Meadow or wildflower garden. , 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, Can become weedy. , Wildlife, Attracts pollinators. , Habitat, Pine flatwoods and disturbed areas , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Wild cotton is a rare plant; it needs protection against missuses and protection against removal from natural populations. Use as a short-lived "shru , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, It is not legal to plant this plant, but the reasons are very dated. A Florida law was passed in the early 1900s banning the growing of wild cottons, , Habitat, Dry sites. Tropical hammock, coastal berm, shell mound. Disturbed area. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies. Flowers attract bees, flies, thrips, grass hoppers,

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

The genus name honors the English botanist William Vernon, who did fieldwork in North America. Back of a moist wildflower garden. Can also use on the , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Exposed sand and gravel bars of streams during low water, stream banks, hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods. Rich soils. Ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar attracts butterflies and native beens.  Larval host for spring azure butterfly.

Hedge plant. Screen plant. , 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 ( , Considertions, Thorns. , Wildlife, Fruit are eaten by birds and mammals. It provides nesting sites and cover. . , Habitat, Coastal hammocks, salt flats. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns, Hurricane wind resistance Appreciated by a variety of insects as a nectar source.

Small specimen tree or an understory tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small mammals and larger birds eat the berries. , Habitat, Dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers The nectar and pollen of the flowers attract native Andrenid bees (Andrena spp.), Halictid bees (Halictus spp., Lasioglossu

The range extends from Texas to North Carolina mostly in the coastal plan and adjacent areas of sandy hills.  In Florida, the range is continuous down , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, This plant can be too prolific as the many seedlings that come up both around the plant and under bird perching sites can become problematic. Also spr , Wildlife, Seed is spread by birds. , Habitat, Dry-moist sites. Upland hardwood forests, upland mixed forest, secondary woods, riverine swamps, disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts bees.

Shoreline stabilizer or plant as cover in a pond. Can tolerate wide water level fluctuations. Frequently used in marsh restoration and wetland creatio , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Has deep, aggressive rhizomes and is difficult to control in a garden setting once established but highly valuable if used for stabilization or marsh , Wildlife, Provides cover for small fish and aquatic invertebrates. Seeds eaten by some birds and small animals. , Habitat, Basin marsh (maidencane marsh), ponds, streams, sloughs, swamps, wet disturbed sites, sandhill. This species may become domininant in wetlands with , Did You Know?, Larval host for clouded skipper (Lerema accius) and Delaware skipper (Anatrytone logan) butterflies.

Climbs by twining petioles. Grow on a trellis or fence. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, To remain attractive and not become a mass of past growth, cut it back occasionally. Thin out old stems. , Wildlife, Attracts  hummingbords. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, wet hammocks. This species can be seen near the boardwalks at Flint Creek and Sargeant Parks in Hillsborough County. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for mournful thyris (Thyris sepulchralis). Attracts bees and butterfli

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

There is potential name confusion with this species since it was formerly considered to be a subspecies of O. hirtellus (Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. s , 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, Unfortunately, this low growing grass is not visible during winter-spring, so its use is somewhat restricted to areas where this is not an issue. , Habitat, Moist sites. Shade. Moist hammocks. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for Carolina satyr (Hermeuptychia sosbius) butterfliy (IRC)

This tree has male and female plants. Females have red berry-like cones. This species is extremely rare.  Be sure to obtain this plant from properly l , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Poisonous seeds and foliage for both humans and livestock. Difficult to establish in general landscapes. , Wildlife, Birds and other animals eat the fruit.  Poisonous to humans and livestock. , Habitat, Slope forest. Rich wooded ravines and cedar swamps. It typically grows in groups of small trees (clones). This species can be seen planted at Torreya , Did You Know?, Showy fruits

Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Foliage and seeds are food source for birds and mammals. , Habitat, Seeps, wet prairies, wet flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators, especially bees.

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.

Butterfly garden, natural landscape, habitat restoration , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Pinelands and open coastal uplands , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host plant for long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) and northern cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) butterflies. Pollinated by bees.

This is a rare plant listed as threatened by the State of Florida.  It should only be acquired from reputable plant nurseries. Border plant or as a s , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Scrub, coastal strand. In disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts bees and other pollinators.

Climbs by twining. Train on a fence or arbor, allow to climb trees. Can be used as a groundcover but does not bloom well with that use. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds.  Birds attracted to the fruits include warblers, grosbeaks, cardinals, mockinbirds, titmice, chickadees, and thrashers. , Habitat, Mesic to xeric hardwood forests and upland mixed forests, secondary woods, bluffs, floodplains, flatwoods, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Flowers attract bees and butterflies.  Bees include Habropoda laboriosa, Bornbus griseocollis, B

Listed as Endangered by the State of Florida. Please acquire in an environmentally conscientious manner. Retain in the natural landscape if present. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Slow growing. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. , Habitat, Rockland hammock. Coastal hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Insect pollinated.

Grow on a trellis, fence, or post. , 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, The sap is an irritant to the skin and poisonous if ingested. , Wildlife, Said to attract hummingbirds. , Habitat, Pine woods, coastal hammocks, edges of coastal marshes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host of the polka dot wasp moth (Syntomeida epilais), but there is a question whether or not that's a nativ

Tolerates winter flooding. This is a wetland plant. It is rarely grown, but it has potential in appropriate sites. Wet wildflower garden. For appeara , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Moist sites. Hydric and mesic pine flatwoods, edges of sloughs, savannas, bogs, ditches. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host of  Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady Butterfly, Common Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper butterflies and  four

Moist wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Wet prairie, wet pine flatwoods, fresh to brackish marshes, bogs, ditches, swamps. Especially in areas where limestone is close to the surface. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many pollinators; is especially important for native bees.