Three subspecies occur in Florida.  The subspecies ranges somewhat overlap.  Subspecies cruiseana is listed as Endangered by the State of Florida. In , 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, Becomes less than attractive after flowering. , Wildlife, Primarily wind dispersed, but small birds consume seed. , Habitat, Scrub, sandhills. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Butterflies and bees including green metallic, sweat, leafcutter, bumble and mining bees (Florida Wildflower Foundation).

Specimen plant for floodplain or mist settings. , 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 wildlife consume the fruit, but not as popular as other haws. , Habitat, Moist sites. Riverine forests, moist wooded slopes such as ravines and bluffs, stream banks. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Attracts pollinators, especially important for native bees. Larval food for hummingbird clearw

Difficult to transplant. Clonal. May be used as a hedge and takes to pruning. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Apparently toxic to many mammals , Habitat, Flatwoods, dome swamp (on hummocks), scrub, scrubby flatwoods. In wetlands typically on hummocks. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts bees.  The following bees were observed visiting flowers of Lyonia lucida at Archbold B

Florida has a number of Phlox species, almost all found in forested settings. The common roadside species (Phlox drummondii) is not a Florida native ( , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Some phlox  species attract hummingbirds. , Habitat, Open woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

There are several different subspecies of A. glomeratus with different affinities for upland and wetland conditions. A. glomeratus var. glaucopsis is , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, May fall over at the end of the season. Will be neater if old stalks are removed before new growth starts in spring. , Wildlife, Seeds eaten by various small birds and other wildlife. , Habitat, Flatwoods, marshes , Did You Know?, Fall color Possible larval host plant for Delaware skipper (Anatrytone logan), Georgia satyr (Neonympha areolata), neamathla skipper (Nastra neamathl

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.

Because it's a legume it can grow in poor soils, but does better with added organic matter. Specimen shrub. , 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 , Habitat, Hammock edges, disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host plant for cloudless sulphur (Phoebis sennae), sleepy orange (Eurema nicippi) and the introduced orange-barred sulphur (Phoe

Bloom period can be prolonged by removing flowers as they wither. It does not compete well with aggressive plants. Wildflower garden. Blooms best in , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds which are the primary pollinator. , Habitat, Upland woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Leaves are very small and arranged in circles around the stem at each node giving it a banded appearance. This is a fern ally and reproduces by spores , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This plant will spread. , Wildlife, Provides good cover at the edges of waterways or ponds. , Habitat, Sandy soils in river floodplains, lake edges, ditches, sloughs. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

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

Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sometimes the flower stalks are too tall and heavy to stand. Can be cut back mid-summer to reduce height. In a large garden, the twisted fallen stalks , Habitat, Mesic to wet flatwoods, seep slopes, bogs, savannas, ditches, cutthroat seeps, bogs, boggy swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

In a managed garden, gamagrass can be trimmed back at the end of winter. Hedge, foundation planting, individual large grass clump, background screen , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Can die back and become messy during cold winters, but new growth covers it in the spring. , Wildlife, Even when trimmed occasionally, Gama Grass will provide cover for small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Deer eat the seeds. , Habitat, Wet bogs, roadsides, ditches, wet hammocks, river banks, low thickets, pine woods, open swamps, open habitats, flatwoods, sandhill, scrub. Also culti , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for three-spotted skipper (Cymaenes tripunctus), clouded skipper (Lerema accius) and Byssusskipper (Problema

This is a sedge and not a grass, but it does have a grass-like growth form. Useful in ponds to provide cover for wildlife and water quality treatment , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Aggressive. Best not to use where dense cover will not be appreciated. , Wildlife, Provides good cover and nest building materials for birds that nest in wetlands. , Habitat, Brackish and freshwater marshes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Cover plant, hedge plant, screen. , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Birds eat the fruits.  Occasionally attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Coastal dunes. Disturbed areas in tropical hammocks (needs light) and pine rocklands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts butterflies and other pollinators  including ants and bees (IRC).

Not readily available from nurseries but said to be easy to grow. Palafoxia feayi is a related species, also beautiful, but harder to row and even les , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Dry or scrubby flatwoods and , coastal hammocks. Common after fire. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees, butterflies and moths.  Said to attract scarab beetles.

Specimen plant, typically forms clumps of stems,the young fan-shaped fronds hide the principal stems. The lower fronds can be removed so that the trun , 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, Leaf stalks bear spines. , Wildlife, Fruits spread by birds. , Habitat, Moist hammocks, swamps, but can adapt to drier sites. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Thorns, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts bees.

Flowers are fragrant. Specimen shrub. Border plant or low screen plant. , 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, Attracts pollinators. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, pine rockland, coastal berm. In disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting foliage

Good plant for pollinators, esp. in the back of the garden , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Naturally grows in moist areas , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Butterfly nectar plant Attracts bees esp. bumble bees, ants (NC Native Plant Society)

The blue tubular flower opens into 5 petal-like lobes with a white center. Several blossoms grow in a loose cluster. Narrow seed pods and dark yellow , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Ruby-throated hummingbirds are attracted to the nectar.  Avoided by mammalian herbivores. , Habitat, Flatwoods, chalky hills. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers The flowers attract long-tongued insects such as carpenter bees, hummingbird moths, and butterflies.  Not known to be a lar

Groundcover recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restoration. , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Cover for many ground-dwelling species. , Habitat, Hydric and mesic hammocks, shallow swamps and swamp edges, floodplains, limerock, concrete, ditches. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

This species is listed as invasive in parts of the world where it is not native. Water garden, planting of surface water management pond. Often used , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Water. Ponds, lakes, quiet streams, swampa, ditches, canals. This species can be seen in the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area in Hillsborough , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Pollinated by bees and flies.