Leaves are 2-3 feet across. Listed as Endangered by the state of Florida. Accent or specimen tree in the landscape, also good along roadsides and med , 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, Used as nesting site and food source for birds. , Habitat, Tropical rockland hammock, coastal berm, maritime hammock. Calcareous soils including seasonally inundated flats and shallow depressions. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for monk skipper (Asbolis capucinus). Attracts bees.

Specimen plant. Hedge--makes a good barrier. , 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, Leaves have very sharp tips. , Wildlife, Provides wildlife cover , Habitat, Wet flatwoods, sand dunes, disturbed sites. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Provides food and cover for wildlife.Larval host plant for cofaqui giant skipper (Megathymus cofaqui

This is listed as an ENDANGERED by the State of Florida An excellent accent shrub or small tree with open, spreading crown. Attractive fine textured, , 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 beautiful small tree that is rarely cultivated.. , Habitat, Rockland hammock edges , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for dina yellow (Eurema dina) and cassius blue (Leptotes cassius theonus) butterflies.

Some literature sources suggest that this species may have some salt tolerance as it apparently grows along the upper edges of some salt marshes, but , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Moist-wet sites. Wet flatwoods, roadside ditches in former flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers This plant is an insect magnet! It attracts insects including long-tongued bees, green metallic bees, bee flies, butterflies, and skipp

In the opinion of this author, this species has a weedy look.  Occurs throughout Florida but is more frequent in flatwoods pond settings and small flo , 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, An aggressive grower. Plant where that characteristic is appropriate. , Habitat, Riverine forests, flatwoods, beaches, fresh and brackish marshes, disturbed sites. , Did You Know?, Larval host for tawny edged skipper.

There are two subspecies in Florida with somewhat different but overlapping distributions. Culture and uses in the landscape are similar. It is best t , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, River floodplains. Low roadsides. Low pastures. Usually seen in late winter/spring after rains. Can show up at other times with the right pattern , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators.

Dry wildflower garden.  Abundant flowers are produced near the ends of the stems. , 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, Scrub, scrubby ruderal areas, sandhill, river levees. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Attracts bees and butterflies (Hawthorn Hill).  Documented bee visitors include  Colletes mandibularis, C. thysanellae, C

Weeping branches. Specimen tree, hedge, or screen. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds Fruits are harvested by a variety of birds Birds are attracted to insects which are attracted by the flowers , Habitat, Rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Attracts a variety of  bees and butterflies

Butterfly garden, natural landscape, habitat restoration , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Pinelands and open coastal uplands , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host plant for long-tailed skipper (Urbanus proteus) and northern cloudywing (Thorybes pylades) butterflies. Pollinated by bees.

In nature, this grows in habitats with frequent fire.  In the garden, it will grow best if you remove built-up thatch (or burn it once every few years , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Flatwoods, sandhills. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage

Endemic to western peninsular Florida from Tampa south to Charlotte County. 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, Flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

Flower color varies, which gives the plant a multi-hued array of flowers. Listed as Threatened in Florida Specimen plant where its showy, multi-color , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Good cover for birds, and birds and other wildlife enjoy the fruit. , Habitat, Pine rockland, rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for the Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus). Nectar plant for a variety of butterflies.

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.

Wild petunia's flower only last for a day, but they have a very long flowering period, starting in early spring and going strong through the fall. Ple , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Dry mesic hammocks, flatwoods, sandhill, disturbed areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) and White Peacock (Anartia jatrophae) butterflies. Attracts many pollinators.

Use as a specimen plant or understory tree. May be single or multi-stemmed. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Toxic fruits and foliage. Leaves drop earlier than other deciduous trees. , Habitat, Upland hardwood forests. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage

Flowers are dark maroon, not showy. Small specimen tree. Also works well as a component of floodplain forests. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit. , Habitat, River floodplains, predominantly to the north of Florida. In most of Florida, Asimina parviflora would be more appropriate yet very similar in appear , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Pollinated by flies and beetles

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.

While somewhat overly aggressive, it can be controlled. The author allows it to climb palm trees but pulls them off the tree to limit their size every , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, This is a fast growing vine. It also layers and suckers. These characteristics can make it weedy. It climbs by means of aerial rootlets, which can dam , Wildlife, Very attractive to hummingbirds which are its primary pollinators. , Habitat, Dry-moist sites. Riverine forests, mesic & dry mesic hammock especially where disturbed. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for the plebeian sphinx (Paratraea plebeja) moth.

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.

While occurring naturally in wetlands, this plant makes a good shrub in reasonably moist uplands. Use as a background plant in moist, shady areas. Ch , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Dome swamps, riverine swamps, seep slopes. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers Attracts a wide variety of insect pollinators.

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 eat the seeds. , Habitat, Flatwoods. Moist to dry roadsides. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts a variety of pollinators including bees.   Attracts butterflies.