In January the tree bears tiny red flowers followed by conspicuous, bright-red, winged samaras,or keys, which remain on trees for several weeks, serving as indicators of spring. Florida-grown stock does not need cold temperatures to stimulate flowering, but out-of-state stock does, and should be avoided. Red maple has the greatest south-north range of tree species in eastern North America. Shade or fall color tree for moist areas. Rain gardens or bioswales

Don't confuse this native with the two highly invasive ardisias: coral ardisia (A. crentata) and shoebutton ardisia (A. elliptica). While this will grown in full shade, it blooms better in part sun to sun. Specimen plant or hedge.

Moist wildflower garden. Wetland garden. Plant in full sun and give it plenty of room and plant behind shorter plants.

Moist wildflower garden.

There are two subspecies in Florida with somewhat different but overlapping distributions. Culture and uses in the landscape are similar. It is best to use local sources. Small wildflower. Typically seen in spring or after rain. Grows in small tufts. Plant in low border on intermixed with a groundcover. Inconspicuous when not in bloom. Individual plants are short-lived perennials, but clumps persist for many years.

Specimen plant, screen plant, understory tree/shrub.

This plant is a legume and its roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules on them. It is useful on nutrient poor soils. Baptisia simplicifolia is a Florida endemic and is listed as Threatened by the FDACS. Treat as a small shrub even though this is not woody or use as a background plant in a wildflower garden.

Rarely grown.  This tree occurs predominantly in the coastal plain (withoutliers) from eastern Alabama north to southern New Jersey. Shade tree for moist sites. Forest tree.

Restoration. Backdrop for a pond. Useful for water quality treatment.

Shade tree. Forest tree.

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.  Please choose those that are appropriate for your area. Wildflower garden. All the species listed should grow well in garden settings. They are all grown for their showy flowers (most are yellow, though we do have one with small dark red ray flowers).

Useful in coastal restoration or retained along a coastal shoreline for stabilization. Salt marsh coastal stabilizer. Low dune stabilizer. Groundcover in coastal settings.

Its peeling bark and rounded lobes set it apart from most other oaks. Shade tree best suited to settings where its large size can be appreciated. Grown in open settings, it can have a wide spread. Grown in a forested setting it will have a narrower crown.

Blooms all year. Recruits readily in the garden from seed. Primarily recommended for natural landscapes and habitat restorations. Also butterfly gardens.

All perennial Dicerandra species in Florida a rare and endangered. They appear to be closely related and form hybrid swarms if grown in a common garden. To protect the genetic purity of these rare plants, please do not grown them. Wildflower garden.

Difficult to transplant. Clonal. May be used as a hedge and takes to pruning.

Low ground-hugging ground cover in restoration areas, in ditches, and on wetland edges.

Coral honeysuckle's bark exfoliates. Climbs by twining Given a trellis or fence this plant makes a great hedge. It can also make a good groundcover though it will not bloom as well as it does with support. Expect this plant to be evergreen in most of Florida but deciduous in colder areas.

Highly tolerant of fire once established. Shade tree. Woodland tree.

Specimen tree. Valued for its foliage which is shiny green on top and silky brown beneath.

The scientific name Befaria racemosa was apparently an early transcription error. The genus is named after an 18th century Spanish botanist by the name of Bejar. Documented bees include Agapostemon splendens, Augochlorella aurata, A. gratiosa, Augochloropsis sumptuosa, Anthidiellum perplexum, Anthidium maculifrons, Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, M. mendica, M. petulans, Bombus impatiens and B. pennsylvanicus (Deyrup et al. 2002). Naturalistic settings. Conserve in residual natural settings if possible.