Flowers tend to appear in spring or after a significant rainfall. Otherwise inconspicuous. Small wildflower or plant in with other low groundcovers. Foliage is very fine and the plant is inconspicuous except when in bloom.

Use as a small specimen shrub in moist areas. Can also be used in floodplains.

Shade tree.

Rarely gown likely because of its need for moist sites. Shrub in an informal, moist garden and would make a good backdrop for a bog garden, or a good plant to plant along a moist woodland edge.

Used for shoreline protection. A major saltmarsh plant. Useful for erosion control.

Based on BONAP maps and the ISB website, the range of Physalis walteri likely includes the entire peninsula of Florida but becomes restricted to areas close to the coast in much of the panhandle and along the east coast north of the peninsula. Mostly planted for interest in the husked fruits

Background plant in a wetland garden. Wetland creation and restoration projects.

Litsea aestivalis is listed as Endangered by the State of Florida.  Since that listing, the laurel wilt disease has come to Florida, and is known to kill this species.   It is likely best to plant this plant only if the stock is known to be disease free, and only if planting it is not likely to provide new hosts for the disease.  As with any Endangered species, please acquire only from reputable nurseries with appropriate licences to grown and sell this species. The documented range of this species suggests that the occurrence is sparse, but fairly broad in the northern half of Florida.  It is also a plant that is easily overlooked and that may have a wider range than that suggested by documentation from herbarium specimens given that much of its habitat has likely been eliminated by forestry practices.  It is also probably that the range is becoming sparser due to laurel wilt. Wetland areas where the goal is to attract birds.

This is one of Florida's most showy and most under-appreciated wildflowers. Look for it along disturbed roadsides in mid-late winter and early spring. This is a personal favorite of one of the authors -- it grows and bloom early and attracts lots of insects.  The only issue is the prickles, so I wear gloves when weeding around it.  It reseeds readily so long as there is good sun and  bare ground where the seeds land. Don't let the name fool you, this is a Florida native. Wildflower garden. Roadside wildflower areas. This plant blooms from late winter into spring displaying its large flowers when little else is blooming in the garden.

Multi-stemmed. A single stem is a curiosity. A large multi-stemmed plant is a long-blooming wonder. Despite the common name, this species has sweet-smelling flowers. The range of this species extends from central Texas east and north into southern New England.  It is represented in Florida by a few isolated occurrences in northwest Florida. Specimen shrub

The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis)is a very destructive wood-boring beetle native to Asia. It was discovered in North America in July 2002, and has become established in Michigan, New York, Ohio and Ontario (Canada). Millions of ash trees have been killed in the northeastern US. Although the borer has not been detected in Florida (Dec. 2011), the presence of ash trees and the ongoing movement of wood, trees and cargo into the state make Florida an area where the beetle could potentially become established. Your help is needed to detect possible infestations so they can be quickly eradicated...if you see it, contact the Florida Division of Forestry. Appropriate for edges of lakes and ponds. Will also grow as a shade tree in uplands, but white ash has better form. Can be used in settings with soil disturbance.

This  little plant produces two flowers with ovaries that fuse into a single fruit. Typically grown as a curiosity. This is a very small plant that acts as a groundcover with the caveat that the plants are very small. Keep it in a natural forested setting or establish in such an area.

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. Water gardens, edges of retention ponds, rain gardens or bioswales.

Wildflower garden or butterfly garden. A number of cultivars exist, but none are grown widely in Florida.

This plant is believed to be extirpated in the wild in Florida.  According to most sources, it was known from a single area south of Miami near Biscayne Bay.  Old specimens at the University of Florida Herbarium for Escambia and Okaloosa counties were re-examined in 2006 and re-identified as Baccacharis dioica.  It has also been reported to have been found on a dune near Mobile, AL (Woodlanders, Inc.) and introduced into the nursery trade from there.  The map of herbarium speciment locations on the Florida Plant Atlas have not been updated.  Plants commercially available in FL apparently come from imports from the Bahamas. Where a moderate-sized shrub is wanted.

Its twisting shape makes it an interesting specimen tree.