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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
Bidens laevis
Depending on the weather, this may be either an annual or perennial in Florida.
Informal gardens in wet sites.
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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 fruits stick to pant legs and animal fur leading to moniker beggarticks. Generally no an issue in the wetland sites where this will grow.
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Habitat, Swamps, river edget
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts native bees and butterflies
- Tall and romantic
- Fruit attracts wildlife
- Striking symmetrical appearance
- Unique and prized
- Beloved in South Florida
- Grows tall, but not massive
Amorpha fruticosa
Multistemmed shrub that can form small thickets. Plant as a screen, hedge, or background plant.
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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, Can become aggressive in some habitats.
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Habitat, Moist hammocks, dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreu
- Requires shade when young
- Colorful older leaves
- Symmetrical shape
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
Lantana depressa var. depressa
This is a rare South Florida native that has entered the nursery trade. A major concern is hybridization with Lantana strigocamara, a multicolored inv
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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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Wildlife, Birds eat the fruits and spread the seeds.
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Habitat, Pine rockland. On limestone. Vacant lots.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
May be pollinated by butterflies during the day and by moths at night (Osorio 2012). Also visited by bees.
- Forms an open canopy
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Attractive mottled bark
- Narrow canopy
- Beautiful rounded dense canopy
- Wonderfully fragrant, carries a great distance
Saururus cernuus
Both the common and scientific genus names refer to the lizard-like shape of the drooping flower head.
This is a wetland plant. It can form dense pat
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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, Eaten by wood ducks and other foraging birds.
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Habitat, Shallow water of streams, swamps, wet forests, ditches.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Nectar plant for hairstreaks and other insects esp. bees and flies, but apparently mostly wind p
- Fragrant in the evening
- Tall and romantic
- Pyramidal crown
Lygodesmia aphylla
The short lived bloom opens before sunrise and is most beautiful from just before dawn till about mid-morning when it fully opens. By night fall it wi
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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, Dry sandy soils, flatwoods, pine barrens, sandhill, scrub, and disturbed areas
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attract a wide variety of insect pollinators. One documented bee pollinator is Augochlorella aurata (Deyrup et al. 2002).
- Very showy bright yellow flowers
- Attractive contrast between flowers and foliage
- Wonderfully fragrant at night
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
Helianthus agrestis
This is Florida's only native annual sunflower. The Bradford County location is near both a major road and a railroad and may be a waif.
Moist wildf
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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 eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Pinelands, savannas, ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Primarily pollinated by bees. The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) is a goldenrod pol
- Showy reddish peeling bark
- Very showy clusters of red flowers
- Grows tall, but not massive
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
Persea palustris
This species and other members of the Lauraceae are being attacked by a serious, fatal disease. Do not plant this plant unless you are absolutely sure
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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, Do not move deadwood. It will spread the disease.
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Wildlife, Seed eaten and dispersed by birds.
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Habitat, Shallow areas in swamps, hydric savannas, seep slopes including cutthroat seeps, wet flatwoods, sloughs.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance
Larval host plant for palamedes swallowtail (Papilio palamedes) and spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterflies.
Attracts be
- Unusually shaped, asymmetrical tree
- Symmetrical shape
- Not a true pine
Telmatoblechnum serrulatum
This is one of the most common ferns in central-southern Florida and potentially one of the most beautiful.
Ground cover for moist, shady sites. 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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Considertions, Will spread unless contained by physical or environmental limits. Periodic removal of old fronds is recommended.
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Habitat, Marshes, swamps
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Unique swollen blue-green to silver trunk
- Requires high humidity
- Tropical silhouette
- Unique foliage
- Beautiful purple-brown crownshaft
- Moderately drought tolerant
