Sprawling. Best used as a wildflower. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Flatwoods near edges of open wetlands; roadsides through such places. Coastal thickets. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts a variety of pollinators, especially butterflies.

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.

Wildflower garden. , 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, Sandhill, secondary woods, flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts 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.

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.

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.

There is potential name confusion with this species since it was formerly considered to be a subspecies of O. hirtellus (Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. s , 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, Unfortunately, this low growing grass is not visible during winter-spring, so its use is somewhat restricted to areas where this is not an issue. , Habitat, Moist sites. Shade. Moist hammocks. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for Carolina satyr (Hermeuptychia sosbius) butterfliy (IRC)

Natural landscapes including meadows and butterfly gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, Purple thistle is a thorny plant - be very careful when handling. , Wildlife, The seeds are rich in oil, an important food source for seed-eating birds. , Habitat, Coastal plain, edges of salt marshes, pinewoods, prairies and disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Larval host to little metalmark (Calephelis virginiensis) and painted lady (Vanessa cardui) butterflies. N

Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Foliage and seeds are food source for birds and mammals. , Habitat, Seeps, wet prairies, wet flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators, especially bees.

Large clump-forming grass with uses as tall groundcover, specimen plant, or border plant. Nice along edges of ponds and water features. , 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, Wet prairie, edges of marshes, but mostly inland--rarely coastal. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

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

Groundcover for dry sites. Clonal (forms small clumps of stems).It has deep red foliage in fall. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Slow growing and difficult to establish. , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the fruit. , Habitat, Sandhills, flatwoods, flatwoods, flatwoods-wetland transition zones, hydric seep slopes including cutthroat seeps and edges of shrub-tree bogs, scrubb , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers Attracts native bees includeing Augochlorella aurata, A. gratiosa, Megachile breuis pseudobrevis, M. integrella plus the no

This is a rare Florida native that is listed as Endangered by the USFWS.  Please obey all applicable laws and regulations. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

The herbarium specimen from Polk County almost certainly has a wrong location.  Lithia is in Hillsborough County and the most likely translation of a , 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 , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. Birds and other small wildlife consume the seed (https://wildflower.org) , Habitat, Moist-wet areas, acid soils. Wet flatwoods, savannas, swamps, stream banks, bogs, other wet areas. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees which have evolved to take advantage of narrow, tubular flowers.

The basal leaves are usually tingled with purple and have deep lobes toward the base, which is reminiscent of the shape of a lyre. Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, If planning to intermix in garden or grass, be aware that this species seeds readily. It definitely does not belong in a manicured lawn. , Habitat, Disturbed sites. Roadsides, dry-mesic to mesic areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts many pollinators including  butterflies and bees.

The cream-colored petals are crimped at the margins with numerous dark-purple stamen filaments and bluish anthers. Silky hairs cover the lower leaf su , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Slope forest, upland hardwood forest, baygall. On acidic soils. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Wildflower garden. This is a small but pretty little plant. Grow it in a moist wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, It may be necessary to re-seed to keep this in the garden. Seed is not generally commercially available. This is the most toxic of the milkweeds and i , Habitat, Flatwoods , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). Attracts various pollinators.

Fragrant. Understory tree in moist areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Fruit eaten by birds and other animals. , Habitat, Bluffs, ravines, in understory of well-drained hardwood forests. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Attracts bees and other pollinators. Attracts butterflies.

This  little plant produces two flowers with ovaries that fuse into a single fruit. Typically grown as a curiosity. This is a very small plant that a , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds  and small mammals consume the berries which mature in the fall and are retained through the winter and spring. , Habitat, Hammocks, upland hardwood forests, upland mixed forest, seep slopes, second bottom and levees in floodplains. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Bumblebees pollinate the flowers. Cross-pollination, required for seed set, is controlled by factors

It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida and as critically imperiled in South Florida by The Institute for Regional Conservation. Specimen , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, coastal rock barren, beach dune, coastal strand. Lower Keys only. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage

Not typically available commercially. One (P. tenuifolius) in the panhandle,the other on the peninsula.  P. tenuifolius is almost endemic (there is an , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Attracts birds when seeds are present. , Habitat, Dry sites. Scrubby flatwoods, sandhill. P. grandifolorus: dry flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and butterflies.