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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
Symphyotrichum dumosum
Wildflower garden, meadow.
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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, Sandhills, flatwoods, pine-oak-hickory woods, floodplains, secondary woods, cutthroat seep.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts pollinators, especially native bees.
Larval host plant for pearl crescent (Phyciodes tharos) butterflies.
- Not a true pine
- Will not tolerate frost
- Massive, nutrient-dense edible fruit
Asclepias tuberosa
Sometimes difficult to establish in new areas, but definitely worth the effort.
Wildflower garden, meadow.
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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, Reported to attract hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Sandhill, clayhill, scrub, ruderal
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts butterflies, bees, other insects.
Larval host to the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) a
- Pineapple-like showy fruits (female plants)
- Retains leaves until just before blooming
- Long emerald crownshaft
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Beautiful purple-brown crownshaft
- Attracts butterflies
Iris verna var. smalliana
Noted for fragrance.
Casual shade garden. It spreads, so eventually acts as a groundcover.
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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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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees, esp. bumblebees.
- Stunning
- Wonderfully fragrant, carries a great distance
- Arched, recurving fronds
- Colorful older leaves
- Slow Growth
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
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)
Crataegus michauxii
Not much information is available on growing this species. Likely to be somewhat difficult to establish but very durable once established.
Specimen p
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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, Attracts pollinators, especially important for native bees. Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit. Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hem
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Habitat, Dry, sandy, well-drained sites including scrub and sandhill.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
- Not recommended
- Readily pruned into attractive shapes
- Showy creamy white flowers
- Killed by citrus greening (HLB)
- Majestic, sprawling canopy
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
Oxydendrum arboreum
Specimen tree. Red to yellow in the fall.
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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, Steep stream banks and ridges, hammocks, bluffs.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
Attracts bees and other pollinators.
- Prized scent, used in commercial perfumes
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Unique, fern-like leaves
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
Eugenia foetida
Used as a foundation or hedge plant. Large shrub to small tree. Can also be used as a specimen plant.
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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
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. Provides good cover.
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Habitat, Coastal hammocks, hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Attracts pollinators.
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Produces aromatic flowers year-round
- Somewhat salt tolerant
- Tall and stately
- Pyramidal crown
- Bright red fruits
Vachellia farnesiana
Although drought-tolerant, this shrub/small tree may benefit from a few deep, thorough soakings during extremely dry periods. When young, it tends to
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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, Thorns on trunks and branches. Place where flowers and fragrance can be enjoyed, but away from walkways. Can suffer from root rot if too wet.
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Wildlife, The thorny branches make good cover for birds and other wildlife. Fruits are not generally valued. Attracts pollinators.
There are 2 subspecies, V. fa
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Habitat, Coastal uplands, ruderal, shell middens
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns
Attracts pollinators and uses ants both for protection against unwanted insects.
- Briefly bare for about a month in the winter
- Very rare
- Prominant olive crownshaft
- Grows tall, but not massive
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
- Intoxicating fragrance
