Slow growing; hard, strong wood. This tree has an erect form with a single trunk and a spreading crown. Specimen tree. Understory tree in mesic woods , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, None. , Wildlife, Birds, bats and small mammals use as habitat. Seeds predominatly eaten by squirrels and other rodents. , Habitat, Moist to moderately dry hammocks of north to north-central Florida. , Did You Know?, Fall color Attracts  bees but may also be self-fertile.

Plant as a small understory tree. Good as a general background plant that is appropriate to wildlife. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in the vicinity to produce berries on the females. , Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals. , Habitat, Dry hammocks, sandhills, scrub, dunes. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits Bees pollinate flowers.

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

The common name refers to the pliable twigs. Use as a border plant, foundation plant, or understory shrub in a shady, moist setting. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can cause serious skin irritation and is somewhat toxic to ingest. A rare shrub, so may not adapt well into home landscapes. , Habitat, Mesic slope forests, ravines and bluffs. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Insects visit the flowers, but likely the plant does not rely upon them.  Visits apparently opportunistic.  (Williams, 2004).

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

Given that this is short-lived (biennial) and difficult to transplant or grow from seed, this is perhaps best encouraged in places where it grows natu , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Hard to establish. Biennial, though may reseed. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for  frosted elfin (Callophyris irus) butterfly, which is listed as  Endangered in Flori

This is one of Florida's most showy and most under-appreciated wildflowers. Look for it along disturbed roadsides in mid-late winter and early spring. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sharp thorn-like prickles cover most of the plant. Highly toxic. , Habitat, Ruderal areas. Common on dry roadsides. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns Attracts pollinators including bees, flies, and beetles.  Documented bee species include  Apis mellifera (honeybee), Dialictus

Naturalistic woodland landscapes. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Dies back in the winter. Depending upon the species, it may seed prolifically. , Habitat, Dry to mesic upland hardwood forests, bluff microsites, upper fringes of wiregrass seep slopes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage

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

Shade tree. Also good for hedge rows. , 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 , Habitat, Dry sites. Hammocks, somewhat shady areas near the coast. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius) and hammock skipper (Polygonus leo) butterflies. Attracts bee pollinators

This plant is listed as Endangered in Florida where the southern limit of its range barely makes it into the state. Moist site garden though will tol , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Floodplains, moist deep woods, thickets. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Attracts bees.

Endemic to Florida. Wildflower garden, , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Low sites. Cutthroat seeps, hydric to wet-mesic pine flatwoods, savannas, seep slopes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many butterflies, bees and other pollinators. (Hawthorn Hill Wildflowers).

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 tap root. , Wildlife, Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit. , Habitat, Flatwoods, ruderal (pastures), scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) and pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Pollinated by flies and beetles.

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

Occurs along inland edges of salt marshes where it must tolerate at least periodic inundation by seawater.  Locations likely do not have high exposure , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts insects, especially bees.

Invasive in many parts of the world.  It is either a blessing or a pest in Florida depending on where it is. Good addition to a freedom lawn. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Will spread. , Habitat, Disturbed areas , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar attracts bees, butterflies and flies.

They are included here because they are valuable to insects and because they are lovely and good to have in a native garden if you are lucky enough to , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Both species are hemi-parasitic (semi-parasitic) and difficult to grow without appropriate host plants. , Habitat, Open upland woods and disturbed edges. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for  black buckeye. Attracts insects.

Plant at the back of an informal wildflower or butterfly garden--it gets tall. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Moist upland hardwood forests, mixed hardwood-pine forests. Secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many insects including bees and butterflies.

Specimen plant, hedge plant. Large shrub to small tree. Large, showy, shiny leaves. , 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, Dioecious (separate male and female plants), so both male and female are required to get fruits. Mature fruits are not attractive (young fruits are ni , Wildlife, Fruit is eaten by birds and mammals.  Mockingbirds specifically are reported to enjoy the fruits. , Habitat, Coastal hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for tantalus sphinx (Aellopus tantalus) moths. Nectar plant for mangr

Small wildflower in moist areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Mesic to wet flatwoods, wet prairies, seep slopes, cutthroat seep, wet prairie, bogs. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and butterflies.

Its small to medium size make it appropriate for small landscapes as a specimen tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and other wildlife. , Habitat, Pine rockland, hammocks. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Nectar plant for Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus), red-banded hairstreak (C