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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
Rhododendron minus var. chapmanii
Endemic to Florida
Listed as Endangered by the USFWS and FL
Specimen plant. Screen plant. Can be grown in a mass under trees.
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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, including hummingbirds.
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Habitat, Mesic flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, seep slope. Ecotone between flatwoods and edges of titi swamps.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts insects. Apparently important to bumble bees.
- Killed by citrus greening (HLB)
- Elegant and compact
- Colorful new leafs
- Excellent edible fruit
Rhus aromatica
Range barely reaches north Florida.
Specimen shrub, border, windbreak. This is a spreading, somewhat sprawling shrub.
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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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Wildlife, Provides nesting, roosting and loafing cover for a variety of songbirds and game birds.
Its fruit may not be the first choice of many kinds of wildlif
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Habitat, Dry, somewhat open woods.
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Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage
Primarily pollinated by bees.
- Formal, old-world appearance
- Thrives only briefly, about 1 year
- Drought tolerant
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)
Alvaradoa amorphoides
This is listed as an ENDANGERED by the State of Florida
An excellent accent shrub or small tree with open, spreading crown. Attractive fine textured,
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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, This is a beautiful small tree that is rarely cultivated..
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Habitat, Rockland hammock edges
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits
Larval host for dina yellow (Eurema dina) and cassius blue (Leptotes cassius theonus) butterflies.
- Attractive glossy leaves
- Raised diamond-shaped trunk pattern
- Silvery blue-green fronds
- Elegant appearance
Dalea feayi
Foliage has a strong minty smell.
Dry 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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Wildlife, Some birds consume consume the seeds .
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Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods.
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Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers
Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia).
Attracts pollinators, especially bees. Documented native bees inc
- Bright red fruits
- Long-lived perennial
- Delicious edible fruit
Spartina bakeri
Large clump-forming grass with uses as tall groundcover, specimen plant, or border plant. Nice along edges of ponds and water features.
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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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Habitat, Wet prairie, edges of marshes, but mostly inland--rarely coastal.
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Did You Know?, Interesting foliage
- Magnificent
- Adequate moisture required
- Requires protection from strong winds
- Beloved in South Florida
Hydrolea corymbosa
The species is hermaphroditic (monecious), meaning flowers have both male and female reproductive structures on the same plant.
This is a near-endemic
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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, Marshes and swamps
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Bee pollinated.
- Self-shedding fronds
- Very rare
- Moderately rapid growth
Bidens mitis
May be annual or perennial depending on weather.
Moist wildflower 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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Considertions, All beggarticks have fruits that will attach themselves to clothing or get stuck in animal fur. Generally not problematic for this species
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Habitat, Swamps and marshes, typically in areas that are near edges
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts bees and butterflies. Bees include Agapostemon splendens, Augochlora pura, Augochlorella aurata, A. gratiosa, Augochloropsis
- Medium stature
- Attractive glossy leaves
- Unique foliage
- Rare, despite being a South Florida native
- Delicious edible fruit
Helianthus agrestis
This is Florida's only native annual sunflower. The Bradford County location is near both a major road and a railroad and may be a waif.
Moist wildf
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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 and small mammals eat the seeds.
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Habitat, Pinelands, savannas, ruderal.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Primarily pollinated by bees. The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) is a goldenrod pol
- Showy reddish peeling bark
- Very showy clusters of red flowers
- Grows tall, but not massive
Coreopsis tripteris
Plant at the back of an informal wildflower or butterfly garden--it gets tall.
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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 upland hardwood forests, mixed hardwood-pine forests. Secondary woods.
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Did You Know?, Showy flowers
Attracts many insects including bees and butterflies.
- Compact size
- Classic Southern tree
- Wonderfully fragrant at night
- Fruit eaten by birds
- Very showy bright yellow flowers
- Massive stature
