skip to main content
Environmental Review Toolkit
 
        Next >

State Plant Listings

Florida

Vegetation References

(Dominant plant species present in each vegetation type are listed in Appendix C)

71 Palmetto Prairie (Serenoa-Aristida)
81 Live Oak-Sea Oats (Quercus-Uniola)
82 Cypress Savanna (Taxodium-Mariscus)
83 Everglades (Mariscus and Magnolia-Persea)
96 Mangrove (Avicennia-Rhizophora)
102 Sandhill (Pinus Palustrus-Aristida Stricta)
103 Southern Floodplain Forest (Quercus-Nyssa-Taxodium)
105 Sand Pine Scrub (Pinus-Quercus)
106 Subtropical Pine Forest (Pinus)

Botanical Experts

Linda G. Chafin, Botanist
Florida Natural Areas Inventory
1018 Thomasville Road, Suite 200-C
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 224-8207

Recommended Flora

Clewell, A.F. 1985. Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Florida Panhandle. University Presses of Florida, Florida State University, Gainesville, FL. 605 pgs. + illus. ISBN 0813007798.

Wunderlin, R.P 1998. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida. University Presses of Florida, Florida State University, Gainesville, FL. 806 pgs. Map. ISBN 081301556-1.

Native Plants for Landscape Use in Flordia

Cactus

Opuntia humifusa (prickly pear)

Ferns

Adiantum capillus-veneris (southern maidenhair fern)
Asplenium platyneuron (ebony spleenwort)
Athyrium filix-femina (lady fern)
Botrychium virginianum (rattlesnake fern)
Onoclea sensibilis (sensitive fern, bead fern)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Osmunda regalis (royal fern)
Phegopteris hexagonoptera (broad beech fern)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Thelypteris kunthii (southern shield fern, wood fern, river fern)
Woodwardia areolata (netted chain fern)
Woodwardia virginica (Virginia chain fern)

Forbs (annuals/biennials)

Aphanostephus skirrhobasis (lazy daisy)
Glandularia canadensis (rose vervain, sweet William)
Ipomopsis rubra (standing cypress)
Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan)
Sabatia brevifolia (narrow-leaved sabatia)
Senecio glabellus (butterweed)

Forbs (perennials)

Actaea pachypoda (white baneberry)
Ageratina altissima var. altissima (white snakeroot)
Allium canadense (wild garlic)
Amsonia ciliata (blue funnel lily, blue star)
Amsonia tabernaemontana (blue star)
Arisaema triphyllum Back-in-the-pulpit, Indian turnip)
Asarum canadense (wild ginger)
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed)
Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed)
Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed)
Aster dumosus (bushy aster)
Aster pilosus (frost aster)
Baptisia alba (white false indigo)
Callirhoe papaver (poppy mallow)
Canna flaccida (golden canna)
Chrysopsis mariana (Maryland golden aster)
Collinsonia canadensis (stoneroot, citronella horsebalm)
Coreopsis lanceolata (lance-leaved coreopsis)
Delphinium carolinianum (blue larkspur)
Dodecatheon meadia (shooting star)
Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower)
Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master, button snakeroot)
Eupatorium coelestinum (mist flower)
Eupatorium fistulosum (Joe-pye weed)
Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset)
Eupatorium purpureum (Joe-pye weed)
Euphorbia corollata (flowering spurge)
Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry)
Gentiana saponaria (closed gentian, soapwort gentian)
Hedyotis nigricans (bluets)
Helenium autumnale (common sneezeweed)
Helianthus simulans (narrow-leaved sunflower, swamp sunflower)
Heliopsis helianthoides (ox-eye sunflower, false sunflower)
Hepatica nobilis var. acuta (sharp-lobed hepatica)
Hibiscus moscheutos (swamp rose mallow, marshmallow hibiscus)
Houstonia procumbens (innocence)
Hymenocallis caroliniana (spider lily, rain lily)
Hypoxis hirsuta (yellow star grass)
Iris virginica (southern blue flag)
Kosteletzkya virginica (seashore mallow)
Lespedeza capitata (roundheaded bush clover)
Liatris elegans (gayfeather)
Liatris spicata (marsh blazing star, gayfeather)
Liatris squarrosa (blazing star)
Lilium canadense (wild yellow lily, Canada lily)
Lilium michauxii (Carolina lily)
Lilium michiganense (Turk's cap lily, Michigan lily)
Lithospermum caroliniense (hairy puccoon, hispid gromwell)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Lupinus perennis (wild lupine)
Lysimachia ciliata (fringed loosestrife)
Manfreda virginica (rattlesnake master, false aloe)
Mitchella repens (partridge berry)
Nuphar lutea (yellow pond lily, cow lily, spatter dock)
Oenothera fruticosa (sundrops)
Orontium aquaticum (golden club)
Pachysandra procumbens (Allegheny spurge)
Peltandra virginica (arrow arum)
Penstemon australis (beardtongue)
Phlox carolina (Carolina phlox)
Phlox pilosa (prairie phlox, downy phlox)
Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant, false dragonhead)
Podophyllum peltatum (May apple)
Polygonatum biflorum (Solomon's seal)
Rhexia virginica (meadow beauty)
Rudbeckia fulgida (black-eyed Susan, orange coneflower)
Rudbeckia laciniata (cut-leaf coneflower)
Salvia lyrata (cancer weed, lyre-leaf sage)
Sanguinaria candensis (bloodroot)
Senecio aureus (golden ragwort)
Silene virginica (fire pink)
Sisyrinchium angustifolium (narrow-leaved blue-eyed grass)
Sisyrinchium atlanticum (eastern blue-eyed grass)
Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod, old-field goldenrod)
Solidago odora (sweet goldenrod)
Solidago sempervirens (seaside goldenrod)
Spigelia marilandica (Indian pink)
Stokesia laevis (stokes' aster)
Tephrosia virginiana (goat's rue)
Thalictrum thalictroides (rue anemone)
Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio spiderwort)
Uvularia sessilifolia (wildoats, merrybells)
Verbena hastata (blue verbena, blue vervain)
Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root)
Viola affinis (Florida violet)
Viola soraria (common blue violet, meadow violet)
Yucca aloifolia (Spanish dagger)
Zephyranthes atamasca (atamasco lily, Easter lily)
Zizia aptera (heart-leaved golden alexanders)
Zizia aurea (golden alexanders)

