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

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.

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

Back of garden screen , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Pine rockland, edges of hammocks , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

This forms clumps but does not form large clones, which means it will not take over a garden. Wildflower garden , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Songbirds such as goldfinches and sparrows eat the seeds, and mice and deer browse the foliage and flowers.  Provides cover for many small animals inc , Habitat, Typically a plant of mesic to dry flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods. Can be ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Used for nectar by butterflies. Attracts a wide variety of pollinators, especially bees.  Documented bee visitors include Colletes maiz

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

Although drought-tolerant, this shrub/small tree may benefit from a few deep, thorough soakings during extremely dry periods. When young, it tends to , 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, Thorns on trunks and branches. Place where flowers and fragrance can be enjoyed, but away from walkways. Can suffer from root rot if too wet. , Wildlife, The thorny branches make good cover for birds and other wildlife. Fruits are not generally valued. Attracts pollinators. There are 2 subspecies, V. fa , Habitat, Coastal uplands, ruderal, shell middens , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Attracts pollinators and uses ants both for protection against unwanted insects.

Multiple species are native to Florida.  Most are attractive and many are easy to grow.  This is a catch-all for species not listed individually.  Ple , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small seed-eating birds pick out the seeds from the mature flower heads. , Habitat, Vary by species. Mostly sandhills, bogs, roadsides, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attract butterflies, bees and wasps.

Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Mesic to wet flatwoods, seep slopes, bogs, savannas, ditches, secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

May sucker and form small clones Foundation plantings, group or mass planting, multi-season accent, or specimen shrub. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Sunny, wet eges of baygalls, shrub swamps, pitcherplant bogs; shrubby transition zones into wet flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and other pollinators.

Hedges, screens. , 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, Reseeds. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume the fruit and use the privet for cover.  Especially important for songbirds because the fruits mature before most oth , Habitat, Dry sites. Coastal hammocks, coastal scrub, thickets. , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance Pollinated by bees.

The bloom period is relatively long - lasting from early spring, well into fall. Wildflower garden. , 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, Moist roadsides, flatwoods, sandhill, scrub. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies Attracts bees

The genus name honors the English botanist William Vernon, who did fieldwork in North America. Moist wildflower garden. Also useful to naturalize alo , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Hydric to moist savannas, openings along streams, wet pastures, floodplains, bluffs, bay swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar attracts native bees and butterflies.  Larval host for Spring azure.

This is a Florida endemic listed by the USFWS and the State of Florida as Endangered.  Please acquire only from reputable sources that have the proper , 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, Birds feed on the fruits. , Habitat, Coastal strand, beach dune. Openings. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts flies, bees, and butterflies.

The showy part of the flower is the white, pink or rose bracts that become petal-like. This species is listed as Threatened by the State of Florida. P , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Edges of bayheads, swamps; bogs; steepheads; wet flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts bees and butterflies.

Called elephant's foot because of the flat basal leaf formation. Meadows and wildflower gardens. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhill, ruderal areas, cutthroat seep, wet prairie. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts various pollinators, especially bees..  Documented native bees include Azcgochlora pura, Augochlorella au

This species is broadly planted. It is one of the few native trees that is widely available. Noted for its twisty form, tolerance of root damage, and , 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, Massive low hanging branches often droop to touch the ground--make sure you allow plenty of room for this tree. Can be somewhat messy especially if lo , Wildlife, Acorns provide a good food source for many types of birds and mammals. Good nesting habitat for birds and squirrels.  The acorns are low in tannins. H , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, pine rockland in fire-suppressed areas and near tropical rockland hammock, upper edges of floodplains, margins of ponds and , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops)

Wood is quite soft and weak.  This author had one break in a storm.  It did however resprout from low on the trunk and the sprout is now about 15 ft t , 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, Quite thorny. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit. , Habitat, Hammocks, wet woods, dunes, shell middens. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Larval host for giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).

Very similar in appearance to several non-natives which are invasive pests, esp. N. cordifolia. If there are spherical tubers amongst the roots, it's , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This can be aggressive. Be careful to plant it where you can contain it. , Habitat, Wet-dry sites. Swamps, hammocks, yards. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage