Many of us think of this is a weed that we allow to grow for its value to insects. Casual settings, especially toward the rear of wildflower gardens , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Once you have this plant, you will always have this plant. It can be quite weedy. The seeds have barbs which stick to clothing and pet fur. , Habitat, Ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts native bees, butterflies. Larval host for the  dainty sulphur (Nathalis iole) butterfly.

Listed as Threatened in Florida. Please acquire from reputable sources. Screen plant. Informal hedge. Specimen. , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Wildlife, Fruits attract birds. , Habitat, Pine rockland, rockland hammock. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits

Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Fatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, scrub, dunes, beach strands, sand ridges, fields and roadsides, sandhill. Pyrophytic. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees. Leafcutting bees from the family Megachilidae have been observed visiting the flowers at the Archbold Bi

This species may not survive well near the southern end of its range especially if grown in full sun and droughty conditions. And even if it does surv , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Very sensitive to appropriate soils. Does poorly in neutral or alkaline soils. Dogwoods do not tolerate heavy foot traffic or extra soil piled around , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals consume the fruit , Habitat, Mesic hardwood forests, pine-oak-hickory woods, mesic longleaf pinelands. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies.  La

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

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

While this tree has a limited native distribution in Florida, it also occurs as far west as Texas in similar types of settings. Shade tree. Can be us , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, While not known to occur in Florida, this species is potentially susceptible to  Dutch elm disease. , Wildlife, Seeds used by birds when little else is available. Used for nesting. , Habitat, Floodplain forest, hydric hammock, bottomland forest. On limestone. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval food for the Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis)

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

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

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.

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

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.

Interesting buttressed trunks. Shade tree. Can be used in settings such as parking lot edges, street tree, etc. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Povides good cover.  Birds and small mammals are attracted to the fruit. , Habitat, Tropical hammocks. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts insect pollinators