Grasses/Grass-like plants

Agrostis scabra (ticklegrass, fly-away grass)
Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem)
Andropogon glomeratus (bushy bluestem)
Andropogon ternarius (splitbeard bluestem)
Andropogon virginicus (broom sedge)
Arundinaria gigantea (giant cane)
Carex stipata (awl-fruited sedge)
Chasmanthium latifolium (inland sea oats, wild oats, river oats, broad-leaf uniola)
Danthonia spicata (poverty grass)
Distichlis spicata (seashore saltgrass)
Eragrostis spectabilis (purple lovegrass, tumblegrass)
Juncus effusus var. solutus (soft rush)
Leersia oryzoides (rice cut grass)
Leptochloa dubia (green sprangletop)
Muhlenbergia capillaris (gulf muhly, hair grass)
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass)
Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem)
Scirpus cyperinus (wool grass)
Scirpus tabernaemontani (great bulrush)
Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass)
Spartina patens (marsh hay cordgrass, salt meadow cordgrass)
Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gama grass)

Shrubs (deciduous)

Alnus serrulata (smooth alder)
Amelanchier arborea (downy serviceberry, shadbush, Juneberry)
Amorpha fruticosa (false indigo, Indigo bush)
Baccharis halimifolia (sea myrtle, groundsel bush)
Callicarpa americana (American beautyberry, French mulberry)
Calycanthus floridus (Carolina allspice, sweet shrub)
Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey tea, red root)
Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush)
Clethra alnifolia (summer sweet)
Cornus alternifolia (pogoda dogwood, alternate-leaved dogwood)
Dirca palustris (leatherwood, ropebark)
Erythrina herbacea (coral bean)
Euonymus americana (strawberry bush, brook euonymus, hearts-a-bustin')
Euonymus atropurpurea (wahoo, burning bush)
Eupatorium odoratum (blue mistflower, crucita)
Forestiera acuminata (swamp privet)
Frangula caroliniana (Carolina buckthorn)
Hibiscus coccineus (wild red mallow)
Hydrangea arborescens (wild hydrangea)
Hydrangea quercifolia (oakleaf hydrangea)
Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides (St. Andrew's cress)
Ilex verticillata (winterberry, black alder)
Itea virginica (Virginia willow, sweetspire, tassel-white)
Lindera benzoin (spicebush)
Lycium carolinianum (Christmas berry, matrimony vine)
Lyonia ligustrina (male-berry, male-blueberry)
Malvaviscus drummondii (Turk's-cap mallow, Texas wax mallow, Mexican apple, manzanilla)
Physocarpus opulifolius (ninebark)
Rhododendron canescens (wild, piedmont, or sweet azalea)
Rhus copallinum (dwarf or winged sumac)
Rhus glabra (smooth sumac)
Rosa carolina (Carolina rose)
Rosa setigera (Illinois or prairie rose)
Sambucus canadensis (elderberry, common elder)
Sideroxylon lanuginosum ssp. lanuginosum (chittamwood, gum elastic tree)
Staphylea trifolia (bladdernut)
Stewartia malacodendron (silky camellia)
Styrax americanus (American silverbells)
Vaccinium arboreum (sparkleberry, farkleberry)
Viburnum acerifolium (maple leaf viburnum)
Viburnum dentatum (southern arrowwood)
Viburnum nudum (possumhaw viburnum)
Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides (wild raisin)
Viburnum rufidulum (southern or rusty black haw)

