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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
Gaillardia pulchella
It is difficult to know the native range of this plant in Florida as it has been widely planted on roadsides across much of the state at least since t
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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, A series of studies in the last 10 years are suggesting that Gaillardia pulchella is likely not native to Florida. It is widely grown and naturaliz
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Wildlife, Birds that eat the seeds include chickadees, titmice, and warblers.
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Habitat, Dry sites, often near the coast.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts many pollinators including native bees, honeybees, butterflies, butterflies and wasps.
- Attractive silver-gray foliage
- Tiered branches
- Showy red berries
- Native
- Lovely dark green, shiny leaves
Quercus chapmanii
This is a small clonal oak that can be used in a thicket as a screen.
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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, Valued by the Florida scrub-jay for its acorns which are relatively low in tanins
Used by woodpeckers and wild turkey
Valued by squirrels, racoons and
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Habitat, Scrub, dunes, scrubby flatwoods, scrubby high pine.
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Did You Know?, Fall color
Larval host plant for Horace's duskywing Erynnis horatius), Juvenal's duskywing (Erynnis juvenalois), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cec
- Colorful fall foliage
- Stunning during brief late spring bloom
- Self-shedding fronds
- Prominant olive crownshaft, slightly buldging
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
Brickellia cordifolia
This is a rare plant. Please acquire responsibly (don't steal from the wild).
Not common in the nursery trade (we are aware of one North Florida nurs
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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 woodlands
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Especially attractive to butterflies.
- Attractive symmetrical appearance
- Beautiful rounded canopy
- Very rare
- Slender and elegant
- Easy/Carefree
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
Each stem has soft, fleshy green flanges running longitudinally down its length. When winter weather brings ice, the stems exude water that freezes in
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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 forest edges.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts native bees.
Nectar source for butterflies.
- Long-lived perennial
- Flowers year round
- Tall and stately
- Narrow crown
Marshallia graminifolia
Small wildflower in moist areas.
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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, Mesic to wet flatwoods, wet prairies, seep slopes, cutthroat seep, wet prairie, bogs.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees and butterflies.
- Killed by citrus greening (HLB)
- Wind tolerant
- Flowers profusely year round
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
- Pyramidal crown
- Narrow crown
Muhlenbergia capillaris
There are three subspecies included in this description. Together, they are found in all coastal counties of Florida and many inland ones. As a gras
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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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Wildlife, Muhly grass forms a low canopy that small animals can use for shelter and refuge.
Small birds eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Flatwoods, marshes, scrub.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
- Unique foliage and silhouette
- Clusters of tubular flowers
- Fruit attracts wildlife
- Can be kept narrow
Ilex glabra
Rarely planted.
Good background plant. Can make a good screen. Becomes scraggly if overly shaded, but may be trimmed back for bushier growth. Clonal.
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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, Fruits are eaten by birds though it is bitter and often eaten as a last resort.
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Habitat, Low flatwoods, cutthroat seeps, dry prairie, coastal swales, bogs, sinks.
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Did You Know?, Bees pollinate flowers. Documented bees include Colletes banksi, C. brimleyi, C. inandibularis, C. nudus, Perdita floridensis, Agapostemon splendens,
- Slow Growth
- Massive stature when mature
- Majestic
- Highly wind tolerant
Cladium jamaicense
Sawgrass is a sedge, not a grass. It was this plant that Marjory Stoneman Douglas referred to in her seminal work: "The Everglades: River of Grass."
A
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury.
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Considertions, Blades have sharp edges...hence the common name. Best planted where people will not brush by it.
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Habitat, Swamps, marshes, shores of water bodies, common in coastal marsh, glades, cypress prairie.
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Did You Know?, Larval host of the Palatka skipper (Euphyes pilatka).
- Prominent pale green crownshaft
- Very showy clusters of flowers
- Unique fluffy fronds
- Massive stature
Persea humilis
Do not plant this plant unless you are absolutely sure that it is not infected by laurel wilt disease. In general, this small bay seems to be escapin
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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, This small tree appears to less likely to be killed by laurel wilt than Florida's other bays.. It is likely that it is too small to attract the beetle
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Wildlife, Fruits eaten and dispersed by birds.
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Habitat, Dry sites. Scrub, high pine, scrubby sandhill.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
Larval host plant for palamedes swallowtail (Papilio palamedes) and spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterflies.
Attracts
- Decorative diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Very fast growth rate
- Attractive light to medium green crownshaft
Borrichia frutescens
Natural range is restricted to coastal areas.
Native borders, foundation plant, especially in salty environments. Can be trimmed.
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Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water
High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury.
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Considertions, Suckers heavily forming large patches.
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Wildlife, Birds and small mammals use the seeds.
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Habitat, Salt marsh, tidal flats.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Nectar plant for great southern white (Ascia monuste), gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), so
- Will not tolerate frost
- Relatively uncommon in South Florida
- Very full crown
