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Hymenocallis palmeri
This is one of Florida's more widespread spiderlilies. It is sometimes seen in roadside ditches. It is feasible to transplant this species if a plant
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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, Open wet flatwoods, marl prairies and savannas, moist but not flooded roadside swales.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Moth-pollinated, especially sphinx moths.
- Cold tolerant
- Elegant
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
- Attractive light to medium green crownshaft
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
Gonolobus suberosus
Natural areas with some trees and vines for support
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Tolerance, Unknown
Unknown
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Habitat, Mesic forests
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Did You Know?, Larvel host for monarch and queen butterflies
Pollinated by flies
- Killed by citrus greening (HLB)
- Pyramidal crown
- Requires high humidity
- Easy/Carefree
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
Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum
Edible, very hot fruits
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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 (especially mockingbirds) eat the green, un-ripened peppers.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits
Attracts bees.
- Pineapple-like showy fruits (female plants)
- Bright red fruits
- Does poorly in very wet soil
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
Prunus serotina
The range of Prunus serotina includes most of eastern North America as far north as southern Canada. It extends west into Texas and there are spotty
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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, Leaves and twigs are highly poisonous to livestock, pets and humans.
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Wildlife, Birds and other animals eat the fruits. Birds are the primary disperser into old fields and hedge rows.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Upland mixed forest, upland hardwood forest, secondary woods, old fields, sandhill, ruderal areas.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers
Bees are pollinators.
Larval host for tiger swallowtail.
- Very slow growth
- Attracts butterflies and bees
- Formal appearance
- Breathtaking and memorable
- Dense attractive foliage
Reynosia septentrionalis
Wood is dense (hard).
Listed as Threatened by the FDACS.
Screen plant. Specimen shrub or small tree -- you can choose based on how you opt to prune (
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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, Cover and food primarily for birds.
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Habitat, Coastal hammocks.
- Prefers acidic soil
- Requires high humidity
- Magnificent
- Stunning and colorful while in bloom
- Unusual deep green leaves with bronze underside
- Striking silhouette
Tripsacum floridanum
Grows well well north of its native range. Documented in very southern counties with an outlier in Martin County -- that outlier is also unique in th
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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 get messy after cold spells.
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Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by birds. Provides cover for lizzards and other small animals.
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Habitat, Pine rockland. Also cultivated. Dry sites.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Larval host for Byssus Skipper (Problema byssus).
- Susceptible to breakage, even in moderate winds
- Highly wind tolerant
- Symmetrical shape
- Sometime grows horozontially
- Elegant appearance
Penstemon laevigatus
Informal shady semi-shady 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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Habitat, Moist hardwood forests
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees, butterflies.
Larval host for common buckeye (Junonia coenia).
- Prominent blue-gray crownshaft
- Prized scent, used in commercial perfumes
- Prominant gray-olive crownshaft
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
Sambucus nigra subsp. canadensis
Used extensively in Indian cultures. Fruits are very high in Vitamin C.
Casual settings, wetland edge or screen plant. Rain gardens and bioswales. Lo
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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, Many would consider this plant weedy: it does self seed and spread via rhizomes. It's wood is weak; stems break easily. Use where these characteristic
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Wildlife, Fruits popular with birds.
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Habitat, Disturbed wetland edges, wet roadsides, etc.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Flowers attract many pollinators.
- Damaged by citrus canker
- Recently classified invasive
- Very showy bright yellow flowers
- Relatively compact and narrow canopy
- Requires ample space and light
Euphorbia heterophylla
The author treats this as a friendly weed. Pull them if where there is something more desirable.
Back of a wildflower garden in a casual setting. Gro
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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, Reseeds overly enthusiastically and may become weedy as the year progresses.
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Habitat, Ruderal, disturbed hammocks.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage
- Classic Southern tree
- Rare and unique
- Silvery blue-green fronds
