Florida Wetland Plants

FLORIDA WETLAND PLANTS
AN IDENTIFICATION MANUAL
Dr. John D. Tobe
Kathy Craddock Burks
Richard W. Cantrell
Mark A. Garland
Maynard E. Sweeley
Dr. David W. Hall
Pete Wallace
Guy Anglin
Gil Nelson
Dr. James R. Cooper
David Bickner
Katherine Gilbert
Neil Aymond
Ken Greenwood
Nina Raymond
FLORIDA WETLAND PLANTS:
AN IDENTIFICATION MANUAL
January, 1998
John D. Tobe, Ph.D., Kathy Craddock Burks, Richard W. Cantrell,

Mark A. Garland, Maynard E. Sweeley, David W. Hall, Ph.D., Pete Wallace,
Guy Anglin, Gil Nelson, James R. Cooper, Ph.D., David Bickner, Katherine Gilbert,
Neil Aymond, Ken Greenwood and Nina Raymond
Florida Wetland Plants: An Identification Manual
© 1998 Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, FL
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except brief excerpts for
the purpose of review, without written permission from the publisher.
Authors: John D. Tobe, Ph.D., Kathy Craddock Burks, Richard W. Cantrell, Mark A. Garland,
Maynard E. Sweeley, David W. Flail, Ph.D., Pete Wallace, Guy Anglin, Gil Nelson, James R. Cooper, Ph.D.,
David Bickner, Katherine Gilbert, Neil Aymond, Ken Greenwood and Nina Raymond.
ISBN 0-916287-27-0 CIP and Library of Congress applied for.
Coordinating Editor: John D. Tobe, Ph.D.

Art Direction and Graphic Design: Maynard E. Sweeley, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection, Tallahassee, Florida
Graphic coordinator: Audrey S. Wynne, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Graphic Design: Ian Breheny, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
Printed and bound by Rose Printing Company, Tallahassee, Florida
Front cover: Wiregrass savanna and cypress strand, Apalachicola National Forest, Liberty County
Florida, August, 1996. Photo by John D. Tobe, Ph.D.
Back cover: Sawgrass marsh, Everglades National Park, Florida's largest freshwater wetland, Dade
County, Florida. Photo by John D. Tobe, Ph.D.
Drawings on pages 28, 30, 31, 48-59, 63-75, 76, 79, 80, 84-91, 93, 94, 96-99, 101,104, 106, 107, 111, 116,118-121, 169, 175,177,181, 187, 192,
201-203, 211, 213, 214-217, 218 are from: Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States: Monocotyledons by Robert K. Godfrey
and Jean W. Wooten © 1979 by the University of Georgia Press.
Drawings on pages 221, 223, 227, 236, 244,252, 253, 254,256, 257, 272, 275,276,281, 285, 287, 290,296, 298, 299,302,303, 313, 319, 330, 331,
333,339, 340, 352-355,358,359, 378, 399,402,414, 417,418,434,435,440-442,444,457-460,468,470,473,475-478, 504-506, 510-515,544-546,
550, 552,553, 555,558,578 are from: Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States: Dicotyledons by Robert K. Godfrey and Jean W.
Wooten © 1981 by the University of Georgia Press.
Drawings on pages 20-25, 231-233, 258-266, 283, 284, 345, 347-349, 360, 361, 363, 369, 373, 375, 376, 379-393, 397, 398,401-408,416,419-421,
423, 424, 427, 429-433, 436-438, 448-450, 465, 466, 494-496, 498-502, 507, 518, 519, 521, 524, 530, 536, 537, 540, 541, 547, 564-569, 571-574 are
from: Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Northern Florida and Adjacent Georgia and Alabama by Robert K. Godfrey and Jean W.
Wooten © 1988 by the University of Georgia Press.
Reproduced by permission of the publisher.
Drawings on pages 293, 370, 371 are by Melanie B. Trexler from: An Introduction to Planting and Maintaining Selected Common Coastal
Plants in Florida by Michael R. Barnett and David W. Crewz, 1990, Florida Sea Grant Report No. 97.
#FLORIDA UNIVERSITY OF
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
For more information about resources from the University of Florida, Institute of Food and
Agricultural Sciences, contact your local county extension office, or UF/IFAS Publications at 1-800-
226-1764, P. 0. Box 110011, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0011.
ii Florida Wetland Plants

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION VII
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IX
NON-FLOWERING PLANTS
FERNS/FERN ALLIES 1
Adiantaceae, Leather Fern Family 2

Aspleniaceae, Spleenwort Family 3
Blechnaceae, Chain Fern Family 4
Dennstaedtiaceae, Bramble Fern Family 7
Dryopteridaceae, Wood Fern Family 8
Equisetaceae, Florsetail Family 11
Lycopodiaceae, Club-moss Family 12
Osmundaceae, Royal Fern Famil 14
Pteridaceae, Maidenhair Fern Family 16
Thelypteridaceae, Marsh Fern Family 17
GYMNOSPERMS
Cupressaceae, Cypress Family 20
Pinaceae, Pine Family 21
Taxodiaceae, Bald-Cypress or Redwood Family 24
FLOWERING PLANTS
MONOCOTS 27
Alismataceae, Water-plantain Family 28

Amaryllidaceae, Amaryllis Family 31
Araceae, Arum Family 33
Arecaceae (Palmae), Palm Family 38
Cannaceae, Canna Family 44
Commelinaceae, Dayflower or Spiderwort Family 45
Cyperaceae, Sedge Family 47
Eriocaulaceae, Pipewort Family 12
Haemodoraceae, Redroot Family 11
Flydrocharitaceae, Frog's-bit Family 101
Hypoxidaceae, Stargrass Family 102
Iridaceae, Iris Family 103
Juncaceae, Rush Family 106
Liliaceae, Lily Family 108
Marantaceae, Fireflag Family 116
Orchidaceae, Orchid Family 116
iii
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
..122
Poaceae (Gramineae), Grass Family
..210
Pontederiaceae, Pickerelweed Family
..211
Sparganiaceae, Bur-reed Family
...212
Typhaceae, Cattail Family
Xyridaceae, Yellow-eyed Grass Family ...213
219
DICOTS
Acanthaceae, Water-willow Family ...220
Aceraceae, Maple Family ...231
Aizoaceae, Sea Purslane Family ...234
Amaranthaceae, Amaranth Family ...235
Anacardiaceae, Cashew or Poison-ivy Family. ...239
Annonaceae, Custard-Apple Family ...242
Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), Carrot Family ...243
Apocynaceae, Dogbane Family ...257
Aquifoliaceae, Holly Family ...258
Asclepiadaceae, Milkweed Family ...267
Asteraceae (Compositae), Sunflower Family... ...275

Avicenniaceae, Black Mangrove Family ...345
Bataceae, Saltwort Family ...346
Betulaceae, Birch Family ....347
Boraginaceae, Borage Family 350

Brassicaceae (Cruciferae), Mustard Family 352
Callitrichaceae, Water-Starwort Family 355
Campanulaceae, Bellflower Family 356
Caprifoliaceae, Honeysuckle Family .360
Casuarinaceae, Australian-pine Family .364
Chenopodiaceae, Goosefoot Family. .365
Chrysobalanaceae, Gopher Apple Family .368
Clethraceae, Sweet Pepperbush Family .369
Combretaceae, Buttonwood Family .370
Convolvulaceae, Morning-glory Family .372
Cornaceae, Dogwood Family ..373
Cyrillaceae, Titi Family ..375
Droseraceae, Sundew Family ..377
Ebenaceae, Persimmon Family ..379
Ericaceae, Blueberry or Heath Family ..380
Euphorbiaceae, Spurge Family ..394
Fabaceae (Leguminosae), Pea Family ..399
Florida Wetland Plants
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Fagaceae, Oak Family 403