Shrubs (evergreen)

Avicennia germinans (black mangrove)
Coccoloba uvifera (sea grape)
Epigaea repens (trailing arbutus)
Gordonia lasianthus (loblolly bay, gordonia)
Ilex glabra (inkberry, bitter gallberry)
Ilex vomitoria (yaupon)
Illicium floridanum (Florida anise tree)
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)
Leucothoe axillaris (coast leucothoe)
Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle, southern bayberry, candleberry)
Sabal minor (dwarf palmetto)
Serenoa repens (saw palmetto)

Trees (deciduous)

Acer barbatum (Florida maple, southern sugar maple)
Acer leucoderme (chalk maple)
Acer negundo (box elder)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Acer saccharinum (silver maple)
Aesculus pavia var. pavia (red buckeye)
Betula nigra (river birch)
Carpinus caroliniana (blue beech, hornbeam, musclewood)
Carya alba (mockernut hickory)
Carya cordiformis (bitternut, swamp hickory)
Celtis laevigata (sugarberry, hackberry)
Cercis canadensis (redbud)
Chionanthus virginicus (fringe tree, old man's beard)
Cornus florida (flowering dogwood)
Crataegus crus-galli (cockspur hawthorn)
Crataegus marshallii (parsley hawthorn)
Crataegus phaenopyrum (Washington hawthorn)
Cyrilla racemiflora (leatherwood, yiti)
Diospyros virginiana (persimmon)
Fagus grandifolia var. caroliniana (beech)
Fraxinus americana (white ash)
Fraxinus pensylvanica (green ash)
Gleditsia triacanthos (honey locust)
Halesia diptera (American snowdrop tree, two-winged silverbell)
Halesia tetraptera (Carolina silverbell)
Hamamelis virginiana (witch hazel)
Ilex decidua (possum-haw, deciduous holly)
Juglans nigra (black walnut)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum)
Liriodendron tulipifera (tulip tree)
Magnolia acuminata (cucumber tree)
Magnolia pyramidata (pyramid magnolia)
Magnolia virginiana (sweetbay, swampbay)
Malus angustifolia (southern crabapple, wild crabapple)
Nyssa sylvatica (black gum, tupelo)
Ostrya virginiana (ironwood, hophornbeam)
Oxydendrum arboreum (sourwood)
Platanus occidentalis (sycamore, plane-tree)
Populus deltoides (eastern cottonwood)
Prunus americana (wild plum)
Prunus angustifolia (chickasaw plum)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Ptelea trifoliata (wafer ash, common hoptree)
Quercus alba (white oak)
Quercus falcata (southern red oak, Spanish oak)
Quercus laurifolia (laurel oak)
Quercus lyrata (overcup oak)
Quercus marilandica (blackjack oak)
Quercus muhlenbergii (chinkapin oak, chestnut oak)
Quercus phellos (willow oak)
Quercus shumardii (shumard oak)
Quercus stellata (post oak)
Quercus velutina (black oak)
Salix nigra (black willow)
Sassafras albidum (sassafras)
Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)
Ulmus americana (American elm)
Ulmus rubra (red elm, slippery elm)

Trees (evergreen)

Chamaecyparis thyoides (white cedar)
Clematis crispa (leatherflower)
Ilex opaca (American holly, Christmas holly)
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar)
Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia)
Persea borbonia (red bay)
Pinus echinata (shortleaf pine)
Pinus elliotii (slash, pitch, or yellow slash pine)
Pinus glabra (spruce pine)
Pinus palustris (longleaf pine)
Pinus taeda (loblolly pine)
Prunus caroliniana (cherry laurel)
Quercus virginiana (live oak, coastal live oak, southern live soak)
Sabal palmetto (cabbage palm)

Vines (deciduous)

