Younger specimens have a conical shape, but older trees tend to flatten out at the top. In some areas, the strangler fig (Ficus aurea)has strangled ma , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can produce knees, even if grown in uplands. , Wildlife, Attracts seed-eating birds. Valuable as roosting and nesting areas for colonial wading birds. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, large swamps around lakes. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water. Floodplains, sloughs, strands. May be assoc , Did You Know?, Fall color, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for baldcypress sphinx (Isoparce cupressi) moth.

Depending on who you ask, there are two laurel oaks in Florida.  Q. laurifolia (swamp laurel oak) and Q. hemisphaerica (Darlington oak, sand laurel oa , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Somewhat weak, and compared to live oak, short-lived. , Wildlife, Produces acorns that are used by rodents, including squirrels, and other mammals Acorns used by woodpeckers, jays, and wild turkeys. High in tannins. , Habitat, River floodplains, secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Larval host for Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) and White M Hairstreak (Parrhasius m-album). Larval host for several moth species (some of the c

Moist wildflower meadow , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Flowers open at night , Habitat, Wet flatwoods and bogs , Did You Know?, Pollinated by Sphinx moths

Used for shoreline protection. A major saltmarsh plant. Useful for erosion control. , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, Birds and other animals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Salt marsh, tidal flats, beaches. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval food for Louisiana eyed silkmoth (Automeris louisiana)

Is listed as Endangered in Florida. Hedges; small specimen plants; mass planting; ground cover; large planters. Dune reclamation. , 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 , Considertions, A beautiful shrub for oceanfront gardens, but susceptible to diseases inland. , Habitat, Coastal uplands, dunes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Nectar plant for Miami blue (Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri) and other butterfly speci

Keep it if you have it. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Wet hammocks, meadows, fence rows, roadsides, open and dense woods, wet flatwoods, floodplain forests. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Pollinated by moths.

Lawn-like groundcover especially near the edges of salt water. , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume seed. , Habitat, Salt marsh. , Did You Know?, Larval host for obscure skipper (Panoquina panoquinoides) and saltmarsh skipper (Panoquina panoquin).

Poisonous if ingested. Groundcover in open, dry, sandy sites especially on dunes and the upper fringes of beaches. , 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 , Habitat, Beach dunes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts insects, especially bees.

Rear of garden as a screen.  Native meadows. , Tolerance, Unknown Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon (major storms). , Wildlife, Turkey and quail eat the seed.  Provides cover for small ground-dwelling animals. , Habitat, Flatwoods, open woodlands , Did You Know?, Butterflies, moths

Curiosity in wetland gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Like many members of the Arum family, all parts of this plant are toxic. , Habitat, Shallow water of pools, streams, and swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Pollinated by bees, flies, and beetles (Florida Wildflower Foundation)

The wood is noted as being very strong, hence the common name "ironwood" Does not do well much south of its natural range. Small specimen tree. Also , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Seeds are not popular with most birds, but it provides good cover. , Habitat, Dry-mesic deciduous woods. Hammocks, bluff microsites. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Hurricane wind resistance

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

Many cultivars have been developed or found in the wild ranging from weeping forms to little round balls ('Shillings'). To get fruits, both a male and , 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, Tends to produce suckers, which can be removed if you wish to have a specimen tree. It's dioecious; so make sure you have at least one male plant in t , Wildlife, Fruits are eaten by birds. , Habitat, Coastal scrub, coastal dunes, coastal flatwoods, river swamps, scrub, secondary woods, pine-oak-hickory woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Bees pollinate flowers.

The distribution mimics the distribution of steepheads, a stream/valley system that originates in a very steep-headed ravine where the water seeps out , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Slope forest, floodplain forest, hydric hammocks, seep stream (banks), steepheads. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Pollinated by a variety of insects, especially native flies and beetles.

Wildflower in moist garden, edge of water garden, understory plant in wet woods or stream edges , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, spring run swamps, bogs, in mats of floating vegetation, wet ditches. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers The nectar attracts various Swallowtail butterflies. Bumblebees will steal nectar through slits in the tubular corolla. Halictid bees s

Shade tree. It is known for its smooth light gray bark. Its leaves turn yellow and then light brown remaining on the tree until nearly spring and prov , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This is a large tree that will produce dense shade and many root suckers. Take this into consideration when deciding where to plant it. Slow growing. , Wildlife, Fruits (a nut in a bur) are valued by wildlife.  Tree valued for nesting by some songbirds. , Habitat, Upland, mesic to dry mesic hardwood forests. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval host for walnut sphinx (Amorpha juglandis).

It can be difficult to maintain habitat for this plant.  Keeping the competition down seems to be critical (mow, burn, etc.). We know of no Florida nu , Tolerance , Considertions, foliage and seeds have toxic properties, primarily due to the lupine alkaloids , Habitat, Open, sandy woods. Adapted to fire. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for several butterflies. Attracts bees including bumblebees.

Known as an easy-to-grow aquarium plant. Groundcover for the edges of retention ponds. Mitigation (created or restored) wetlands. Can form small fl , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Marshes, dome swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval food for some hawk moths.  Attracts insects.

Most plants sold as P. obtusifolia are from tropical American stock; local sources are recommended both to protect the genome and to enhance your like , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Swamps (epiphytic on trees/logs). , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage The floral morphology of Peperomia species suggests wind- and/or insect pollination, but not much is known.

Informal wildflower gardens. , 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 birds. , Habitat, Pine-oak-hickory woods, longleaf pinelands, bluffs. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees but the list of insects is diverse and includes hoverflies and soldier beetles.  The ground nesting bee,

This is a rare plant that should not be disturbed in the wild. Could be used as a border along sandy paths or walkways or as a foundation plant. , 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 and not long-lived. , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Sandill. Roadsides through sandhill areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Attracts a variety of insects.