
The genus name honors the English botanist William Vernon, who did fieldwork in North America.
Back of a moist wildflower garden. Can also use on the
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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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Habitat, Exposed sand and gravel bars of streams during low water, stream banks, hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods. Rich soils. Ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar attracts butterflies and native beens.
Larval host for spring azure butterfly.
- Colorful new leafs
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
- Beautiful rounded dense canopy
Helianthus debilis subsp. vestitus
Despite the appearance of the county-based range map, the actual range is limited to the coastal areas.
Wildflower garden. Groundcover.
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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
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Considertions, West and east coast beach sunflowers can hybridize, so it is best not to plant east coast beach sunflower withing the natural range of wet cost beach
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Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Beach dune. Disturbed areas near coast (ruderal)
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Primarily pollinated by bees.
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Extremely popular
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
