Range includes most of eastern and central north Ameria west to the prairie region and north into southeastern Canada.  The southern range limit is in , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Rich woods, calcareous hammocks (in FL) but frequently in acid soils elsewhere. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees -- only butterflies and long-tongued bees can reach the nectar but other insects are attracted to the flo

It's quite hardy and tolerant of difficult environments. The herbarium specimen from Wakulla County is from a natural area.  It is a 2012 specimen and , 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, Good wildlife shelter.  Birds eat the fruits. , Habitat, Hammocks, pinelands, sloughs, seasonally flooded marshes in pine rocklands. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Shade tree. While native to moist sites, this oak does well in moderately dry areas as well. Makes a good street tree and can be used in parking lot i , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Fallen/falling acorns can be a maintenance issue. , Wildlife, Acorns prized by squirrels, deer, turkey and other wildlife. , Habitat, Mesic sites near swamp edges and second bottoms of floodplains. May occur in uplands on shallow soils over limestone. , Did You Know?, Larval food for brown duskywing butterfly (Erynnis horatius), gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus), and white-M hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album).

While native in Florida, this species is invasive in other areas, especially the Pacific Northwest. Aquatic species with floating leaves and flowers. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Could overrun small ponds or water features. , Habitat, Aquatic. Marshes, swamps in openings, still water. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Flies, bees, and beetles have been recorded.

Wildflower in moist garden. Forms colonies. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Wet prairie, cutthroat seep, wet flatwoods, wet roadsides, wetland transition zones. There are several species most with similar culture in garden set , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and small butterflies. Bees, including Augochloropsis anoizyina and Bombus impatiens have been documented on pale meadow

Listed as Threatened by the FDACS. Specimen tree, edge plant, or part of a clump of trees. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Primarily dispersed by birds but other animals also eat the fruit. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, pine rockland. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Pollinated by bees.

Interesting silky-looking foliage. Tallish groundcover in mesic (moist) areas. Can be planted in groupings in shady areas. Despite the name, the leav , 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, Dispersed by birds. , Habitat, Dry mesic to mesic and hydric hammock, second bottom, shell mounds, floodplains. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Attracts bees and butterflies.

Natural landscapes including meadows and butterfly gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Purple thistle is a thorny plant - be very careful when handling. , Wildlife, The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds. , Habitat, Coastal plain, edges of salt marshes, pinewoods, prairies and disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Larval host to little metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis) and painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies. N

Flowers are fragrant. Specimen shrub. Border plant or low screen plant. , 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, Slow growing. , Wildlife, Attracts pollinators. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, pine rockland, coastal berm. In disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting foliage

Rarely grown, likely since it is a poisonous annual with prickles.  Invasive in parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia. This is a personal favorite of o , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Prickles can be an issue in some gardens. All parts of this plant are extremely toxic. , Habitat, Rurderal areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts pollinators including bees, flies, and beetles.

Noted for its shaggy, peeling salmon-colored bark. The natural form is a single-trunked tree, but multi-trunked cultivars are common. Southernmost bir , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Although native to floodplains, it is not tolerant of extended periods of flooding. , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals consume seed. , Habitat, River floodplains , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color Larval host for Mourning Cloak and Dreamy Duskywing butterflies

It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida and as critically imperiled in South Florida by The Institute for Regional Conservation. Specimen , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, coastal rock barren, beach dune, coastal strand. Lower Keys only. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage

Highly tolerant of fire once established. Shade tree. Woodland tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Huge pine cones litter the ground, so not a good tree for a lawn. , Wildlife, Known for its use by squirrels, especially fox squirrels. Birds also eat the nuts. Old trees in well managed (properly burned) natural sandhill and fl , Habitat, Sandhill, mesic to dry flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance

Wind pollinated.  Dioecious.  According to Huegel (2010), the flowers attract insects. Plant tree in areas where fallen fruit will not be an issue. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Fallen fruits are messy. , Wildlife, Fruits are very popular with birds and mammals and some reptiles (for example, Eastern box turtle ) , Habitat, Upper floodplains, hammocks, mesic forests.. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

The blue fruits on this tree are actually fleshy cones. Often used as a screen by planting in one or two fairly dense rows. Also useful as a backgrou , 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 , Wildlife, Birds eat the fruit-like cones and use the foliage for cover. , Habitat, Calcareous soils, shell mounds, coastal hammocks, second growth on open rocky fields. Open. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance

Specimen plant. Slow growing. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Leaves have sharp spines. It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females. , Wildlife, Fruits principally eaten by birds. , Habitat, Scrub. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Thorns Pollinated by bees.  Documented bee species include Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Megachilepetulans and Xylocop

Listed as Endangered in Florida. Rarely planted.  Given the proper support this plant could likely be used as a climbing vine hedge. , 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 wildlife eat the fruits. , Habitat, Rockland/tropical hammocks , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host plant for julia Heliconian (Dryas iulia) butterflies and likely other species. Pollinate

Nice blog article by Florida Wildflower Foundation. Background plant somewhere between a shrub and vine in character. , 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, Weak--needs support. Can be aggressive in the home landscape. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. , Habitat, Coastal hammocks, pine rocklands, coastal flats, disturbed forest edges. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for the Miami blue butterfly (Cyclargus thomasi) and Snowberry clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis). Attracts a

Specimen plant or rock garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, If conditions are right, it's a prolific reseeder. , Wildlife, Blooms attract hummingbirds. Seeds consumed by small birds. , Habitat, Bluffs and rock outcrops in moist deciduous forests. May also be found on shallow loamy soils over rock. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Blooms attract bees, butterflies, and hawk moths

Wetland wildflower garden. , 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, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Salt, brackish, or fresh water marshes, sloughs, ditches, borders of mangrove and other swamps, wet forest clearings. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and various pollinators.

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.