Grow as an emergent along pond or lake edges or in aquatic gardens. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit. , Habitat, Marshes, wetter portions of wet prairies, swamps, roadside ditches with marsh-like character. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Flowers attract pollinators.

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).

Groundcover or border plant in shady areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, It reseeds easily and can expand aggressively. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume seed. , Habitat, Dry-moist sites. Bluffs, floodplains, wet hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits Larval host for pepper and salt skipper (Amblyscirtes hegon), common roadside skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis), and Bell's roadside skipper

Understory shrub. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Difficult to transplant because of long taproot. , Wildlife, Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit. , Habitat, Dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests, sandhill, clayhill, scrub , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) and pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Pollinated by flies and

In a wildflower garden or meadow, because it's noticeable only when flowering. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Disturbed areas , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host to the Buckeye butterfly, Junonia coernia. Nectar source for bumblebees and other long tongue bees, butterflies and skipper

There are two color morphs: green and silver. Silver is associated with the east coast, but may occur anywhere within the range.  It is typically larg , 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, Be sure to plan for enough room for this spreading plant. , Wildlife, Palmetto berries are important bear food. More than 100 bird species, 27 mammals, 25 amphibians, 61 reptiles, and countless insects use it as food and , Habitat, Mesic flatwoods, wet flatwoods, dry flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, scrub, hardwood hammock. Generally absent from cleared sites even after abandonment , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for monk skipper (Asbolis capucinus) and palmetto skipper (Eu

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.

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.

This species is almost always coastal occupying only a strip along the coastline and not entire counties. Wildflower garden or tall-growing groundcov , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury. , Considertions, Becomes weedy-looking after flowering. , Habitat, Depression and basin marshes, wet prairies, pine rocklands, edges of mangrove swamps, disturbed areas such as berms and dikes near the coast, edges of , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar plant for cassius blue (Leptotes cassius), Dorantes longtail (Urbanus dorantes), eufala skipper (Lerodea eufala), field skipper

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.

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.

Works well in a wildflower garden or as a low border plant. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Foliage and seeds are food source for birds and mammals. , Habitat, Sandhill, pine flatwoods, dry edges of sandhill lakes.. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts pollinators, especially bees.  Documented bees include Colletes sp. A, Hylaeus conflzcens, Augochlorella

Specimen plant, thicket, or natural background plantings. , 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, Upland hardwood forests, flatwoods, by swamps, bluffs, slope forests, secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators, especially bumble 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 rare species in Florida. Retain it if present. Shade tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Squirrels, racoons, deer and other animals eat the acorns. , Habitat, Upland pine forest, pine-oak-hickory woods, bayheads. Slopes. , Did You Know?, Larval host for the white-M hairstreak.

Flowers tend to appear in spring or after a significant rainfall. Otherwise inconspicuous. Small wildflower or plant in with other low groundcovers. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Dome swamp, wet flatwoods, wet prairie. In ditches, wet pastures, roadsides. Often in burned areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators.

Groundcover. Foliage is low and neat even during periods when there are no flowers (flowers in mid-spring). Plant not visible in winter. Can be natura , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Cutthroat seeps, moist roadsides, hammocks, bogs, river banks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Beneficial sweat bees, bumble bees, bee flies, and syrphid flies are attracted to nectar and pollen.

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).

Specimen tree. Red to yellow in the fall. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Steep stream banks and ridges, hammocks, bluffs. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers Attracts bees and other pollinators.

This species is in the Nettle Family and looks much like stinging nettle. However, it does not have stinging hairs. Ground cover in moist sites in ca , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can become overly abundant. Plant with caution. , Habitat, Cypress swamps, floodplain forests, wet thickets, stream banks, marshes, wet forests, marshy shores, ditches. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for several species of moths. Larval host for red admiral (Vanessa atalanta) and eastern comma (Polygonia comma) butt

The plant is listed as Endangered by the FDACS.  Please acquire from reputable nurseries with appropriate permits for propagating and selling this spe , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Good wildlife shelter. Fruits eaten and dispersed by birds and small mammals. , Habitat, Slope forest on steep north-facing slopes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Beetles are the primary pollinators of magnolia flowers. The flowers have a hardened carpel to avoid