Shade tree. It is known for its smooth light gray bark. Its leaves turn yellow and then light brown remaining on the tree until nearly spring and providing interest to the winter landscape. If you are privileged to have this tree in the landscape, retain and protect it.

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 permits. Groundcover in dry coastal settings.

Wildflower garden especially in sunny moist areas.

Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray would be uncommon (major storms).

Plant in moist to wet areas where it can be grown in large clumps.

Invasive in many parts of the world.  It is either a blessing or a pest in Florida depending on where it is. Good addition to a freedom lawn.

Specimen plant, thicket, or natural background plantings.

Wildflower garden.

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 fall color make this an attractive garden plant. Wildflower garden. Blooms late spring. Fall foliage color is orange-yellow.

Foliage when crushed smells like citrus. This small tree has an elegant appearance that makes it suited to use as a specimen plant. The glossy evergreen foliage makes this small tree also make it effective as a screen or barrier plant.

This tree is subject to Dutch elm disease. Dutch elm disease has not been detected in Florida (IFAS 2008). In most of eastern North America, this tree has largely disappeared from landscape use due to mass mortality from Dutch elm disease. Shade tree, used as a street tree noted for its spreading urn-shaped crown. Tolerant of root disturbance.

Grow as an emergent along pond or lake edges or in aquatic gardens.

Not typically seen for sale, but a good addition to the aquatic garden.

This is listed as Endangered by the FDACS.  Please acquire from reputable sources with appropriate permits. Use on trellis or scramble up a mature tree.

Rarely grown but worthy of consideration for moist areas. Poisonous and nectar may be toxic to some insects. Grow on support or up a tree in moist areas. Can make a good screen on a fence.

Flower color varies, which gives the plant a multi-hued array of flowers. Listed as Threatened in Florida Specimen plant where its showy, multi-colored flowers can be seen. Use as a large shrub to small tree.  Works well planted in clusters.

Not readily available from nurseries but said to be easy to grow. Palafoxia feayi is a related species, also beautiful, but harder to row and even less available.  It is associated with the scrubs of the central peninsula. Since this gets tall, plant it at the rear of a wildflower garden. Individual stems are narrow, but older specimens can have multiple stems. Blooms in mid-fall with blooms concentrated at the tops of the stems.

In the wild, Torreya is dying out due to disease. If choosing to plant this species, obtain disease-free (out-of-state) specimens and plant well-removed from the Apalachicola River so that the planted specimens will not become infected. This is a federally endangered species, it cannot be transplanted or transported without landowner permission and/or appropriate permits. There are also issues with planting this since the disease is easily transmittable (Chapman 2019).  Bottom line, this is not something to do without consulting conservation specialists. To participate in FNPS restoration and protection efforts for this species, see http://torreyakeepers.fnps.org. Specimen tree.

Occurs naturally at the edges of wooded areas and creates a hedge-like appearance.