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.

Blooms all year. Recruits readily in the garden from seed. Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gard , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Wildlife, Larval host plant for Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and silver-banded hairstreak (Chlorostrymon simaethis) butterflies; occasional larval host for th , Habitat, Coastal hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits, Interesting foliage Larval host plant for Miami blue (Hemiargus thomasi) and silver-banded hairstreak (Chlorostrymon sim

Highly tolerant of fire once established. Shade tree. Woodland tree. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Huge pine cones litter the ground, so not a good tree for a lawn. , Wildlife, Known for its use by squirrels, especially fox squirrels. Birds also eat the nuts. Old trees in well managed (properly burned) natural sandhill and fl , Habitat, Sandhill, mesic to dry flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Hurricane wind resistance

This species can be distinguished from related non-natives by its trailing stems and lance-shaped leaves. Stachytarpheta urticifolia, commonly sold by , 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 , Wildlife, Attracts  hummingbirds. , Habitat, Coastal strand, open areas in dry mesic hardwood forests, sometimes nestled under trees along sandy roadsides. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Larval host for tropical buckeye (Junonia genoveva) butterfly.  Nectar plant for many butterflies and moths including: Bahamian swallow

It is listed as threatened by the state of Florida. Groundcover or border plant. This is a low spreading shrub. Shiny foliage. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Rockland hammock, pine rockland. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Attracts bees and butterflies.

Makes a good specimen tree or a cluster of in wet areas along margins of lakes and ponds. This tree is columnar in form and can make a formal-looking , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sensitive to drying. Difficult to grow unless its moisture requirements are met. , Wildlife, Attracts hummingbirds. , Habitat, Moist-wet sites. Seepage swamps, bay swamps, edges of cypress domes, low flatwoods. This species is likely restricted to wetland edges both by its ne , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Flowers attract a variety of insects including bees and flies.

Large shade tree. Plant where falling/fallen nuts will not be a problem. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Plant where nut and leaf litter will not be a problem. , Wildlife, Small mammals (squirrels and other rodents) consume nuts. , Habitat, Dry hammocks, dry hardwood forests , Did You Know?, Fall color Larval host for many moths including; luna moth (Actias luna), hickory leafroller moth (Argyrotaenia juglandana), royal walnut moth (Cithe

Grow on a fence, trellis, or arbor. In informal settings, allow to twine around tree or shrub stems. Interesting bell-shaped flowers and whorled white , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Birds and other small wildlife consume seed. , Habitat, Dry mesic upland mixed forest, sandhill. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Showy fruits Larval host for mournful thyris (Thyris sepulchralis).   Attracts various pollinators, especially bees.

Sawgrass is a sedge, not a grass. It was this plant that Marjory Stoneman Douglas referred to in her seminal work: "The Everglades: River of Grass." A , Tolerance, Tolerant of inundation with brackish water High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt spray without injury. , Considertions, Blades have sharp edges...hence the common name. Best planted where people will not brush by it. , Habitat, Swamps, marshes, shores of water bodies, common in coastal marsh, glades, cypress prairie. , Did You Know?, Larval host of the Palatka skipper (Euphyes pilatka).

Do not plant this plant unless you are absolutely sure that it is not infected by laurel wilt disease.  In general, this small bay seems to be escapin , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Some tolerance to salty wind but not direct salt spray. , Considertions, This small tree appears to less likely to be killed by laurel wilt than Florida's other bays.. It is likely that it is too small to attract the beetle , Wildlife, Fruits eaten and dispersed by birds. , Habitat, Dry sites. Scrub, high pine, scrubby sandhill. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host plant for palamedes swallowtail (Papilio palamedes) and spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterflies. Attracts

Endemic to western peninsular Florida from Tampa south to Charlotte County. Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Sometimes the flower stalks are too tall and heavy to stand. Can be cut back mid-summer to reduce height. In a large garden, the twisted fallen stalks , Habitat, Flatwoods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts butterflies and bees.

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

This species is listed as Endangered by the State of Florida.  Please acquire only from reputable sources with proper permits. Grow as a sprawling vi , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt , Wildlife, Provides food for birds. , Habitat, Coastal hammocks esp. on dunes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts a variety of insect pollinators including the Nessus sphinx (Amphion floridensis), Tantalus sphinx (Aellopus tantalus) and Ter

Specimen tree in wet settings. This is a good plant to grow in floodplains. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Nut and leaf drop can be messy in a home landscape. , Wildlife, Ducks and other wildlife consume nuts. , Habitat, Swamps , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage Larval host for many moths including; luna moth (Actias luna), hickory leafroller moth (Argyrotaenia juglandana), royal walnut mo

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,

Grow on a trellis, fence, or post. , 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, The sap is an irritant to the skin and poisonous if ingested. , Wildlife, Said to attract hummingbirds. , Habitat, Pine woods, coastal hammocks, edges of coastal marshes. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host of the polka dot wasp moth (Syntomeida epilais), but there is a question whether or not that's a nativ

Although drought-tolerant, this shrub/small tree may benefit from a few deep, thorough soakings during extremely dry periods. When young, it tends to , Tolerance, Tolerant of occasional/brief inundation such as can occur in storm surges. High. Can tolerate significant and ongoing amounts of salty wind and salt , Considertions, Thorns on trunks and branches. Place where flowers and fragrance can be enjoyed, but away from walkways. Can suffer from root rot if too wet. , Wildlife, The thorny branches make good cover for birds and other wildlife. Fruits are not generally valued. Attracts pollinators. There are 2 subspecies, V. fa , Habitat, Coastal uplands, ruderal, shell middens , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Thorns Attracts pollinators and uses ants both for protection against unwanted insects.

The range of this species includes much of eastern North America up into southern Canada.  Its occurrence in Florida is sparse with appropriate substr , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Benefits from periodic removal of old fronds. , Habitat, Rocky hammocks and upper margins of swamps. , Did You Know?, Interesting foliage

Wildflower garden. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Habitat, Bluffs, swamps, floodplains, wet flatwoods, bogs, savannas. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Attracts bees and butterflies.

This forms clumps but does not form large clones, which means it will not take over a garden. Wildflower garden , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Wildlife, Songbirds such as goldfinches and sparrows eat the seeds, and mice and deer browse the foliage and flowers.  Provides cover for many small animals inc , Habitat, Typically a plant of mesic to dry flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods. Can be ruderal. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers Used for nectar by butterflies. Attracts a wide variety of pollinators, especially bees.  Documented bee visitors include Colletes maiz

Bloom can be long lasting relative to other early spring blooming trees -- as long as a month. Duration is dependent on temperature. Flowers grow dire , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, At the extreme south end of its range, it may not bloom well. The wood is weak and is likely to break off during a high wind event unless grouped with , Habitat, Upland hardwood forests. Bluffs, hammocks, secondary woods. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage Larval host for Henry's elfin (Callophrys henrici) and io moth (Automeris io). Popular with bees including bumbleb