Gentianaceae, Gentian or Marsh Pink Family 409
Haloragaceae, Water Milfoil Family 414
Hamamelidaceae, Witch-hazel or Sweetgum Family 415
Hydrophyllaceae, Waterleaf Family 417
Hypericaceae, St. John's-wort Family 419
Illiciaceae, Anise-tree Family 436
Juglandaceae, Walnut Family 438
Lamiaceae (Labiatae), Mint Family 439
Lauraceae, Laurel Family 448
Lentibulariaceae, Bladderwort Family 451
Linaceae, Flax Family 455
Loganiaceae, Miterwort Family 457
Lythraceae, Loosestrife Family 459
Magnoliaceae, Magnolia Family 465
Malvaceae, Hibiscus or Mallow Family 467
Melastomataceae, Meadow Beauty Family 472
Menyanthaceae, Floating Hearts Family 478
Moraceae, Mulberry Family 479
Myricaceae, Wax Myrtle or Bayberry Family 481
Myrsinaceae, Myrsine Family 484
Myrtaceae, Myrtle Family 486
Nelumbonaceae, Lotus Family 489
Nyctaginaceae, Four O'clock Family 490
Nymphaceae, Water-lily Family 492
Nyssaceae, Tupelo Family 494
Oleaceae, Olive Family 497
Onagraceae, Evening-primrose Family 503
Platanaceae, Sycamore Family 507
Plumbaginaceae, Sea Lavender or Leadwort Family 508
Polygalaceae, Milkwort Family 509
Polygonaceae, Smartweed or Buckwheat Family 512
Primulaceae, Primrose Family 515
Rhamnaceae, Buckthorn Family 516
Rhizophoraceae, Red Mangrove Family 517
Rosaceae, Rose Family 518
Rubiaceae, Madder Family 524
Salicaceae, Willow Family 534
Table of Contents
TABLE OF COIVTEIVTS
r 00
Sapindaceae, Soapberry Family
ron
Sapotaceae, Sapodilla Family
Sarraceniaceae, Pitcher-plant Family 543
Saururaceae, Lizard's-tail Family 546
Saxifragaceae, Saxifrage Family 547
Scrophulariaceae, Figwort Family 549
Solanaceae, Nightshade or Tomato Family 561
Sterculiaceae, Chocolate-weed Family 563
Styracaceae, Silverbells or Storax Family 564
Theaceae, Tea Family 566
Tiliaceae, Basswood Family 567
Ulmaceae, Elm Family 568
Urticaceae, Nettle Family 575
Verbenaceae, Verbena Family 579
Violaceae, Violet Family 581
[NOTE: Families generally follow Wunderlin, Clewell, Willis, etc., except ferns and allies, and
gymnosperms, which follow FNA, Vol. 2,1993.]
GLOSSARY 583
REFERENCES 587
INDEX 589
vi Florida Wetland Plants

IlVTRODUCTIOIV
THE PURPOSE OF THIS MANUAL is to provide to the people of Florida a comprehensive overview of the
plant species used in state law to help distinguish those environmental communities collectively
known as wetlands. Florida wetlands are defined as:
"Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency
and a duration sufficient to support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence
of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soils. Soils present in wetlands generally are
classified as hydric or alluvial, or possess characteristics that are associated with reducing soil
conditions. The prevalent vegetation in wetlands generally consists of facultative or obligate
hydrophytic macrophytes that are typically adapted to areas having soil conditions described
above. These species, due to morphological, physiological, or reproductive adaptations, have the
ability to grow, reproduce or persist in aquatic environments or anaerobic soil conditions.
Florida wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bayheads, bogs, cypress domes and
strands, sloughs, wet prairies, riverine swamps and marshes, mangrove swamps and other
similar areas. Florida wetlands generally do not include longleaf or slash pine flatwoods with an
understory dominated by saw palmetto."
Vegetative communities are usually the most conspicuous aspect of a wetland. Specific types of
wetlands are frequently named for these plant communities. For example, cypress dome, bayhead, titi
swamp, saw-grass marsh, willowhead, and gum pond all derive their identities in part from certain
dominant plants. The identification of the plants that characterize wetlands is an important ecologi
cal tool necessary for the conservation and management of Florida's complex and varied ecosystems.
Following the adoption in 1984 of the wetland vegetative index associated with the Warren Henderson
Wetland Protection Act, the then Department of Environmental Regulation contracted with the
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Florida (IFAS) to produce and publish a
manual to assist in the identification of the plant species listed on the vegetative index. This was
made possible by a grant from The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 through the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. The resulting
volume, published in 1987 and titled Identification Manual for Wetland Plant Species of Florida by
Robert L. Dressier, David W. Hall, Kent D. Perkins and Norris Williams, has proven to be one of the
most popular publications that IFAS has produced.
In 1993 and 1994 the Florida Legislature dramatically overhauled the definition of and delineation
methodology for wetlands. These changes have made the 1987 manual obsolete. Soon after the
wetland delineation methodology contained within Rule 62-340 Florida Administrative Code (FAC)
became effective on July 1,1994, the department began receiving requests to update the 1987 manual.
We believe this present manual not only updates but also expands upon the former publication. The
general structure of this manual follows that of the 1987 manual. We are indebted to the authors of
the 1987 manual for providing such solid groundwork upon which to build. We are likewise indebted
to the Florida Legislature for providing the funds necessary to produce and publish this manual.
The indicator category for each species as listed on the vegetative index is provided in the habitat
section for that species. These categories are entirely different from those used in the 1987 manual
and reflect a terminology more in keeping with the system used by the federal environmental agencies.
The four categories are Obligate (OBL), Facultative Wet (FACW), Facultative (FAC), and Upland (UPL).
The indicator category of any particular plant may be different from that used by federal
VII
Introduction
INTRODUCTION
agencies as the Florida vegetative index only takes into account how a species responds ecologi
cally within the state.
Distribution maps, as in the 1987 manual, divide the state into the four floristic regions in Bell and
Taylor's Florida Wild/lowers. All distribution maps have been updated to include the most recent
available information.
Specific plant reference texts are named within the law and are adhered to in the manual for providing
scientific names of plant species. In some cases subsequent scientific study has resulted in changes to
the accepted name of a plant or has expanded or contracted the scientific concept of the number of
species. When compatible with the intent and use of the vegetative index under the law, these
changes are used or acknowledged in the manual.
Expansion of information at the species level was a highly desired goal. Wherever possible individual
species are described. It soon became apparent, however, that a volume which could treat all of the
approximately 1400 species on the current vegetative index was too large to be practical. For most
larger genera, only representative species are included. By necessity, certain plants on the vegetative
index have been left out of this publication. Also not treated are the submerged aquatic plants and
wetland vines, as both groups are excluded from the vegetative index.
The principal authors and reviewers are: Dr. John D. Tobe (DEP), Kathy Craddock Burks (DEP), Richard
W. Cantrell (DEP), Mark A. Garland (DEP), Maynard E. Sweeley (DEP), Dr. David W. Hall, Dr. James R.
Cooper (DEP), Pete Wallace, Guy Anglin (USFS), Gil Nelson, David Bickner (DEP), Katherine Gilbert
(DEP), Neil Aymond (DEP), Ken Greenwood (DEP), and Nina Raymond.
VIII Florida Wetland Plants

