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Thalia geniculata
Used for wetland restoration. Attractive for planting in surface water management ponds.
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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, Dies back in the winter.
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Wildlife, Provides hiding areas for water birds some of which hide their nests in patches of this tall plant.
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Habitat, Marshes, swamps, roadside ditches. Usually in areas with relatively high nutrients and relatively high light. Rarely under a dense canopy.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Host plant for Brazilian Skipper (Calpodes ethlius).
Single gray eggs are laid on the leaves. After emerging, Br
- Requires shade when young
- Pyramidal crown
- Requires ample space and light
- Wonderfully fragrant flowers
- Unique, sweet almond flavor
- Does best with periodic fertalization
Ilex opaca
Both male and female plants required for pollination and seed set.
Specimen tree. Screen.
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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, Sharp spines (teeth) on leaves.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds.
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Habitat, Upland woods, second bottom but will not tolerate long flooding. Often an understory plant.
Documented in Lee County in a site likely to be natural.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Does best in warmer areas of South Florida
- Moderately slow growth
Asclepias perennis
Small specimen plant in wet areas. Does well in bog gardens and rain gardens or bioswales.
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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, Toxic.
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Habitat, Marshes, swamps
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host to the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus), and soldier butterfly, (Danaus eresimus).
A
- Relatively uncommon in South Florida
- Can be trimmed into manicured shapes
- Beautiful pinwheel flowers, often multicolored
- Ideal with Mediterranean architecture
- Wide umbrella-shaped canopy
Taxodium distichum
Younger specimens have a conical shape, but older trees tend to flatten out at the top. In some areas, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea)has strangled ma
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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, Can produce knees, even if grown in uplands.
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Wildlife, Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds.
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Habitat, Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be assoc
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance
Larval host for baldcypress sphinx (Isoparce cupressi) moth.
- Not as popular as it once was
- Very full crown
- Often draped with Spanish moss
- Iconic symbol of the south
Seymeria spp.
They are included here because they are valuable to insects and because they are lovely and good to have in a native garden if you are lucky enough to
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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, Both species are hemi-parasitic (semi-parasitic) and difficult to grow without appropriate host plants.
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Habitat, Open upland woods and disturbed edges.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Larval host for black buckeye.
Attracts insects.
- Compact size
- Does best in cooler areas of South Florida
- Colorful new leafs
- Tropical silhouette
- Excellent small to medium hedge
Pithecellobium unguis-cati
Specimen shrub. Thorniness makes it a good property edge hedge.
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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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Considertions, Spiny
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Wildlife, Birds eat the fruits (and the red&black arils).
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Habitat, Dry coastal hammocks and shell mounds.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns
Larval host for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius theonus), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), and Miami blue (Cyclargus th
- Ringed trunk
- Striking silhouette
- Drought tolerant
- Slender trunk, 4" in diameter
- Flowers year round
Eryngium aquaticum
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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Habitat, Wet prairie, wet pine flatwoods, fresh to brackish marshes, bogs, ditches, swamps. Especially in areas where limestone is close to the surface.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts many pollinators; is especially important for native bees.
- Rapid growth
- Stout, swollen trunk
- Will not tolerate frost
Vaccinium stamineum
Specimen shrub. Fine foliage. Does well adjacent to structures or woods.
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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, Requires acid soil.
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Wildlife, Attracts many pollinators--is important to native bees.
Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Upland mixed forests, sandhill, flatwoods, scrub.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
- Slow Growth
- Excellent small hedge
- Abundance of orange-red flowers in summer
- Showy creamy white flowers
Symphyotrichum concolor
Benefits from controlled burns. There are contradictions in herbarium databases, and reliable observations in counties where there are no herbarium sp
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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, Used as browse by deer to the extent that in some states, browsing is an issue.
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Habitat, Dry, sandy
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar plant for many butterfly species but also visited by other native insect pollinators.
- Tiered branches
- Wind tolerant
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Massive stature
- Width often exceeds height
- Slender and elegant
Illicium floridanum
The distribution mimics the distribution of steepheads, a stream/valley system that originates in a very steep-headed ravine where the water seeps out
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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, Slope forest, floodplain forest, hydric hammocks, seep stream (banks), steepheads.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
Pollinated by a variety of insects, especially native flies and beetles.
- Attractive and unique swollen trunk
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Massive, nutrient-dense edible fruit
- Attracts butterflies
- Requires high humidity
Stachys floridana
The tuber of this plant is edible and very crisp; it adds texture to salads. The tuber has a segmented appearance reminiscent of a rattlesnake tail.
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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, Quite aggressive in the landscape and difficult to get rid of because of its deep tubers.
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Habitat, Moist-wet disturbed sites. Flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees and butterflies.
- Colorful older leaves
- Slender trunk, 4" in diameter
- Self-shedding fronds
- Intoxicating fragrance
Forestiera segregata
Hedges, screens.
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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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Considertions, Reseeds.
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Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit and use the privet for cover. Especially important for songbirds because the fruits mature before most oth
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Habitat, Dry sites. Coastal hammocks, coastal scrub, thickets.
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Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance
Pollinated by bees.
- Formal appearance
- Classic Southern tree
- Unique flowers, with petals like banana peels
