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 , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Pinelands, savannas, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Primarily pollinated by bees. The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) is a goldenrod pol

Leaves are very small and arranged in circles around the stem at each node giving it a banded appearance. This is a fern ally and reproduces by spores , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This plant will spread. , Wildlife, Provides good cover at the edges of waterways or ponds. , Habitat, Sandy soils in river floodplains, lake edges, ditches, sloughs. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

These species are, in combination, found throughout Florida and from a cultivation perspective, are very similar.  In nature, O. stricta tends to be i , 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, Thorns! The thorns on this plant make weeding around it difficult. Best planted where no one will be walking adjacent to the plant. , Habitat, Coastal dunes, coastal grasslands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Thorns Nectar plant for Meske's skipper (Hesperia meskei) butterflies. Attracts a variety of insect

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, , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This is a beautiful small tree that is rarely cultivated.. , Habitat, Rockland hammock edges , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for dina yellow (Eurema dina) and cassius blue (Leptotes cassius theonus) butterflies.

Wildflower garden. This is a small but pretty little plant. Grow it in a moist wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, It may be necessary to re-seed to keep this in the garden. Seed is not generally commercially available. This is the most toxic of the milkweeds and i , Habitat, Flatwoods , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Attracts various pollinators.

Interesting pink veined foliage, showy flowers. Often lies on its side with the flowers held somewhat above the rest of the plant. Has an extremely de , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Toxic if eaten unless boiled with two waters. Tends to sprawl. , Habitat, Sandhill, clayhill, scrub. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host to the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) and other

Foliage has a strong minty smell. Dry wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Some birds consume consume the seeds . , Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia). Attracts pollinators, especially bees.  Documented native bees inc

Specimen tree in wet settings. This is a good plant to grow in floodplains. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Nut and leaf drop can be messy in a home landscape. , Wildlife, Ducks and other wildlife consume nuts. , Habitat, Swamps , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for many moths including; luna moth (Actias luna), hickory leafroller moth (Argyrotaenia juglandana), royal walnut mo

Because it's a legume, it will grow well in poor soil. There are multiple subspecies. Wildflower garden. This is a low, wide-spreading plant that wil , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and other small wildlife consume seeds (in pods). , Habitat, Dry flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia). Attracts pollinators, especially bees.

The species is hermaphroditic (monecious), meaning flowers have both male and female reproductive structures on the same plant. This is a near-endemic , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Marshes and swamps , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Bee pollinated.

The natural distribution in Florida is predominantly related to soil and drainage conditions.  If you provide them, it should grow successfully from L , 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 , Wildlife, Provides cover for birds and mammals.  Attracts deer and squirrels.  Deer browse can be so intense as to limit survival of saplings. , Habitat, Forested seepage areas, swamps, low stream banks , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

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 , 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 , Considertions, Quite thorny. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit. , Habitat, Hammocks, wet woods, dunes, shell middens. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Larval host for giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).