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Loran Anderson for providing access to the Florida State University
Herbarium (FSU) and contributing excellent photographs. We would like to acknowledge the impor
tance of the FSU Herbarium throughout this project, for providing a library, excellent work environ
ment, and specimens for descriptive biology, distribution, and illustration In addition we would like to
thank Kent Perkins, curator of the University of Florida Herbarium, for providing herbarium speci
mens for study.
The plant distribution information provided for the flora of Florida by Dr. Richard P. Wunderlin at the
University of South Florida Herbarium was very helpful. We are grateful for this invaluable resource.
We would like to thank Dr. Robert K. Godfrey and the University of Georgia Press for their kind
permission to use figures from Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Northern Florida and Adjacent
Georgia and Alabama, and Aquatic and Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States. Dr. Robert
Krai was also very kind in permitting the use of figures from A Treatment o/Wbildgaardia, Bulbostylis,
and Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae), Xyris (Xyridaceae) of Continental North America North of Mexico, and
Eriocaulaceae of Continental North America North of Mexico. Illustrations from these volumes used in
the manual are those by Grady W Reinert, Melanie Darst, and Barbara N. Culbertson. We also
acknowledge using the fine illustrations from Hitchcock and Chase's Grasses of the United States
(1951). Illustrations from The Genera of the Urticaceae in the Southern United States are used with the
permission of Dr. Norton G. Miller. Original artwork for this book was contributed by Dr. John D. Tobe
and David Bickner.
Photographs used in this manual were contributed by Dr. John D. Tobe, Kerry Ann Dressier, Dr. Loran
Anderson, Arlyn Evans, Dr. Walter S. Judd, Guy Anglin and Pete Wallace; we are indebted to their
photographic talents. Dr. Richard Carter provided photographs and suggestions for the Cyperaceae.
Note: All photographs used in this manual are copyrighted by the author and permission to use them
must be obtained from the author. Craig Moretz, Mark Garland, Dr. Loran Anderson, Angus Gholson,
Dr. Robert K. Godfrey, Gary Knight, Dr.John Allen Smith and Dr. John E. Fairey helped locate plants for
photography.
We would also like to thank the following additional reviewers: Dr. Lawrence Zettler (Orchidaceae),
Dr. Dan Ward (Iridaceae), Dr. Scott Zona (Aracaceae), Dr. Gerald Smith (Amaryllidaceae), and Dr. John
E. Fairey (Scleria).
Special thanks to Maynard Sweeley for typesetting, layout, scanning and touchup of botanical illustra
tions, and helpful suggestions for the overall format of this manual. Mr. Sweeley coordinated the
computer work for this manual with a Power Macintosh 8100, using Adobe's Pagemaker, Illustrator
and Photoshop.
We are grateful to Phil Coram, Chief of the Bureau of Submerged Lands and Environmental Resources,
for his understanding and forbearance.
There are many other people not listed here who have contributed to this manual in a variety of
functions, and we are grateful for their suggestions and support.
We also wish to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the IFAS Publications staff, in particular, Julia
Graddy, Audrey Wynne, Ian Breheny, Billie Hermansen, Scott Weinberg, Kathy Gayle, Eduardo Villar
and Deena Stokes in final preparation of the manual.
Acknowledgements IX
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Finally, we express deep appreciation to State Senator Rick Dantzler and Mr. Chuck Littlejohn for their
dedication to the conservation of Florida's natural resources and to the principle of maintaining an
informed citizenry, without which legislative funding of this manual would not have been possible.
Photographic and Illustration Credits
AE Arlyn Evans
BNC Barbara N. Culbertson
DARST Melanie Darst
DWH David W. Hall
GMS Gail M. Sloane
GR Grady W. Reinert
GS Dr. Gerald Smith
GWD Gordon W. Dillon
JDT Dr. John David Tobe
JRO Joseph R. Orsenigo
JVD Jesse Van Dyke
KAD Kerry Ann Dressier
KRAI. Dr. Robert Krai
LA Dr. Loran Anderson
LRM Lambert B. McCarty
LLY Lewis L. Yarlett
MB Mike Bodle
MES Maynard E. Sweeley
MJB Michael J. Bodle
MSR Michael S. Riffle
PJI Palma J. Ingles
PW Pete Wallace
QGA Q. Guy Anglin
RC Dr. Richard Carter
RHZ Raymond H. Zerba, Jr.
WSJ Dr. Walter S. Judd
x Florida Wetland Plants

FERNS/FERN ALLIES
(PTERIDOPHYTES)
General identification tips:
stems usually horizontal, usually underground (rhizomes)

new leaves usually unfurl from a tight coil ("fiddlehead")
spores (haploid reproductive cells) released from parent plant
clusters of spores formed in sporangia
sporangia clustered on modified (specialized) leaves
Description: Very large creeping or ascending ferns, of freshwater or brackish habitats; rhizomes
branched or unbranched, erect or ascending, and are generally massive and woody; fronds pinnate,
1-4 m long, 12-60 cm wide; stipes shallowly grooved on either top or bottom surface; leaf blades
coarse, leathery, pinnae 7-30 cm long with netted venation and smooth margins; sporangia spread
across entire bottom surface of pinnae (not in discrete sori) occurring on distal two-thirds to one-
third of leaf blade, or entire leaf blade fertile.
Recognition: Two species are present in Florida:
A. danaeifolium Langsd. & Fisch. is a very large fern up to 4 m tall occurring in freshwater and brackish
marshes in shade or full sunlight conditions. Fertile pinnae are common and occur nearly through
out, or in the distal one-half to one-third of each frond. There are between 20-30 pairs of pinnae,
typically spaced very close together or overlapping. Costae areoles are generally broad, being less
than three times longer than wide.
A. aureum L. is also a very large fern, generally to 2 m tall and is found in coastal freshwater, brackish,
and salt marshes as well as coastal hammocks and mangrove swamps. A. aureum is distinguished
by typically having less than 20 pairs of pinnae, these not overlapping. In addition, typically only
the most distal 3-5 pinnae pairs are fertile, and costa areoles are longer than broad.
Habitat: OBL. Freshwater, brackish, salt marshes, coastal hammocks, and mangrove swamps.
Distribution: A. danaeifolium is found widely distributed both coastally and inland in central and south
Florida. A. aureum is rare, found in southwestern coastal counties from Manatee County south.
2 Florida Wetland Plants

Onoclea sensibilis L.
Description: Small to medium sized fern, with highly dimorphic sterile and fertile fronds, typically
found in wet open places in dense stands; rhizome long, creeping near the soil surface, branched,
reddish brown; fronds deciduous, strongly dimorphic, 20 to 100 cm long by 15 to 45 cm wide;
stipes black with a winged rachis; sterile leaf blades light green to yellow green, pinnatifid, with
oppositely arranged pinnae, 5 to 11 on each side of the rachis; pinnae margins entire or shallowly
lobed; fertile leaf blades green, changing to dark brown to black when mature; pinnules appearing
beadlike or berry-like; sori covered by the revolute margins of the fertile pinnae segments.
Recognition: Densely colonial, small to medium sized fern with strongly dimorphic deciduous fronds.
0. sensibilis is similar to Woodwardia areolata (L.) Moore, which has alternate pinnae with serrate,
often wavy margins. Onoclea has generally opposite pinnae with wavy, entire margins. Both ferns
have reticulate venation, however, the beadlike appearance of the fertile leaves of Onoclea is
distinctive and easily separates these species when present.
Habitat: FACW. Open marshes, forested wetlands, and

stream banks.
Distribution: Northwest and north-central Florida.
Habit
Habit of plant with sterile and

fertile fronds
Habit of plants along stream
FERNS
Blechnum serrulatum L. C. Richard SWAMP FERN
Description: Medium to large sized fern growing terrestrially in moist to inundated peat or sandy
soils; rhizomes blackish, long-creeping, stout with erect branches giving rise to 1 to many fronds;
fronds deciduous, 30 to 200 cm long, 10 to 30 cm wide; stipe yellow-green to gray-brown with basal
scales; leaf blade pinnate; pinnae alternate with a terminal pinna, margins of pinnae serrate, fertile
pinnae at times appearing contracted and smaller than sterile pinnae; sori elongate, appearing
continuous, running parallel on each side of medial costa along entire length of fertile pinnae.
Recognition: Medium to large sized fern with deeply embedded rhizomes producing stout, erect,
somewhat leathery, dark green pinnate fronds. The pinnae margins are finely serrulate (appearing
as fine teeth). Pinna venation is distinctive, extending from the midrib to the margin in a closely
spaced parallel arrangement and angling slightly toward the pinna tip. B. serrulatum can be
confused with Nephrolepis exaltata and N. biserrata, often occurring extensively in the same areas.
B. serrulatum is easily separated by the continuous elongate sori as compared to the kidney shaped
or circular indusium of the Nephrolepis species, which in addition, have basal pinna lobes adjacent
to the point of attachment to the rachis.
Habitat: FACW. Various wetlands; especially cypress domes, tropical hammocks, wet flatwoods,
marshes, and wet prairies. Often grows in extremely dense, monospecific stands that can persist
indefinitely in drained wetland areas.
Distribution: North-central to south Florida, with sporadic distribution in the northwest region
(reported as far west as Escambia County).

