Endemic to the sand ridges of  central and northern peninsular Florida. Forms a thicket with many sprouts from  underground stems. , 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 , Wildlife, Small mammals use the acorns.  Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. The acorns are utilized by squirrels. An important food source for th , Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods, scrubby sandhill. , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host  for Horace's duskywing (Erynnis horatius), red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and white-M hairstreak (P

Has shiny, stiff leaves 2.5 to 5 inches long. Often used as a hedge plant. Fast growing. Can also work as an individual specimen. A good choice for d , 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, Dense foliage can be good bird nesting habitat.  Fruits are dispersed by wind. , Habitat, Dry sites near the coast. Hammocks and pinelands. , Did You Know?, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Attracts pollinators.

Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Difficult to establish because of long tap root. , Wildlife, Small mammals and birds harvest the fruit. , Habitat, Flatwoods, ruderal (pastures), scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for zebra swallowtail (Eurytides marcellus) and pawpaw sphinx (Dolba hyloeus). Pollinated by flies and beetles.

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.

Can be pruned either as a small tree or a large shrub. Can also be used as a hedge. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Thorns. , Wildlife, Fruits eaten by birds and small mammals. Good cover plant. , Habitat, Moist hammocks. Rare. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage, Thorns Native bees love the flowers.

They are included here because they are valuable to insects and because they are lovely and good to have in a native garden if you are lucky enough to , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Both species are hemi-parasitic (semi-parasitic) and difficult to grow without appropriate host plants. , Habitat, Open upland woods and disturbed edges. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for  black buckeye. Attracts insects.

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.

Listed as Endangered by the State of Florida and the USFWS.  This is a rare plant endemic to one panhandle county and should only be acquired from rep , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Sandhill. Seen in open sandhill at Appalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve. Upper edges of steepheads in the transition to sandhills, edges of pin , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts many pollinators, especially bees.

Salt tolerance has not been studied but it has been recorded (in New England) in salt marshes, suggesting tolerance of at least brackish water and lik , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, It's a prolific reseeder. , Habitat, Upland mixed forests, flatwoods, sandhill, ruderal areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Flowers attract pollinators, likely bees, flies, and/or butterflies and moths.

This is a wetland plant, but it will do well once established in a moist garden setting. Moist wildflower gardens. Easily grown along streams. , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, riverine marshes, open wet prairies. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Pollinated by sphinx moths. Larval host for Spanish moth a.k.a. convict caterpillar (Xanthopastis timais)

This is Florida's only native annual sunflower.  The Bradford County location is near both a major road and a railroad and may be a waif. Moist wildf , 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, Pinelands, savannas, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Primarily pollinated by bees. The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) is a goldenrod pol

Bloom period can be prolonged by removing flowers as they wither. It does not compete well with aggressive plants. Wildflower garden. Blooms best in , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds which are the primary pollinator. , Habitat, Upland woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers

Climbs by twining petioles. Grow on a trellis or fence. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, To remain attractive and not become a mass of past growth, cut it back occasionally. Thin out old stems. , Wildlife, Attracts  hummingbords. , Habitat, Riverine swamps, wet hammocks. This species can be seen near the boardwalks at Flint Creek and Sargeant Parks in Hillsborough County. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for mournful thyris (Thyris sepulchralis). Attracts bees and butterfli

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.

Leaves are very small and arranged in circles around the stem at each node giving it a banded appearance. This is a fern ally and reproduces by spores , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This plant will spread. , Wildlife, Provides good cover at the edges of waterways or ponds. , Habitat, Sandy soils in river floodplains, lake edges, ditches, sloughs. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

These species are, in combination, found throughout Florida and from a cultivation perspective, are very similar.  In nature, O. stricta tends to be i , 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, Thorns! The thorns on this plant make weeding around it difficult. Best planted where no one will be walking adjacent to the plant. , Habitat, Coastal dunes, coastal grasslands. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Thorns Nectar plant for Meske's skipper (Hesperia meskei) butterflies. Attracts a variety of insect

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, Mesic to wet flatwoods, seep slopes, bogs, savannas, ditches, cutthroat seeps, bogs, boggy swamps. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

Lacy specimen plant in wet settings. Useful in fern gardens or beside a shady water feature. Useful around drainage ponds. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Needs periodic removal of old fronds. , Habitat, Dome swamp, cutthroat seep. Wet woods, usually with acid soil. Shallow swamps, bogs, shallow ponds, stream banks, hydric seep slopes. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Specimen plant, hedge plant. Large shrub to small tree. Large, showy, shiny leaves. , 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, Dioecious (separate male and female plants), so both male and female are required to get fruits. Mature fruits are not attractive (young fruits are ni , Wildlife, Fruit is eaten by birds and mammals.  Mockingbirds specifically are reported to enjoy the fruits. , Habitat, Coastal hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for tantalus sphinx (Aellopus tantalus) moths. Nectar plant for mangr

Low growing groundcover. Can be used as a turf substitute in low traffic areas. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Dry-moist-wet sites. Disturbed wet prairies, ruderal areas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host  for common buckeye (Junonia coenia), phaon crescent (Phyciodes phaon) and white peacock (Anartia jatr

Similar in general appearance to St. Augustine grass. To look nice as a turf grass, seashore paspalum requires water and fertilizer and needs frequent , Tolerance, Tolerant of frequent or regular inundation (usually areas with tidal inundation) High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and , Considertions, Said to be hard to cut and requires frequent cutting. If cut too low, it may recover slowly. , Habitat, Beaches, borders of salt marshes, disturbed brackish sites. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage