Two varieties exist, both occur in this area. Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Scrub, scrubby flatwoods, dry flatwoods. Also known from some rockland areas in Miami-Dade County. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees. Documented bee visitors include  Agapostemon spleizdens, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis suinptuosa

Retain if in the landscape. Can be used as a specimen plant in areas not subject to root disturbance. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Said to be difficult to transplant as it does not tolerate root disturbance. Grows slowly. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the seeds but it is not a favorite. , Habitat, River floodplains , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Fall color, Interesting foliage Larval plant for tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), striped hairstreak (Satyrium liparops), and r

The natural range of this plant is quite limited, but it has become a native landscaping favorite over a much broader range. Hedges, specimen shrubs, , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Bottomland forest, hydric hammock, baygall, banks of spring run and seepage streams, wet upland mixed forest. Can be seen near several of the spring r , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Insect pollinated.

Leaves have sharp spiny tips. Specimen plant. Low hedge. , 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, The leaves have hard, sharp points. , Wildlife, Provides wildlife cover , Habitat, Dry sites. Scrub, scrubby flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host plant for cofaqui giant skipper (Megathymus cofaqui) and yucca giant skipper (Megathymus yuccae) butte

There is potential name confusion with this species since it was formerly considered to be a subspecies of O. hirtellus (Oplismenus hirtellus subsp. s , 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, Unfortunately, this low growing grass is not visible during winter-spring, so its use is somewhat restricted to areas where this is not an issue. , Habitat, Moist sites. Shade. Moist hammocks. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for Carolina satyr (Hermeuptychia sosbius) butterfliy (IRC)

Closely related plants occur in the Caribbean and Central America. Yellow or orange flowering plants are not the Florida native. In recent years plant , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, This species is cold sensitive and will die back if it freezes. Usually resprouts from the base. There are recent observations of the plant in north F , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the fruits and disperse seeds. Hummingbirds come for nectar , Habitat, Dry sites. Coastal forests, upland forests, hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for the pluto sphinx moth Butterflies, noted for attracting zebrawing  Attracts long-tongued bee