Woodwardia areolata (L.) Moore NETTED CHAIN FERN,
DIMORPHIC CHAIN FERN
Description: Medium sized fern with fertile and sterile fronds being dissimilar in appearance
(dimorphic), usually occurring as sporadic to dense ground cover in forested wetlands and seepage
slopes; rhizomes (stems) underground, long-creeping, blackish, somewhat scaly; fronds (leaf blade
and stipe) deciduous, variable in length dependent on the site, generally ranging from 20 to 70 cm
long, light green in color; stipe dark reddish brown at base, becoming light green to straw colored
moving toward the leaf blade; leaf blade pinnatifid, dimorphic, with fertile leaf pinna being strongly
contracted and reduced as compared to sterile leaves; sori linear and inset deeply into leaf blade.
Recognition: Medium sized ferns with separate and dissimilar fertile and sterile fronds. The leaf
blades of the sterile fronds are dark to light green and pinnatifid, while those of fertile fronds are
light green to yellowish to brown, with much narrower pinnae. Some veins within sterile leaf blades
are linked forming at least 2 rows of "chainlike" areolae (spaces) between the midrib of each pinna
and the outer margin. Pinnae of sterile fronds appear in alternate arrangement of 7-12 pairs with
the margins of individual pinnae being slightly undulate
and minutely serrate. The fronds are deciduous and for
most of the growingseason show areas of brown and
yellow discoloration. Fertile fronds are most apparent in
late fall, winter, and early spring. This species is easily
confused in north Florida with Onoclea sensibilis, which
has a black stipe, nearly opposite pinnae, beadlike fertile
pinnae, and wavy, entire pinna margins.
Habitat: OBL. Cypress domes, hydric hammocks,

seepage slopes over limestone, and hydric pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout Florida.
Habit
FERNS 5
Woodwardia virginica (L.) J. E. Smith VIRGINIA CHAIN FERN
Description: Medium sized creeping ferns with no differentiation between sterile and fertile fronds;
rhizomes long creeping, ropelike, with dark scales; frond deciduous, erect, 30 to 80 cm long; stipe
black at base changing to straw colored distally, and without scales or hairs; leaf blades bright
green, pinnate-pinnatifid, approximately 20 cm wide and bearing glands on the leaf surface; veins
along each side of the medial costae are linked forming a row of areolae (spaces) resembling
"chains"; sori linear, elongate with membranous indusia located along the "chains" on each side of
the medial pinnule costae.
Recognition: Medium sized, deciduous, fern with bright green leaf blades, typically growing in very
wet to inundated soil. The "chainlike" venation along the middle costa of each pinnule separates
this species from all other similar ferns that may occur in the wetland habitats. Osmunda
cinnamomea can appear similar but as well as lacking "chainlike" venation, has separate, dissimilar
fertile and sterile fronds and has rusty brown tufts of hairs where the pinnae attach to the rachis.
Confusion can occur with several Thelypteris species, especially T. interrupta with which W.
virginica commonly occurs. The "chainlike" venation of W virginica however, easily distinguishes
between these species.
Habitat: FACW. Various wetlands; acid wetlands with sphagnum groundcover, cypress domes, and
hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods.

Hypolepis repens (L.) Presl. FLAKELET FERN, CREEPING RRAMRLE FERN
Description: Very large, weakly ascending, vinelike, fern, forming dense colonies in hydric, shaded
forested systems; rhizome below ground, very long-creeping, with jointed hairs; fronds light green,
tripinnate to quadripinnate, triangular up to 2.5 m long; stipe straw colored to brown with many
small prickles, and with a distinct groove on top surface; leaf blade pinnules pinnatifid, with lobed
margins; sori reniform to circular, located at the margin in the sinus of each pinnule lobe and
covered by a small reflexed flap of leaf blade tissue which forms an indusium.
Recognition: Extremely large, prickly, vinelike, fern that forms very dense colonies. Frond appears
very branched, dissected, almost feathery and in some instances exceeding 2 m in length. The leaf
tissue flap that covers the sori in the sinus of the pinnule lobes is a distinctive character. H. repens
has a very distinct appearance and is readily identified.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric hammocks, cypress-mixed hardwood swamps, and seepage slopes.
Distribution: Central Florida, especially Reedy Creek Swamp; isolated populations reported in
northeast and south Florida.
FERNS 7
Ctenitis submarginalis (Langsd. & Fisch.) Copel. BROWN-HAIR COMB FERN
Description: Medium to large sized ferns, with undifferentiated fertile and sterile fronds, found in
shady swamps or hammocks in peninsular Florida; rhizomes underground, short-creeping; fronds
deciduous, 50-100 cm long; stipes straw-colored, basal area densely covered with narrow rusty-
brown scales that have thread-like tips; leaf blades thin, dark green, oblong in outline, with a
truncate base and a pointed tip; pinnate-pinnatifid, pinna having small narrow scales on medial
costae and often having multicellular hairs; sori on underside of leaves between midrib and margin
of each lobe, round, without indusia.
Recognition: Large ferns with dense, rusty-brown hair-like scales covering the stipes, (especially the
basal area at the point of attachment to the rhizome), and the top surface of the costa and costules
of the pinnate-pinnatifid leaf blade. Four other genera of ferns have sterile leaves similar to those of
C. submarginalis. The Thelypteris species have stipes without dense brown hair-like scales, and
their leaf blade costa and costules have fine transparent hairs, Thelypteris dentata is very similar in
appearance and almost indistinguishable from C. submarginalis. The basal veins of adjoining
pinnules are united below the sinus in T. dentata, to form an excurrent vein going to the sinus. In C.
submarginalis these veins run free to the sinus and do not unite. The southern shield fern,
Dryopteris ludoviciana, has dark green, glossy, evergreen fronds with sori restricted to the con
stricted fertile pinna on the distal portion. Cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, has tufts of
rusty brown hairs where the pinnae join the rachis of the leaf blade, and its cinnamon-colored
fertile leaves look very different from the light green sterile leaves of C. submarginalis. Virginia
chain fern, Woodwardia virginica, has veins forming long, narrow "chains" on either side of the
costae of each pinna; its fertile fronds have long, sausage-shaped sori in rows along the medial costa
of each pinna.
Habitat: FACW. In moist to wet basin swamps, strand

swamps, hydric hammocks, or on forested spoil banks.
Distribution: In central and southern peninsular

Florida, from Seminole County southward.

Dryopteris ludoviciana (Kunze) Small SOUTHERN WOOD FERN,
SOUTHERN SHIELD FERN
Description: A large fern with both sterile and much narrower fertile pinnae on the same frond;
usually occurring in the groundcover of shady floodplains and swamp forests; rhizomes under
ground, short-creeping; fronds closely spaced in a cluster, 30-120 cm long; stipes tan, covered with
tan to bronze scales; internally with five round vascular bundles (cut base of stipe to see); leaf
blades pinnate-pinnatifid, evergreen, glossy dark green, thick and leathery, elliptic or oblong in
outline with a pointed tip; fertile pinnae located on distal portion; sori on underside of contracted
pinnae of the distal half of leaf; round, located halfway between midrib and margin of each lobe,
covered with kidney-shaped indusia.
Recognition: Fairly large evergreen ferns with scaly stipes and pinnate-pinnatifid, glossy, dark green
leaves that have highly contracted fertile pinnae on the distal part. The sori on the fertile pinnae
are round, with kidney-shaped indusia. Four other genera of ferns have sterile fonds similar to
those of Dryopteris ludoviciana. Thelypteris species usually have lighter green leaves that are not
thick and glossy; the fertile leaves are the same size as the sterile, and the sori are all over the
underside of the fertile leaves. Thelypteris dentata is very dark green, however, the leaf surface is
dull and papery. Cinnamon fern, Osmunda cinnamomea, has tufts of cinnamon hairs where the
pinnae join the rachis of the leaf blade, and its cinnamon-colored fertile leaves look very different
from the green sterile leaves. Virginia chain fern, Woodwardia virginica, has veins forming long,
narrow "chains" on either side of the midrib of each pinna; its fertile leaves have long, sausage-
shaped sori in rows along the midrib of each lobe. The brown-hair comb fern, Ctenitis submarginalis,
of peninsular Florida, has dark green leaves with long, narrow brown scales on the stipe and
midribs, and sori without obvious indusia.
Habitat: FACW. In shady, moist to wet swamp forests and floodplain forests, often found in seepage
wetlands or drainages.
Distribution: Occurs throughout Florida except the

southernmost counties.
FERNS
Description: Small to large ferns, terrestrial or epiphytic on tree trunks or decaying logs; fronds
evergreen, 20 to 180 cm long, ascending to erect; stipes sparsely to densely covered with reddish to
brown scales; circular in cross-section and having greater than 3 vascular bundles arranged in an
arc; leaf blades pinnate, long, linear-lanceolate; comprised of pinnae ranging in length from 2 to 25
cm, often with basal lobes on the top side at the point of attachment to the rachis (stem); sori
round, with indusia being circular, kidney shaped, or horse-shoe shaped.
Recognition: Small to large ferns with linear-lanceolate, pinnate leaf blades. Typically growing in
dense clumps, epiphytically on tree trunks and rotten stumps, or spreading as a dense mat along
the surface of the ground. In Florida, Nephrolepis species can be confused with Asplenium species
which also have linear-lanceolate, pinnate leaf blades, but which differ in having linear to crescent
shaped sori and indusium. Nephrolepis are also similar to Polypodium species, in which the sori are
often confined to the distal portion of the leaf blade and do not have a covering indusia. In
addition, Polypodium leaf blades are generally pinnatifid. Blechnum serrulatum can also be con
fused with Nephrolepis species, but differs in exhibiting serrulate pinnae and elongate indusiate sori
extending along both sides of the midrib. Four species of Nephrolepis are present in Florida:
N. cordifolia (L.) Presl. (tuberous sword fern), has reniform indusia with a broad sinus and bicolored
scales (clear with a darker point of attachment) along the top surface of the rachis. This distinguishes
this species from N. exaltata. Pinnae of N. cordifolia are often blunt tipped and do not curve upward.
N. exaltata (L.) Schott., typically have somewhat sickle-shaped pinnae with pointed tips that curve upward.
N. multiflora (Roxb.) Jarrett ex Morton (Asian sword-fern), has dark brown appressed scales with pale
margins, on the basal area of the stipe.
N. biserrata (Swartz) Schott. (giant sword fern), has circular indusia that appear peltate, however,
generally have a very narrow sinus.
Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott. Nephrolepis exaltata (L.) Schott.

