Multiple species are native to Florida.  Most are attractive and many are easy to grow.  This is a catch-all for species not listed individually.  Ple , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small seed-eating birds pick out the seeds from the mature flower heads. , Habitat, Vary by species. Mostly sandhills, bogs, roadsides, ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attract butterflies, bees and wasps.

Adaptable to the casual or wildflower garden. Can be used as groundcover or border plant. Naturalizes. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Can spread overly quickly. , Habitat, Open sites, deciduous woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts pollinators, especially bees.

It is difficult to know the native range of this plant in Florida as it has been widely planted on roadsides across much of the state at least since t , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without i , Considertions, A series of studies in the last 10 years are suggesting that Gaillardia pulchella is likely not native to Florida.   It is widely grown and  naturaliz , Wildlife, Birds that eat the seeds include chickadees, titmice, and warblers. , Habitat, Dry sites, often near the coast. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts many pollinators including native bees, honeybees, butterflies, butterflies and wasps.

This species is rare and listed as endangered by the State of Florida. It is endemic to several counties along the northeast coast of Florida. Please , 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, Wet flatwoods, savannas, roadside ditches. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Primarily pollinated by bees. The goldenrod soldier beetle (a.k.a. leatherwing beetle(, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus is a goldenrod pol

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

Forms a low thicket with many sprouts from  underground stems. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Small mammals, including squirrels, use the acorns.  Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. The acorns are utilized by squirrels. An import , 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

Persimmon wood is very hard and nearly black--it's in the ebony family. Typically grown for its fruit. Plant in full sun. Also useful as an early suc , 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, Tent caterpillars can be an aesthetic issue and fruit drop can be messy. Persimmons are dioecious, so if you wish to have fruit, make sure that you ha , Wildlife, Fruits are used by a broad array of small mammals and some birds. , Habitat, Dry-moist-wet sites. Disturbed sites, wetland edges, old fields, sandhill. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host for royal walnut moth (Citheronia regalis), pecan carpenterworm moth (Cossula magnifi

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)

Given that this is short-lived (biennial) and difficult to transplant or grow from seed, this is perhaps best encouraged in places where it grows natu , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Hard to establish. Biennial, though may reseed. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host for  frosted elfin (Callophyris irus) butterfly, which is listed as  Endangered in Flori

Wild cotton is a rare plant; it needs protection against missuses and protection against removal from natural populations. Use as a short-lived "shru , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, It is not legal to plant this plant, but the reasons are very dated. A Florida law was passed in the early 1900s banning the growing of wild cottons, , Habitat, Dry sites. Tropical hammock, coastal berm, shell mound. Disturbed area. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host plant for gray hairstreak (Strymon melinus) butterflies. Flowers attract bees, flies, thrips, grass hoppers,

The genus name honors the English botanist William Vernon, who did fieldwork in North America. Back of a moist wildflower garden. Can also use on the , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Habitat, Exposed sand and gravel bars of streams during low water, stream banks, hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods. Rich soils. Ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Nectar attracts butterflies and native beens.  Larval host for spring azure butterfly.

The silvery undersides of the leaves are striking. Erroneously listed as a host for palamedes swallowtail butterflies. Palamedes swallowtails only fee , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Seeds are eaten by woodpeckers, kingbirds, red-eyed vireos, mockingbirds, robins, thrushes, crows, cardinals, squirrels, mice among others. Deer brows , Habitat, Bay swamp, forested seep slopes, floodplains of small streams, low flatwoods where fire has been excluded. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for Eastern tiger swallowtail (Pterou

Despite the appearance of the county-based range map, the actual range is limited to the coastal areas. Wildflower garden. Groundcover. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without i , Considertions, West and east coast beach sunflowers can hybridize, so it is best not to plant east coast beach sunflower withing the natural range of wet cost beach , Wildlife, Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. , Habitat, Beach dune. Disturbed areas near coast (ruderal) , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Primarily pollinated by bees.

This species is listed as invasive in parts of the world where it is not native. Water garden, planting of surface water management pond. Often used , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Water. Ponds, lakes, quiet streams, swampa, ditches, canals. This species can be seen in the Lower Hillsborough Flood Detention Area in Hillsborough , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Pollinated by bees and flies.

Wood is quite soft and weak.  This author had one break in a storm.  It did however resprout from low on the trunk and the sprout is now about 15 ft t , 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, Quite thorny. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife eat the fruit. , Habitat, Hammocks, wet woods, dunes, shell middens. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Larval host for giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes).

Range barely reaches north Florida. Specimen shrub, border, windbreak. This is a spreading, somewhat sprawling shrub. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Provides nesting, roosting and loafing cover for a variety of songbirds and game birds. Its fruit may not be the first choice of many kinds of wildlif , Habitat, Dry, somewhat open woods. , Did You Know?, Fall color, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Primarily pollinated by bees.

It is listed as Threatened by the state of Florida. Naturalistic landscapes. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Birds and other wildlife consume fruit. , Habitat, Relatively dry hammocks. , Did You Know?, Interesting bark Larval host plant for Florida white (Appias drusilla) butterfly.