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.

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).

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

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

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

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,

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 is one of the most common ferns in central-southern Florida and potentially one of the most beautiful. Ground cover for moist, shady sites. Also , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Will spread unless contained by physical or environmental limits. Periodic removal of old fronds is recommended. , Habitat, Marshes, swamps , 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

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 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.

Short lived. Rarely grown as it is difficult to establish. Retain it in the landscape if is is occurring naturally. , 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 and requires highly specific site conditions. , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Scrub, in open areas. Sandhills, coastal hammocks. Mostly near the coast. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers Attracts  bees, and butterflies.