Equisetum hyemale L. var. affine (Engelm.) A.A. Eaton HORSETAIL, SCOURING RUSH
synonymy: E. affine Engelm., E. prealtum Raf., E. robustum A. Braun
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with evergreen aerial stems in loose clumps or colonies from
dark, jointed rhizomes; stems usually unbranched, to 1 m (3 ft) tall, dark green, ridged, rough to
touch (from many silica deposits), with jointed nodes and hollow internodes; leaves reduced to thin
scales, fused laterally to form a "sheath" around each stem node; sheath usually tipped with teeth
and banded in dark-brown; sporangia in cone-like structures called strobili, to 1 cm long, at stem
tips; sporangia hidden beneath thick, peltate, often yellowish stroboli scales; spores green, with
attached flaps of tissue (elaters) to aid in dispersal.
Recognition: Unbranched, evergreen stems with dark bands and toothed sheaths at jointed nodes.
Plants grow in colonies. Sporangia produced in miniature cone-like, strobili. A second species, E.
ramossisimum, introduced from Europe in ship ballast and of limited occurrence, has smaller
stems, with whorled branchlets at the nodes.
Habitat: FACW. In sandy soils of river floodplains, lake edges, ditches, and sloughs. Provides food for
migratory waterfowl and winter food for mammals.
Distribution: Of eleven horsetail taxa native to the U.S. and

Canada, this is the only one occurring in Florida. Found in all
regions of state but only in scattered localities, often associated
with somewhat disturbed sandy-moist areas.
FERNS 11
Lycopodium spp. CLUB MOSS
Description: Herbaceous perennials; sporophytes growing upright or appressed to the substrate;

leaves numerous, small, scale-like, appressed or spreading from a simple or dichotomously branch
ing stem; sporangia produced on sporophylles, modified leaves that bear pouch-like structures at
the base; spores produced in sporangia collectively within a terminal strobolus that is erect or
pendulous; spores yellowish to whitish-yellow, dust-like; gametophytes subterranean and mycor-
rhizal. Neither a moss (Lycopodium possesses vascular tissues) nor a flowering plant (Lycopodium
do not produce flowers or fruit), but a distant relative of the spore bearing ferns.
Recognition: Creeping or erect stems with many, small, narrowly triangular leaves. The sporangia are
produced in elongated stroboli at the terminus of upright stems. We see the sporophyte generation
of these plants, the gametophytes are subterranean, inconspicuous and hidden from view.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric pine flatwoods, bogs, edges of ponds, streams, marshes, interdunal swales,
ditches and other wet areas with acidic wet sandy soils.
Distribution:
L. alopecuroides L„ syn. Lycopodiella alopecuroides (L.) Cranfill: North Florida, south to

Okeechobee County.
L. appressum (Chapm.) Lloyd & Underw., syn. Lycopodiella appressa (Chapm.) Cranfill: Throughout
the state.
L. carolinianum L„ syn. Pseudolycopodiella caroliniana (L.) Holub, Folia Geobot: Throughout the state.
L. cernuum L„ syn. Palhinhaea cernua (L.) Vasconcellos & Franco: Throughout the state.
L.prostratum Harp., syn. Lycopodiellaprostrata (Harp.) Cranfill: North Florida south to Highlands County.

FERNS 13
Osmunda cinnamomea L. CINNAMON FERN
Description: A fern with a thick creeping rhizome, and black, wiry, fibrous, roots that form a thick
matted mass with age; leaves are clustered, deciduous, pinnately compound fronds tapering to the
apex, 1.6 m long, 30 cm wide, with reddish brown woolly hairs; leaflets alternate, tapering towards
tip, pinnately divided, lobes rounded, with notches almost to midvein, tufts of orange hair at base of
leaflet; sporangia naked, green turning brown with age, borne on separate, erect, non-leaflike
fronds.
Recognition: A rhizomatous fern with pinnately compound fronds that have pinnately divided
leaflets with tufts of orange hair at the base of the leaflet, and sporangia borne on a separate non-
leaflike fronds. The mat forming roots are black and wiry.
Habitat: FACW. Moist to wet woods; shallow

swamps, hydric hammock, seepage slopes
and pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout Florida with the

possible exception of the extreme southern
tip of the peninsula.

Description: A fern with a thick creeping rhizome, and black, wiry, fibrous, roots that form a mass up
to 60 cm tall; leaves are clustered, bipinnately compound fronds, 1.6 m long; leaflets alternate,
oblong with rounded bases and finely toothed margins, to 5 cm long on short stalks; sporangia
borne on stalked structures from the upper parts of some leaves.
Recognition: A rhizomatous fern with bipinnately compound fronds that have oblong, stalked
leaflets with finely toothed margins, and sporangia borne on stalked structures from the upper
portion of some leaves. The mat forming roots are black and wiry.
Habitat: OBL. Wet woods, usually with acid soil; shallow swamps, bogs, shallow ponds, stream banks,
and hydric seepage slopes.
FERNS
15
Pteris tripartita (Swartz.) Presl. GIANT BRAKE FERN
Description: A large terrestrial perennial, growing terrestrially in shaded forested wetlands; rhizomes
stout, short creeping with dense, pale brown scales; frond 1-3 m long, spreading, 3 parted with each
part being about equal in size; stipe 2-3 grooved, generally one-third the length of the fond, straw-
colored to reddish-brown, scaly at the base with multicellular hairs that, when young, have apparent
cross-walls; stipes becoming glabrous with age; leaf blade compound, can be large—up to a meter
wide, generally deltate, glabrous with anastomosing (netted) veins that are only free very close to
the margins; sori marginal and covered by a continuous, marginal, false indusium formed by the
recurved leaf margin.
Recognition: Very large fern with a 3-parted frond. P. tripartita can be confused with some large
growing specimens of Pteridium aquilinum (bracken fern), that occur in south Florida. These two
species generally occupy very different habitats as Pteridium aquilinum is an upland species rarely
growing in wetlands, especially in swamps. The indusium of Pteridium aquilinum is double, compris
ing an inner true indusium and an outer, false indusium formed by the recurved leaf margin while P.
tripartita has a single, false indusium formed by the recurved leaf margin. In addition, P. tripartita
has rhizomes with scales only, or scales and trichomes, and herbaceous fronds whereas Pteridium
aquilinum has rhizomes with trichomes
only and coriaceous fronds.
Habitat: FACW. Cypress swamps, pond-apple

swamps, and mixed hardwood swamps.
Distribution: Central Florida (Orange

County) southward.

Thelypteris spp. MARSH FERNS, SHIELD FERNS
[including Phegopteris (c. Presl) Fee and Macrothelypteris (H. Ito) Ching]
Description: Medium to large ferns with fertile and sterile leaves identical; usually in dense colonies
in the groundcover of moist to wet shady forested wetlands; fronds 30-100 cm long; stipes smooth,
straw-colored to dark brown, with two crescent-shaped vascular bundles (cut base of stalk to see)
and sometimes a few scales at the base; leaf blades light green to dark green, papery, not thick and
glossy, and usually lance-shaped in outline with a truncate or tapering base and a long, narrow,
pointed tip, pinnate to tripinnate, however, mostly pinnate-pinnatifid, having small transparent
hairs at least on midribs and veins; sori on underside of leaves between midrib and margin of each
pinnule, usually small, round, and covered with kidney-shaped indusia.
Recognition: Many of the eighteen species of Thelypteris in Florida differ in one or more features
from the description above. T. hexagonoptera (Michx.) Nieuwland [Phegopteris hexagonoptera
(Michx.) Fee] (broad beech fern), found in northwest Florida, has triangular leaf blades and veins
from adjacent pinnules (segments) running to the margins above the sinus, and pinnule (segment)
veins are mostly forked at the margins. The introduced T. torresiana (Gaud) Alston
[.Macrothelypteris torresiana (Gaudichaud-Beaupre) Ching] (Mariana maiden fern), has triangular
leaf blades and is the only species in Florida with twice pinnately compound leaves (with each leaf
segment also pinnately compound). Two tropical species in south Florida, T. reticulata (L.) Proctor
(lattice-vein fern), and T. serrata (Cav.) Alston (toothed lattice-vein fern), have simple pinna without
pinnules (segments) and long narrow sori without indusia. The star-hair ferns, T. reptans (Gmelin)
Morton, T. sclerophylla (Poeppig ex Spreng) Morton, and T. tetragona (Swartz) Small, have star-
shaped or forked hairs and often grow on rock. Generally, there are five species commonly encoun
tered in Florida's wetlands. T. palustris var.pubescens (Laws.) Fern, (marsh fern), produces erect
fronds from an elongate rhizome, with the veins within the pinnules forked toward the margin and
appearing as small tuning forks. Two species, T. dentata (Forsk.) E. P. St. John (downy shield fern),
and T. interrupta (Willd.) Iwatsuki, (interrupted fern), are characterized as having veins from
adjacent pinnules (segments) united below the sinus and producing an excurrent vein running
toward the sinus. T. interrupta leaf blades are evergreen, very large, up to 1.25 m long, glabrous,
somewhat leathery, pinnae not becoming shorter toward the base of the frond, leaf blade appearing
truncate. T. dentata leaf blades dark green, hairy on both surfaces with a dark purplish-brown stipe.
T. hispidula var. versicolor (R. P. St. John) Leninger and T. kunthii (Desv.) Morton are both similar in
habit to T. dentata, however they have straw colored stipes and the leaf blades are light green and
sparsely pubescent and tend to be tufted. The most reliable character in T. kunthii are the veins of
adjacent pinnules (segments) that do not unite below the sinus, whereas in T. hispidula these veins
may be found to unite for some pinnules or be free for others.
Habitat: FACW.
Distribution: Throughout Florida as a genus; distributions of individual species often much more
restricted.
FERNS 17
Thelypteris hispidula var. versicolor (R.P. St. John) Leninger

GYMNOSPERMS
(CONIFERS)
General Identification Tips:
stems usually woody tree trunks (trees often called "softwoods")

leaves usually small or narrow, needlelike
seeds formed in larger, often woody, female cones
pollen formed in smaller, usually soft, male cones
GYMNOSPERMS 19
ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR
Description: A large evergreen, coniferous canopy tree to 28 m (90 ft) tall; often forming dense,
monocultural stands; younger trees conical in form; branches thin, spray-like, more or less in 1
plane; bark brown to reddish brown, thin and with closely spaced fissures, in a spiral on some
individuals; leaves evergreen, opposite, scale-like, appressed to the stem, with pairs at right angles
to those above and below and alternating in form between flattened (facial) and keeled (lateral),
most with a resinous medial gland on the exposed surface; plants monoecious, male and female
cones borne separately at the terminus of branchlets; male cone tiny, do not persist, female cone
small, greenish to brown, globular, 5-8 mm in diameter, with an irregular surface.
Recognition: An evergreen canopy tree, "Christmas tree" shaped when young, with branchlets of
individual twigs fan-like (in a single plane). The twigs are never prickly. Female cones are small,
greenish to brown, and not conspicuous. Among the native flora, can only be confused with
Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar), which differs in having conspicuous blue, one-seeded,
fleshy cones (berry-like) on female trees, portions of twigs prickly to the touch, and branchlets of
twigs in more than a single plane.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps and floodplains branch showing

along acidic streams and rivers, often flattened, scale-like
where water stands for long periods leaves
or where annually flooded, and in

seepage swamps.
Distribution: Northwest Florida; from DARST DARST
the Apalachicola River drainage of

Gadsden, Liberty, and Franklin
Counties westward, also disjunct in
northeastern Florida in a narrow
band west of and paralleling the St.
Johns River.
Habit
DARST DARST
mature female cone seed
Branch with male cones (left) and female cones (right)

PlNACEAE
Pinus elliottii Engelm. SLASH PINE, SOUTH FLORIDA SLASH PINE
synonymy: P. elliottii var. densa Little & Dorman
Description: Medium to large tree reaching approximately 40 m (130 ft.) tall and 1 m DBH; bark light
gray on young trees, changing to dark gray to dark reddish brown with broad, flat laminated plates
at maturity; bark of twigs is roughened by persisting leaf scales from previously shed needle-
fascicles; leaves long narrow needles, 10-30 cm long, in fascicles of 2 to 3, with sheaths being
generally 1.5 cm long; plants monecious, male and female cones borne separately; male cones few
to numerous, deep purple, 3-8 cm long, mature female cones conical to oblong-conical, 9-15 cm
long and 8-9 cm broad at the base; seeds dark brown and approximately 2-3 cm long, including the wing.
Recognition: P. elliottii is most often confused with P. palustris Mill, longleaf pine, and P. taeda L.,
loblolly pine, with which it commonly occurs. P. palustris has extremely large cones to 25 cm long,
and needles to 30 cm long, always in fascicles of 3. In addition the branch tips are silvery and very
broad. P. taeda has small, narrow, cones to 12 cm long with very sharp prickles whereas P. elliottii
cones are generally not painful to handle. Needles of P. taeda are generally 8-22 cm long, and branch
tips that are very narrow. The bark of mature individuals of these species can be very similar. Two
varieties of P. elliottii are recognized; var. elliottii, primarily from the south-central peninsula
northward, and var. densa, restricted to the southern peninsula and northward coastally to north-
central Florida.
Habitat: UPL. Native scrubby, mesic and hydric pine flatwoods, cypress domes, mixed swamps,
savannas, and pine plantations.
GYMNOSPERMS
21
PlIVACEAE
ira Walt. SPRUCE PINE
Description: Medium to large-size tree reaching approximately 40 m (130 ft.) tall (typically smaller)
with a DBH of approximately 80 cm; bark of young trees gray, smooth, becoming ridged and
grooved with age, being very hard and tight; leaves long narrow needles, 5-10 cm long, 2 per
fascicle, generally being dark green and slightly twisted, sheaths 5-7 mm long; plants monecious,
male and female cones borne separately; male cones 5-8 mm long, 4 mm wide, purple-yellow,
developing from winter buds, female cones ovoid, 4-5 cm long when mature, opening early, the cone
scales flexible, umbo with an upwardly directed short prickle, inner surface of scale is uniformly
brown, cones persistent, remaining on the tree many years after opening; seeds 1.5-2 cm long, wing
4-5 mm broad.
Recognition: The very tight, hard, smooth, gray bark of P. glabra, being more similar to hardwoods
than other pines, is the distinguishing characteristic of this species. P. glabra commonly occurs
with two pine species with which it can be easily confused. P. echinata Mill, shortleaf pine, has
small cones and short needles similar to spruce pine with needles being 2-3 per fascicle. However,
the bark of older trees is gray brown to reddish brown with irregular, flat plates. P. taeda L., loblolly
pine, also occurs with spruce pine, has 3 needles per fascicle and the prickle occurring on the cone
scale is persistent and sharp, making handling and squeezing of cones somewhat painful. The
twigs of spruce pine from which needle fascicles have been sheered are smooth and without scales
or flakiness, whereas, in both loblolly and
shortleaf pines, these branches are
noticeably scaly and roughened, which
further distinguishes these species. P.
glabra is also very similar in structure to P.
clausa (Chap, ex Engelm.) Vasey ex. Sarg.
(sand pine), but the two rarely occupy the
same community.
Habitat: FACW. Mesic to hydric slopes,

riverine floodplain forests, and fertile
mixed upland hardwood forests.
Distribution: North central Florida

westward throughout the panhandle. DARST

22
PlNACEAE
Pinus serotina Michx.
Description: Small to medium-sized tree reaching 25 m (80 ft.) tall, with a DBH of 60 cm; bark
grayish brown when young becoming reddish brown with age, breaking into narrow, laminated
plates; leaves long narrow needles, 6-20 cm long, mostly in fascicles of 3, but also in fascicles of 2 or
4, sheaths generally about 1.0 cm long; plants monecious, male and female cones borne separately;
male cones 3-4 cm long, 6-7 mm wide, borne on a winter bud, female cones 5-8 cm long when
mature, short-ovoid to subglobose when unopened, being more squat-conical when opened, with
short, thickened stalks, opening stimulated by ground fires, cones persistent, often even to the
extent of being enveloped by the growth of the branch; seeds 2.5-3.0 cm long, wing 6-8 mm broad.
Recognition: The relatively short, ovoid, compact, tight, (somewhat egg shaped) unopened cone is
distinctive for this species. In addition, unlike other pines, pond pine typically forms sucker sprouts
from the lower to middle trunk and from principal branches, often giving the tree a fuzzy appear
ance. While fire may stimulate this unique growth form it is not a necessity. Often growing inter
mixed with Gordonia lasianthus and/or P. elliottii or P. palustris.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric to mesic seepage slopes, fringes of cypress and mixed hardwood swamps, and
wet to mesic flatwood sites.
Distribution: Central peninsular Florida (Polk & Osceola Counties) northward through north Florida
but most extensive along the St. Johns River drainage.
GYMNOSPERMS 23
TAXODIACEAE
Taxodium ascendens Broi POND-CYPRESS
synonymy: Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. var. imbricarium (Nutt.) Croom,
Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. var. nutans (Ait.) Sweet
Description: A small to large sized coniferous canopy tree to 40 m (130 ft) tall, typically smaller, of
cypress domes, and other still water wetlands; base of trunk often swollen and/or buttressed; often
with erect root structures ("knees") projecting upward through the substrate; branches stout and
nearly horizontal, at least when young, producing a conical shape, this changing with age to
ascending-spreading, ultimately becoming flat-topped on older individuals; bark becoming thick
with age, consisting of elongated flattened plates; leaves alternate, spirally arranged, short 3-6 mm
long, very narrowly linear "awl-like," appressed to branchlet; branchlets twisted at base and held
somewhat erect; leaves and branchlet deciduous as a unit, "leaves" of very young individuals and
coppice sprouts are "feather like" and are indistinguishable from Taxodium distichum; plants
monoecious, male and female cones borne separately, male cones produced in hanging panicles at
the terminus of seasonal growth, female cones also produced near the tip of seasonal growth,
globose, fleshy and green, comprised of tightly fitted scales; mature female cone becoming woody
with scales separating to release small, angled seeds.
Recognition: A small to large sized, deciduous, coniferous canopy tree with alternate, spirally
arranged, narrowly linear, "awl-like" leaves appressed to branchlets which are held somewhat erect.
The base of the trunk is often swollen and buttressed, with erect root structures (knees) often
present.
Habitat: OBL. Inundated areas typically associated with still waters and wetter areas of saturated
flats; cypress domes, basin swamps, pond and
lake margins, and wetter flatwoods.
portion of branchlet
showing appressed
"awl-like" leaves
DARST
habit of branch with female cones
habit

24
Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. BALD-CYPRESS
Description: A large coniferous canopy tree of a variety of seasonally inundated wetland forests to 40
m (130 ft) tall; base of trunk often swollen and/or buttressed; often with erect root structures
("knees") projecting upward through the substrate; branches stout, numerous, typically developing
at right angles to the trunk or nearly so, thereby inducing a conical form in younger trees, in much
older mature trees branches less numerous, somewhat ascending, and terminating at a similar
height creating a narrow (comparative to the massive nature of these mature trees) flattened top;
bark thin, gray, in narrow strips; leaves alternate, spirally arranged, very narrowly linear needle
like" but soft, 8-20 mm long; on short shoot branchlets the leaf bases are twisted such that the
apparent disposition is in a flat plane, "feather like"; individual branchlets not ascending, also
twisted at base and displayed in more or less a single plane; on much older trees short shoot leaves
of mature canopy growth are much shorter and not twisted into a "feather like appearance, the
branchlets however continue to be loosely disposed and are not held erect; leaves and branchlet
deciduous as a unit; plants monoecious, male and female cones borne separately; male cones
produced in hanging panicles at the terminus of seasonal growth, female cones also produced near
the tip of seasonal growth, globose, fleshy and green comprised of tightly fitted scales; mature
female cone becoming woody with scales separating to release small, angled seeds.
Recognition: A potentially large, deciduous coniferous canopy tree with soft, "feather like' foliage.
The trunk is often swollen and buttressed, with erect root structures (knees) often present.
Habitat: OBL. Inundated areas associated with some form of flowing water, including some with very
slow movement; floodplains, sloughs, strands, and riverine lakes and ponds.
DARST
GYMNOSPERMS 25
MONOCOTS
(ANGIOSPERMS)
• stems usually herbaceous, never forming true wood

• leaves usually with parallel veins
• seeds and pollen produced in flowers, seeds held in fruits
• flower parts in multiples of three
• one seed leaf (cotyledon) at germination
MONOCOTS 27
Echinodorus spp. BURHEADS
Description: Annual or short-lived perennial herbs, usually growing in tufts from shortened, incon
spicuous stems; leaves all basal, usually erect, to 50 cm (20 in) in length, long petioled, blades
broadly ovate, usually with several prominent veins; flowers bisexual, 3 white petals, 3 green sepals,
9-25 small stamens, numerous separate pistils clustered in center of flower; individual flowers on a
slender stalk, borne in several whorls on a long scape, which often droops to soil, allowing new
plantlets to form at flower nodes (i.e., a "proliferous" inflorescence); fruit 2-sided plump achenes
with ribbed surfaces and pointed tips, clustered at maturity in a manner that gives the fruiting
heads a burred appearance.
Recognition: An annual or short-lived perennial herb with long basal leaves, the blades of which have
prominent, cord-like veins. The flowers are white and 3-petaled, with numerous separate pistils,
each ripening into a plump achene (characteristic of family). These are aggregated into a bur-like
fruiting head. All flowers are bisexual (unlike Sagittaria species).
Habitat: OBL. Pond margins, wet woodlands, swamps, marshes, stream banks, and ditches. Achenes
eaten by wildfowl.
Distribution: Three species in Florida: E. berteroi (Spreng.) Fassett (= E. rostratus (Nutt.) Engelm.),
very local, mostly in west and north Florida; E. cordifolius (L.) Griseb., scattered localities in
Panhandle and north central Florida; and E. tenellus (Mart.) Buch.(= E. parvulus Engelm.), some
what ephemeral in habit, in Panhandle and south on the peninsula to Hillsborough and Polk
Counties.
Flowering: Summer-fall.

28
Sagittaria spp ARROWHEADS
Description: Herbs, mostly perennial, in tufts or from rhizomes, sometimes forming corms ("pota
toes") at rhizome tips; some species with milky sap; leaves basal, in submersed, floating, or emersed
forms, depending on species and growing conditions; some strap shaped (no blades, phyllodial);
some with arrowhead-shaped, lance-shaped, or oval blades; flowers unisexual, on the same plant, 3
usually white petals, 3 green sepals; stamens of male flowers numerous, pistils separate, numerous,
and crowded into a bumpy dome shape; individual flowers on a slender stalk and borne in whorls of
3 on a long scape (male whorls above, female below); fruit flattened, winged, beaked achenes which
at maturity are clustered into a globose head at the site of each female flower.
Recognition: Basal leaves usually with raised veins and spongy, often enlarged, petiole bases. Flowers
are white, 3-petaled, and unisexual; produced in separate whorls of 3 on a long scape. Female
flowers mature into globose fruiting heads.
Habitat: OBL. Marshes, ditches, spring-runs, swamps, stream banks, and lake margins. Achenes and
corms eaten by wildfowl, especially ducks. Rhizomes and leaves also eaten by small mammals.
Distribution: Some 14 taxa (11 species) in Florida, all native, the more common ones occurring
throughout the state; some restricted primarily to west and north Florida.
Flowering: Early spring-fall.
Sagittaria latifolia Willd. DUCK POTATO, WAPATO
MONOCOTS
Sagittaria spp. (continued)
Sagittaria lancifolia L.
LANCE-LEAF ARROWHEAD
Sagittariafiliformis J.G. Smith

