Works well to control erosion (wind and water) on dunes. Hedge or specimen plant in coastal areas. , 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 , Habitat, Dunes, beaches, coastal scrub, sandy thickets. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Host plant for Martial Scrub Hairstreak (Strymon martialis) and Mallow Scrub Hairstreak

Rarely grown.  This tree occurs predominantly in the coastal plain (withoutliers) from eastern Alabama north to southern New Jersey. Shade tree for m , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds, squirrels and other animals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Moist-wet sites. Hydric to mesic seep slopes, fringes of cypress and mixed hardwood swamps, wet flatwoods, mesic flatwoods.

The natural range of this plant is quite limited, but it has become a native landscaping favorite over a much broader range. Hedges, specimen shrubs, , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Bottomland forest, hydric hammock, baygall, banks of spring run and seepage streams, wet upland mixed forest. Can be seen near several of the spring r , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Insect pollinated.

Rare and listed as endangered. Please obtain this plant only from reputable native plant nurseries or friends -- do not harvest from the wild. Little , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Slope forest. On calcareous soils. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Visited by small insects including bees but the specific pollinators are apparently not known.

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.

Shade tree. Relatively conical or oval in form. Straight trunk. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Acorns used by mammals and birds. , Habitat, Wet calcareous hammocks, wetland edges and floodplains. Sometimes in bluff microsites. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for the white-m hairstreak and Horace's duskywing.

Fruits are showy from mid-distance until spring. Salt tolerance is unknown but given known locations for the plant, we assume it is likely to be low. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Sandhill, open areas in xeric hammock, scrub, scrubby-sandhill, scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Attracts butterflies and moths, bees, and other insects.  Documented bees include Colletes mandibularis, Agaposternon spl

In the natural environment, this species benefits from periodic fire. Very difficult to see except when in bloom. Retain if present. Could be grown a , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Rarely grown as difficult to find seeds or bulbs and seedlings are subject to fungal diseases. , Habitat, Mesic flatwoods, wet prairie, wet flatwoods, open seepage areas such as cutthroat seeps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies including swallowtails. Reported possible pollinators include spicebush swallowwtail, cloudless sulfur (Phoebis se

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

Listed as Threatened in Florida. Please acquire from reputable sources. Screen plant. Informal hedge. Specimen. , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, Fruits attract birds. , Habitat, Pine rockland, rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits

Interesting red stems. Makes a good specimen plant in an informal garden. Weedy in appearance if in large numbers and stems tend to split when branche , 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, The roots and seeds are poisonous. , Wildlife, Birds eat the berries. , Habitat, Flatwoods, disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Attracts bees including Augochlora pura, Augochloropsis metallica, A. sumptuosa, Dialictus miniatulus, D. nymphalis, D. p

While this tree has a limited native distribution in Florida, it also occurs as far west as Texas in similar types of settings. Shade tree. Can be us , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, While not known to occur in Florida, this species is potentially susceptible to  Dutch elm disease. , Wildlife, Seeds used by birds when little else is available. Used for nesting. , Habitat, Floodplain forest, hydric hammock, bottomland forest. On limestone. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval food for the Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis)

In the opinion of this author, this species has a weedy look.  Occurs throughout Florida but is more frequent in flatwoods pond settings and small flo , 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, An aggressive grower. Plant where that characteristic is appropriate. , Habitat, Riverine forests, flatwoods, beaches, fresh and brackish marshes, disturbed sites. , Did You Know?, Larval host for tawny edged skipper.

Despite the appearance of the county-based range map, the actual range is limited to the coastal areas. Wildflower garden. Groundcover. , 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 , Considertions, West and east coast beach sunflowers can hybridize, so it is best not to plant east coast beach sunflower withing the natural range of wet cost beach , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Beach dune. Disturbed areas near coast (ruderal) , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Primarily pollinated by bees.

Salt marsh restoration.  Not a good choice for most landscape uses. , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, Used by birds for nesting and food. , Habitat, Salt marsh. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

There are two varieties in Florida which are essentially equivalent for landscape purposes:  Mimosa quadrivalvis var. angustata and M. quadrivalvis va , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Recurved prickles, take care when handling. , Habitat, Sandhill, scrub and flatwoods , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Attracts small insects pollinators.  Bees documented on this species include Agapostemon splendens, Augoch

The basal leaves are usually tingled with purple and have deep lobes toward the base, which is reminiscent of the shape of a lyre. Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, If planning to intermix in garden or grass, be aware that this species seeds readily. It definitely does not belong in a manicured lawn. , Habitat, Disturbed sites. Roadsides, dry-mesic to mesic areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts many pollinators including  butterflies and bees.

Flowers range from maroon to maroon and white, to maroon and green mixed. One common name is gopherberry - because golpher tortoise eat the fruit. Sp , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, difficult to establish because of long taproot. , Wildlife, Birds and small wildlife consume the fruit. The fruit of dwarf pawpaw is sometimes called gopherberry because the fruit is eaten by gopher tortoises. , Habitat, Flatwoods, scrub, sandhill , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host to the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly (Eurytides marcellus)and pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Pollinated by flie

Its twisting shape makes it an interesting specimen tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Fast growing, fairly weak hence somewhat prone to breaking. , Wildlife, Squirrels and other rodents eat the seeds. , Habitat, Found naturally in floodplains. Has become widely established in ruderal settings. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Attracts pollinators, particularly native bees.   Larval host for Cecropia silkmoth (Hyalophora cecropia).

Retain if in the landscape. Can be used as a specimen plant in areas not subject to root disturbance. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Said to be difficult to transplant as it does not tolerate root disturbance. Grows slowly. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the seeds but it is not a favorite. , Habitat, River floodplains , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval plant for tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), striped hairstreak (Satyrium liparops), and r

Use in a wildflower garden. Good for roadside wilflower plantings. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Seeds eaten by small birds. , Habitat, Mostly ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bumble bees, butterflies Larval host for the silvery checkerspot, found only in extreme north Florida.