Used for wetland restoration. Attractive for planting in surface water management ponds. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Dies back in the winter. , Wildlife, Provides hiding areas for water birds some of which hide their nests in patches of this tall plant. , Habitat, Marshes, swamps, roadside ditches. Usually in areas with relatively high nutrients and relatively high light. Rarely under a dense canopy. , 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

Both male and female plants required for pollination and seed set. Specimen tree.  Screen. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sharp spines (teeth) on leaves. , Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds. , 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. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Bees pollinate flowers.

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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can produce knees, even if grown in uplands. , Wildlife, Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be assoc , Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for baldcypress sphinx (Isoparce cupressi) moth.

This plant is considered to be Threatened in Florida. Please preserve in the landscape and acquire new plants in an environmentally sound manner (seed , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon ( , Wildlife, Wildlife food and shelter. , Habitat, Coastal scrub, hammocks, pine rocklands, coastal flats. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage

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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Both species are hemi-parasitic (semi-parasitic) and difficult to grow without appropriate host plants. , Habitat, Open upland woods and disturbed edges. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for  black buckeye. Attracts insects.

Can be used as an accent plant or grown in the mid-rear of the garden. Also suitable in wildflower gardens. Its broad tolerance of soil and moisture c , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, The coarse foliage and prickly balls of flowers are not popular as a source of food with mammalian herbivores, although they may nibble off the ends o , Habitat, Moist-moist-wet sites. Cutthroat seeps, savannas, wet flatwoods, wet prairie, coastal flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Attracts many kinds of insects, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butte

Specimen shrub.  Thorniness makes it a good property edge hedge. , 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 , Considertions, Spiny , Wildlife, Birds eat the fruits (and the red&black arils). , Habitat, Dry coastal hammocks and shell mounds. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns Larval host  for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius theonus), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), and Miami blue (Cyclargus th

Moist wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Wet prairie, wet pine flatwoods, fresh to brackish marshes, bogs, ditches, swamps. Especially in areas where limestone is close to the surface. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many pollinators; is especially important for native bees.

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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can get messy after cold spells. , Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by birds.  Provides cover for lizzards and other small animals. , Habitat, Pine rockland. Also cultivated. Dry sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for Byssus Skipper (Problema byssus).

In a managed garden, gamagrass can be trimmed back at the end of winter. Hedge, foundation planting, individual large grass clump, background screen , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Can die back and become messy during cold winters, but new growth covers it in the spring. , Wildlife, Even when trimmed occasionally, Gama Grass will provide cover for small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Deer eat the seeds. , Habitat, Wet bogs, roadsides, ditches, wet hammocks, river banks, low thickets, pine woods, open swamps, open habitats, flatwoods, sandhill, scrub. Also culti , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for three-spotted skipper (Cymaenes tripunctus), clouded skipper (Lerema accius) and Byssusskipper (Problema

Informal shady semi-shady gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Moist hardwood forests , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees, butterflies.  Larval host for common buckeye (Junonia coenia).

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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Reseeds overly enthusiastically and may become weedy as the year progresses. , Habitat, Ruderal, disturbed hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage