This is a large tree best used in settings where its form can be appreciated. It is both a specimen tree and and shade tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, In some settings, the tree begins as an epiphyte and sends roots down to the ground wrapping around the host. This is interesting in natural settings , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals consume fruit and often deposit seeds high in the canopy. , Habitat, Moist-wet sites to dry sites and on shallow soils over limestone. Tropical hammocks, swamps. May be epiphytic or have aerial roots that may wrap arou , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for ruddy daggerwing (Marpesia petreus) and Antillean daggerwing (Marpesia eleuchea)

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

Specimen shrub. Fine foliage. Does well adjacent to structures or woods. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Requires acid soil. , Wildlife, Attracts many pollinators--is important to native bees. Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit. , Habitat, Dry sites. Upland mixed forests, sandhill, flatwoods, scrub. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers

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

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.

Three species occur in Florida. Please plant your local variety. Wildflower garden where it is very showy in late summer/early fall. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Some birds and small mammals consume consume the seeds (https://flawildflowers.org/). , Habitat, Dry flatwoods, sandhill, scrub. This species can be seen at the Starkey Wilderness Preserve in Pasco County. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host for southern dogface (Zerene cesonia). Attracts insects, especially bees.

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

The author treats this as a friendly weed. Pull them if where there is something more desirable. Back of a wildflower garden in a casual setting. Gro , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Reseeds overly enthusiastically and may become weedy as the year progresses. , Habitat, Ruderal, disturbed hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage

According to Kew Gardens, it is from Central America and probably Cuba and Florida.   After going through the photos and labels for specimens in the S , Tolerance, Unknown Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Noted for being weedy. , Habitat, Disturbed. Old orange groves, pasture, roadsides. May occur naturally along the west FL coast including shell mounds and dunes . All records for in , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Flower color varies, which gives the plant a multi-hued array of flowers. Listed as Threatened in Florida Specimen plant where its showy, multi-color , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Good cover for birds, and birds and other wildlife enjoy the fruit. , Habitat, Pine rockland, rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for the Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus). Nectar plant for a variety of butterflies.

Specimen tree, street or parking lot tree. , 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 animals eat the fruit. , Habitat, Hammocks, pine woods, mixed woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Pollinated by bees.

Depending on the weather, this may be either an annual or perennial in Florida. Informal gardens in wet sites. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, The fruits stick to pant legs and animal fur leading to moniker beggarticks. Generally no an issue in the wetland sites where this will grow. , Habitat, Swamps, river edget , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts native bees and butterflies

This tree is subject to Dutch elm disease. Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS 2008). In most of eastern North America, this tree , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, While Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS, 2018), the planting practices that result in massive losses of street trees north of F , Wildlife, Seeds used by birds in spring when little else is available. Used for nesting. , Habitat, Floodplain forest, wet mesic forests, hardwood swamps. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval host for: Eastern Comma (Polygonia comma), Question Mark (Polygonia interrogationis), Painted Lady (Vanessa ca

Low specimen plant, mass plantings. Can be used as a low hedge, even sheared. Useful for beach dune stabilization. , 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, Clonal. , Wildlife, Provides food for birds. , Habitat, Dunes, coastal areas with rocky soils (sunny, open areas), pine rockland , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Flowers attract butterflies.

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

Grows well well north of its native range.  Documented in very southern counties with an outlier in Martin County -- that outlier is also unique in th , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can get messy after cold spells. , Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by birds.  Provides cover for lizzards and other small animals. , Habitat, Pine rockland. Also cultivated. Dry sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for Byssus Skipper (Problema byssus).

There is a natural dwarf form that is associated with xeric uplands.  I makes a nice, low-growing shrub in casual gardens. Good as a background or he , 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, It is flammable, so plant away from buildings in fire-prone areas. It fixes nitrogen with its roots like a legume, so it tolerates poor soils. , Wildlife, Good wildlife cover. Seeds eaten by birds. , Habitat, Wet-dry sites. Upland mixed forest, floodplains, wetland edges, cutthroat seeps, old fields, scrub, fencerows , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for banded hairstreak (Satyrium calanus) and red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)butterflies.

Designated as the Florida State Tree.  Trees on coastal islands in the Big Bend area are failing to reproduce due to sea level rise, and islands in th , 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, Fronds and flower stalks fall. Seeds sprout readily and can require control. In southern part of the state, strangler figs can sprout in the boots and , Wildlife, Seeds used by small mammals such as raccoons. Used by birds for nesting. Dead palm fronds -- roosting habitat for yellow bats.  Their yellowish color , Habitat, Flatwoods, moist hammocks, swamps, river floodplains, ruderal , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for Monk Skipper (Asbolis capucinus) butterfly. Pollinated by bees

Based on maps from BONAP and ISB, this species ranges across the southern and central US and up the eastern seabord to Massachusetts.  The entire Flor , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Marsh and swamp edges , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Nectar attracts bees and many different kinds of butterflies. Documented bee visitors include Halictzcs ligatus, Dial

Specimen plant, screen plantings, sometimes with unusual or weeping form. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Thorns. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit.  Used as browse by deer and rabbits. , Habitat, Dry sites. Open woods, mixed woods, sandy pinelands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Thorns Larval food for hummingbird clearwing moth(Hemaris thysbe), striped hairstreak butterfly(Satyrium liparops), and blinded sphinx

We are aware of on nursery attempting to grow it but to the best of our knowledge, it is not yet available for sale. If you gather seed, be sure to ha , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Rarely planted due to inavailability and its need for wet sites. , Wildlife, Small birds are likely to harvest seeds. , Habitat, Marshes and moist prairies , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Not studied,  Based on insects attracted by other species, we suspect it attracts butterflies and moths, tachinid flies, bee flies, syr