Wildflower garden.

Although drought-tolerant, this shrub/small tree may benefit from a few deep, thorough soakings during extremely dry periods. When young, it tends to be multi-trunked, so if a tree form is desired, pruning is required. Very briefly deciduous. Although the range extends further north, it is best used in landscaping where temperatures do not drop below 20 degrees F. Good for barrier shrub and as wildlife thicket, also nice as specimen.

Small to medium tree often with somewhat scruffy form. Retain in a natural setting if present.

Water gardens and pond edges.  Moist wildflower gardens.

Moist wildflower garden.

Natural range is restricted to coastal areas. Native borders, foundation plant, especially in salty environments. Can be trimmed.

Background shrub.

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.

Each stem has soft, fleshy green flanges running longitudinally down its length. When winter weather brings ice, the stems exude water that freezes into fascinating shapes, hence its common name frostweed. Background plant in a wildflower garden. Also useful as a mass planting along a forest edge. This plant is best used in informal settings and does well if allowed to naturalize.

Small wildflower in moist areas.

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 second species (C. mariscoides) occurs in a limited area in north Florida.  Its uses and culture are similar. Typically used in wetland restoration. Also useful for planting in brackish settings where an emergent aquatic is desired. Spreads rapidly to cover large areas.

May be annual or perennial depending on weather. Moist wildflower gardens

Fragrant. Noted for its 3-parted glossy leaves. Can be used as as a specimen plant, screen, or possibly a hedge.

Groundcover or border plant in shady areas.

The silvery undersides of the leaves are striking. Erroneously listed as a host for palamedes swallowtail butterflies. Palamedes swallowtails only feed on native members of the genus Persea. Specimen plant in moist areas. Rain gardens and bioswales. Wetland tree. In wetlands, it forms clonal thickets making it useful for wetland restoration.

Moist wildflower garden. Makes a good mass planting on the edge of a pond or ditch.

There are three subspecies included in this description.  Together, they are found in all coastal counties of Florida and many inland ones.  As a grass, it is likely undercollected and it has likely been excluded by many agricultural practices, so at least one of these subspecies is potentially native throughout Florida.  Muhlenbergia capillaris var. capillaris is the subspecies that is most commonly available from nurseries. Hedge, specimen plant, mass planting

Wildflower garden. Mass plantings.

Rarely planted. Good background plant. Can make a good screen. Becomes scraggly if overly shaded, but may be trimmed back for bushier growth. Clonal.

Shade tree. Relatively conical or oval in form. Straight trunk.