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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
Ilex ambigua
Plant as a small understory tree. Good as a general background plant that is appropriate to wildlife.
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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, It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females.
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Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals.
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Habitat, Dry hammocks, sandhills, scrub, dunes.
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Did You Know?, Showy fruits
Bees pollinate flowers.
- Moderately slow growth
- Attractive flowers, typically deep orange
- Critically endangered
- Stunning
Aralia spinosa
FNPS Blog article
Specimen plant or background 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, When its huge triply compound leaves are shed in the fall, only the main thorny stem is left standing through the winter months--hence the name devil'
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Wildlife, Birds and small mammals consume the fruit. Birds include nuthatches, orioles, chickadees, titmice, and warblers.
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Habitat, The edges of dry hammocks and dry hardwood forests.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Thorns
Attracts butterflies and bees. Documented bee species include Colletes mandibularis, Hylaeus confluens, Augochlo
- Slow Growth
- Wonderfully fragrant at night
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Symmetrical shape
- Narrow enough for tight spaces
- Fragrant clusters of flowers in fall
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
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
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
Vernonia gigantea
The genus name honors the English botanist William Vernon, who did fieldwork in North America.
Back of a moist wildflower garden. Can also use on the
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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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Habitat, Exposed sand and gravel bars of streams during low water, stream banks, hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods. Rich soils. Ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar attracts butterflies and native beens.
Larval host for spring azure butterfly.
- Colorful new leafs
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
- Beautiful rounded dense canopy
Quercus phellos
The range of this tree barely makes it into north Florida. It is much more common in the remainder of the southeast.
Shade tree. The root system is f
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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, Fallen/falling acorns may be an issue.
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Wildlife, Acorns are eaten by woodpeckers, songbirds, ducks, small mammals, wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, quail and black bears
Provides cover and nesting ar
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Habitat, Floodplains, hardwood swamp borders.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Hurricane wind resistance
Host plant for the banded hairstreak, Edward's hairstreak, gray hairstreak, white-M hairstreak, Horace's duskyw
- Beautiful rounded canopy
- Lush, dense shade tree
- Excellent small hedge
- Symmetrical shape
Aristida stricta
Typically not used in landscape settings. However, if appropriate management can be provided (fire), then seed-bearing plants have considerable landsc
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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 birds consume seeds.
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Habitat, Open seepage areas, forested seepage areas, flatwoods, sandhill, clayhill, scrub, coastal uplands
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Wind pollinated.
- Adequate fertalization required
- Clusters of tubular flowers
- Easily trimmed to maintain desired size
- Excellent small to medium hedge
