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Bidens alba
Many of us think of this is a weed that we allow to grow for its value to insects.
Casual settings, especially toward the rear of wildflower gardens
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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, Once you have this plant, you will always have this plant. It can be quite weedy. The seeds have barbs which stick to clothing and pet fur.
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Habitat, Ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts native bees, butterflies.
Larval host for the dainty sulphur (Nathalis iole) butterfly.
- Moderately salt tolerant
- Relatively uncommon in South Florida
- Attractive blue-green to silver leaflets
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
Prunus angustifolia
If a single plant of similar stature and flowers is desired, consider flatwoods plum, Prunus umbellatus.
Based on BONAP and ISB maps, the range of thi
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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, Spreads by underground stems forming clumps small thickets. Individual trees are fairly short-lived but the thicket is long-lived. When short-shoots d
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Wildlife, Birds, squirrels and other animals eat the fruit.
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Habitat, Woodland edges, fencerows, open woods. Also cultivated.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Flowers attract bees. Documented bee visitors include Dialictus placideizsis, Hylaeus conflzeizs, Euylaezcs pectoralis a
- Majestic, sprawling canopy
- Narrow enough for tight spaces
- Slow Growth
Crataegus crus-galli
Small specimen tree. Slow growing. Hedge.
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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, Thorns of up to 3 inches long from branches and trunk.
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.
Browsed by deer and rabbits.
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Habitat, Open woods, upland woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hemaris thysbe), striped hairstreak butterfly(Satyrium liparops), and blinded
- Retains leaves until just before blooming
- Slender profile
- Damaged by citrus canker
- Unique fluffy fronds
Symphyotrichum elliottii
Moist wildflower garden. Wetland garden. Plant in full sun and give it plenty of room and plant behind shorter plants.
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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, Clonal--it aggressively sends out suckers. If grown in shady areas, it tends to fall over.
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Habitat, Swamps, brackish and freshwater marshes. Wet flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts butterflies, bees and other pollinators
- Elegant and stately
- Requires shade when young
- Excellent choice for narrow spaces
- Imposing stature
- Stunning colorful foliage
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
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
Drypetes lateriflora
It is listed as Threatened by the state of Florida.
Naturalistic landscapes.
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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, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit.
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Habitat, Relatively dry hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Interesting bark
Larval host plant for Florida white (Appias drusilla) butterfly.
- Unique flowers, with petals like banana peels
- Unique swollen blue-green to silver trunk
- Easy/Carefree native
Celtis occidentalis
Further north, this can be a moderately large tree.
Not typically grown but worth retaining if present as an understory tree.
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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, Has a shallow root system that may prevent plants from growing under it.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by a number of birds and small mammals.
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Did You Know?, Larval host for hackberry emperor (Asterocampa celtis), and mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) butterflies. Sole larval host plant for American snout
- Attractive variegated foliage
- Elegant
- Cold tolerant
- Fast growth
Chrysopsis gossypina
Three subspecies occur in Florida. The subspecies ranges somewhat overlap. Subspecies cruiseana is listed as Endangered by the State of Florida.
In
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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, Becomes less than attractive after flowering.
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Wildlife, Primarily wind dispersed, but small birds consume seed.
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Habitat, Scrub, sandhills.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Butterflies and bees including green metallic, sweat, leafcutter, bumble and mining bees (Florida Wildflower Foundation).
- Clusters of tubular flowers
- Wonderfully fragrant
- Showy red berries
- Easy/Carefree native
- Swollen, succulent branches
- Prominant olive crownshaft
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
Hibiscus aculeatus
Tolerates winter flooding.
This is a wetland plant. It is rarely grown, but it has potential in appropriate sites.
Wet wildflower garden. For appeara
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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, Moist sites. Hydric and mesic pine flatwoods, edges of sloughs, savannas, bogs, ditches.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host of Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady Butterfly, Common Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper butterflies and four
- Can be trimmed into manicured shapes
- Unusually shaped, asymmetrical tree
- Fragrant clusters of flowers in fall
- Cold tolerant
- Wide umbrella-shaped canopy
- Not recommended
