Edible. Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Grown by enthusiasts. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, High climbing woody vine. , Wildlife, Animals eat the berries. , Habitat, Moist forests and pinelands. Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage

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.

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.

Rarely grown but of good potential for a dry native wildflower garden. Wildflower garden. When not flowering, the plant is a low-growing rosette of l , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Sandhill, scrubby sandhill, disturbed sandhill, xeric roadsides in areas of sandhill soils. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and other pollinators.  Does not attract many butterflies.

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

Forms a low thicket with many sprouts from  underground stems. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small mammals, including squirrels, use the acorns.  Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. The acorns are utilized by squirrels. An import , Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods, scrubby sandhill. , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host  for Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (P

Specimen plant. Roadsides, parking lot edges, and medians. Smaller forms can make good foundation screens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Both suckers and seedlings will appear. , Wildlife, Birds eat the fruits. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, coastal hammock. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts bees and butterflies.

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.

Understory tree. Can be trimmed to keep sized as a shrub. Accent shrub or can be trained as a hedge. , 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, Birds eat the fruit. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock (borders), coastal berm. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits Insect pollinated.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Lacy specimen plant in wet settings. Useful in fern gardens or beside a shady water feature. Useful around drainage ponds. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Needs periodic removal of old fronds. , Habitat, Dome swamp, cutthroat seep. Wet woods, usually with acid soil. Shallow swamps, bogs, shallow ponds, stream banks, hydric seep slopes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

This is a narrow endemic found only in the southern parts of Wakulla and Franklin Counties.  It is listed as Endangered  by the State of Florida. Wil , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Coastal scrubs and sandhills especially in the transition zone to coastal flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

Pasco County occurrence is a 2004 specimen from Anclote Key Preserve and is a potential indicator of northward migration due to global warming. Hedge , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Wildlife and birds consume the fruits though they areless useful for small birds due to itheir large size. Provides dense cover. , Habitat, Coastal swamps, beaches, cypress dones, Everglades tree islands, edges of ditches and canals. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts various pollinators, especially bees.