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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
Gaillardia pulchella
It is difficult to know the native range of this plant in Florida as it has been widely planted on roadsides across much of the state at least since t
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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, A series of studies in the last 10 years are suggesting that Gaillardia pulchella is likely not native to Florida. It is widely grown and naturaliz
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Wildlife, Birds that eat the seeds include chickadees, titmice, and warblers.
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Habitat, Dry sites, often near the coast.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts many pollinators including native bees, honeybees, butterflies, butterflies and wasps.
- Attractive silver-gray foliage
- Tiered branches
- Showy red berries
- Native
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
Quercus austrina
Relatively small for an oak. Use as specimen tree or in a grove.
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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, squirrels, racoons, deer and other wildlife eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Well drained bottomlands and bluffs.
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Did You Know?, Larval host for brown duskywing butterfly (Erynnis horatius), and gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).
- Damaged by citrus canker
- Uncommon edible fruit
- Rapid growth
- Unique foliage and silhouette
- Very fast growth rate
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
Hypericum tetrapetalum
Moist wildflower garden.
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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, Foliage and seeds are food source for birds and mammals.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhill, ruderal areas.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts pollinators, especially bees. Documented bees include Augochlorella aurata, Dialictzcs coreopsis and D. lniniatulus (Deyrup et
- Produces aromatic flowers year-round
- Prominant olive crownshaft, slightly buldging
- Smaller stature
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
Colubrina arborescens
Listed as endangered in Florida. Please acquire from appropriate sources.
Large tree or small shrub. Buffer planting or specimen tree.
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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, Seeds. Can become a weed.
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Wildlife, Birds and other small wildlife consume seed.
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Habitat, Rockland hammocks and understory of pine rocklands.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Pollinated by bees (http://tropical.theferns.info/).
- Native
- Narrow canopy
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Lush, dense shade tree
Helianthus carnosus
This species is rare and listed as endangered by the State of Florida. It is endemic to several counties along the northeast coast of Florida. Please
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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, Wet flatwoods, savannas, roadside ditches.
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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
- Striking and exotic
- Grows tall, but not massive
- Uncommon edible fruit
- Showy red berries
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
Clusia rosea
This Florida native has been introduced into Hawaii where it is extremely invasive. In fact, it has earned the distinction of being listed in the Glob
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Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges.
High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt
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Considertions, Easily spread by birds so it can become somewhat of a pest.
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Wildlife, Dense foliage creates cover for birds and other wildlife (https://www.plantcreations.com/).
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Habitat, Cultivated. According to Wunderlin (1998), probably native, but may not exist outside of cultivation today. Xeric and dry mesic hammocks, scrub.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Can produce seed without pollination.
- Showy fall color
- Showy creamy white flowers
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Width often exceeds height
- Wonderfully fragrant at night
- Dark green leaves
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