Bignonia capreolata (cross vine)
Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper, trumpet vine)
Gelsemium sempervirens (yellow jessamine, Carolina jessamine)
Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper)
Passiflora incarnata (passion flower, maypop)
Vitis rotundifolia (muscadine grape)

Federally Listed Endangered Species

American chaffseed (Schwalbea americana)
Apalachicola rosemary (Conradina glabra)
Avon Park harebells (Crotalaria avonensis)
Beach jacquemontia (Jacquemontia reclinata)
Beautiful pawpaw (Deeringothamnus pulchellus)
Britton's beargrass (Nolina brittoniana)
Brooksville (Robins') bellflower (Campanula robinsiae)
Carter's mustard (Warea carteri)
Chapman rhododendron (Rhododendron chapmanii)
Cooley's meadowrue (Thalictrum cooleyi)
Cooley's water-willow (Justicia cooleyi)
Crenulate lead-plant (Amorpha crenulata)
Deltoid spurge (Chamaesyce deltoidea ssp. deltoidea)
Etonia rossemary (Conradina etonia)
Florida bonamin (Boanamia grandiflora)
Florida golden aster (Chrysopsis floridana)
Florida perforate cladonia (Cladonia perforata)
Florida skullcap (Scutellaria floridana)
Florida torreya (Torreya taxifolia)
Florida ziziphus (Ziziphus celatat)
Four-petal pawpaw (Asimina tetramera)
Fragrant prickly-apple (Cereus eriophorus var. fragrans)
Fringed campion (Silene polypetala)
Garber's spurge (Chamaesyce garberi)
Garrett's mint (Dicerandra christmanii)
Gentian pinkroot (Spigelia gentianoides)
Godfrey's butterwort (Pinguicula ionantha)
Harper's beauty (Harperocallis flava)
Highlands scrub hypericum (Hypericum cumulicola)
Key tree-cactus (Pilosocereus robinii (Cereus r.))
Lapel's mint (Dicerandra immaculata)
Lewton's polygala (Polygala lewtonii)
Longspurred mint (Dicerandra cornutissima)
Miccosukee gooseberry (Ribes echinellum)
Okeechobee gourd (Cucurbita okeechobeensis ssp. okeechobeensis)
Papery whitlow-wort (Paronychia chartacea)
Pigeon wings (Clitoria fragrans)
Pondberry (Lindera melissifolia)
Pygmy fringe-tree (Chionanthus pygmaeus)
Rugel's pawpaw (Deeringothamnus rugelii)
Sandlace (Polygonella myriophylla)
Scrub blazingstar (Liatris ohlingerae)
Scrub buckwheat (Eriogonum longifolium var. gnaphalifolium)
Scrub lupine (Lupinus aridorum)
Scrub mint (Dicerandra frutescens)
Scrub plum (Prunus geniculata)
Short-leaved rosemary (Conradina brevifolia)
Small's milkpea (Galactia smallii)
Snakeroot (Eryngium cuneifolium)
Telephus spurge (Euphorbia telephioides)
Tiny polygala (Polygala smallii)
White birds-in-a-nest (Macbridea alba)
Wide-leaf warea (Warea amplexifolia)
Wireweed (Polygonella basiramia)

Florida Noxious Species

Because the noxious weed lists have continually changed since we gathered them in 1994, we are not including them at this time. Not II States have noxious weed lists. Those that do, do not use the same standards of importance and are not comparable. States typically have included plants that interfere with agriculture (Canada thistle), or cause human health problems (poison ivy). Some States are now including a category of plants that invade an degrade the environment (purple loosestrife). Check with your State's Agriculture Department or Weed Scientist listed below. The noxious weed list can a used two ways on roadsides: 1) check to not inadvertently plant these invasive plants, and 2) note the plants you are legally responsible to control. Many States now check adjacent State lists to avoid planting their neighbors' problem plants. Because weeds do not respect political boundaries, and because by heir very nature weeds continue to adapt and expand, monitoring and controlling invasives at State borders is a wise part of vegetation management.

(Weed and Seed Law)

Department of Agriculture
Division of Plant Industry
PO Box 14700
Gainesville, FL 32614

Donn Shilling
Agronomy Department
University of Florida, Box 110300
Gainesville, FL 3 611
(352) 391-1823

Florida Resources

Florida Natural Areas Inventory
1018 Thomasville Road, Ste. 200-C
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 224-8207

The Nature Conservancy
222 Westmonte Drive, Ste. 300
Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

Florida Native Plant Society
PO Box 6116 'I
Spring Hill, FL 3606

Archbold Biological Station
Old State Road
PO Box 2057
Lake Placid, FL 3862

        Next >