(S. stagnorum Small)
VARIARLE-LEAF
ARROWHEAD
Q
<
v Sagittaria graminea Michx.
GRASSY ARROWHEAD

Crinum americanum L. SOUTHERN SWAMP-LILY, STRING-LILY
Description: Showy perennial, fragrant herb emerging each year from a succulent bulb set deeply in
the substrate; leaves alternate and appear spirally arranged when viewed from above, membranous
and minutely toothed, arising from the base and sheathing one another forming an apparent stalk
above the bulb, then spreading, becoming erect and gradually spreading outward, blade length to
120 cm and to 6 cm wide with septate aerenchyma; scape subequal to the leaves with 2 to 6 flowers
produced in a terminal umbel that is subtended by two membranous bracts; flowers white,
fragrant, and often tinged in pink as they age, perianth segments 6, stamens 6 with reddish to
purplish filaments; fruit a large capsule, 4-6 cm wide, having 1 to many large fleshy seeds.
Recognition: Perennial herbs with strap-like leaves and large white fragrant flowers growing from a
large, deeply rooted, difficult to extract, bulb. C. americanum can be confused with Hymenocallis
species which have large, white or greenish-white, 6-parted flowers, with a conspicuous membra
nous corona that connects the basal area of the six stamens. In addition, the inflorescence is
generally subtended by 4 bracts as opposed to 2 bracts found in Crinum. A very distinctive feature
of C. americanum is the bright red, purple or pink stamen filaments.
Habitat: OBL. Wet prairies, depression marshes,

ditches, hydric hammocks, floodplains, riverine
marshes, and wet pastures.
Flowering: Spring-Summer.
MONOCOTS
Hymenocallis spp. SPIDER-LILIES
Description: Perennial herbs with large, onion-like tunicated bulbs; leaves deciduous or evergreen,
erect or slightly arching, strap-like, turgid, and somewhat leathery, bright green to blue-green, upper
side concave, produced from the top of the bulb as opposing pairs in a single plane (distichous);
flowers consist of a fragrant, white, membranous saucer or cup uniting 6 stamens (which extend
beyond the saucer) subtended by 6 long, narrow, "petals" (3 petals and 3 petal-like sepals), "petals"
white or greenish white, above a long floral tub, borne sessile, solitary or in a cluster of two (2) to
several atop a leafless stem; fruit a fleshy capsule with 1-6 seeds.
Recognition: Bulbous, perennial herbs with turgid, leathery, strap-like, bright green to blue-green,
distichous leaves, and unique flowers with a white membrane uniting the 6 stamen above 6 long
and narrow, white to greenish white "petals". There are 8-9 difficult to separate species currently
recognized from Florida. May be easily distinguished from the similar Crinum americanum
(swamp lily) by the unique flower when in bloom, and vegetatively by the distichous leaves; those of
Crinum americanum being spirally arranged.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, floodplain forests, sloughs, hydric to mesic pine flatwoods, hammocks, wet
savannas, streams, and ditches.
Distribution: The genus

occurs throughout Florida
although the range of
individual species is
limited.
Flowering: Spring-fall.
flower
Hymenocallis henryae Hymenocallis choctawensis habit of flower plant

Arisaema spp
Description: Low herbaceous perennials from corms (thick, shortened underground stems), with
several bladeless sheaths arising from the corm to give the appearance of aerial stem; leaves 1 or 2
arising from among bladeless sheaths; petioles long, blades deeply lobed in palmate fashion,
appearing compound; lobes 3 (in A. triphyllum), 5 (in A. quinatum), or 7-15 (in A. dracontium);
flowers small, numerous, unisexual (male flowers above, female below), on a scape usually shorter
than the leaf petioles; upper fleshy scape (spadix) enveloped by a spathe (leaflike bract), usually
greenish and forming a hood over the flower-bearing portion of spadix; tip of spadix naked (non-
flowering), extending beyond spathe hood in A. dracontium; fruit an orange-red or red berry, in
clusters on the spadix.
Recognition: Palmately compound or lobed leaf blades; showy hooded spathe (slender, green in A.
dracontium; broader, green in A. quinatum; broad, green or green with some brown or purple in A.
triphyllum). Orange-red [A. dracontium) or red berries.
Habitat: FACW. Moist to wet woodlands, seepages, stream edges, bogs.
Distribution: Three species in Florida: A. dracontium (L.)

Schott, infrequent in Florida south to Pasco, Lake,
Orange, and Brevard Counties. A. quinatum (Nutt.)
Schott, occasional in Panhandle counties. A. triphyllum
(L.) Schott, found south to Collier County but occurring
mostly in central and north counties.
Flowering: Spring to summer.
A. dracontium (L.) Schott

GREEN DRAGON
i m m a t u r e fruit
habit
MONOCOTS
Arisaema spp. (continued)
A. triphyllum (L.) Schott

JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT
habit
fruiting
spadix
i m m a t u r e fruit

INVASIVE EXOTIC
Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott WILD TARO, DASHEEN
Description: Perennial with thick shoots from a large corm (thick, shortened underground stem);
leaves peltate (stalked from middle of blade), with large heart-shaped blades on stout petioles;
upper blade surfaces dark green with a velvety sheen; petiole tops often purplish; flowers small,
numerous, unisexual (male flowers above, female below), on a stout scape usually much shorter
than the leaf petioles; upper fleshy scape (spadix) enveloped by a long yellow spathe (leaflike bract);
fruit a berry, in clusters on the spadix.
Recognition: Peltate leaf blades (other similar-looking plants in Florida all have their petioles
attached at the margin of the leaf blades, e.g., Peltandra, Xanthosoma); velvety sheen on upper
surface of leaf blades; large corm; yellow spathe.
Habitat: OBL. Often in thick linear stands along shores of streams, rivers, canals, lakes, ponds,
ditches, and in scattered clumps in marshes.
Distribution: Native of Asia, widely naturalized in Florida, especially in north central counties but
also south to Dade County and west to Santa Rosa County in the Panhandle. Cultivated in the
tropics for its edible (if thoroughly cooked) corm.
Flowering: Occasional flowering, spring to autumn.
MONOCOTS 35
Orontium aquaticum L. GOLDEN CLUB, NEVERWET
Description: Aquatic perennial herb from stout, usually deeply buried rhizomes; leaves unlobed,
long-stalked, often floating, with blades oblong-elliptic in shape; blades bluish green, upper surfaces
with a slight sheen; flowers small, numerous, mostly bisexual (some male flowers at tip of cluster),
on the golden-yellow spadix (thickened upper end) of a long, ascending or lax, scape; scape green
with white band just below yellow spadix; spathe (leaflike bract) small, inconspicuous, sheathing
just the base of the scape; fruit a blue-green berry, in clusters on the spadix.
Recognition: Golden-yellow spadix, or "club," where tiny flowers and fruits form, on a long scape.
Bluish-green leaf blades, often floating, with a slight sheen and simple shape. Blue-green berries;
mostly bisexual flowers (both male and female parts in each flower).
Habitat: OBL. Shallow water of pools, streams, and swamps. Leaves and scapes occasionally con
sumed by deer, especially in early spring.
Distribution: Occurring in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain south to Highlands County in Florida,
in scattered localities.
Flowering: Late winter to early spring.
habit of submerged plant
habit
habit of flowering plant

Peltandra spp
Perennial herbs from short stems (no large corm or stout rhizome); roots cordlike; leaves not peltate;
arrowhead-shaped (sagittate to hastate) blades with three prominent veins, on long petioles; lower
blade surfaces often whitish; flowers small, numerous, unisexual (male flowers above, female
below), on an erect scape usually shorter than the tallest leaves; upper scape (spadix) enveloped by a
spathe (leaflike bract), either green with whitish margins (P. virginica) or green with flaring white
tip (P. sagittifolia); fruit a berry, in clusters on the spadix (mature berries green to brown in P.
virginica, red in P. sagittifolia).
Recognition: Sagittate leaf blades with three main veins, lighter green below; no large corm or
rhizome; green to white spathe (long and narrow or flaring at tip) with at least lower portion
succulent and enclosing female portion of spadix. Berries green to brown or red.
Habitat: OBL. Marshy depressions, lake shorelines, swamps, wet woodlands. Berries consumed by
wood ducks and other marsh birds.
Distribution: Two species in Florida: P. virginica (L.) Schott & Endl., fairly common in small stands
throughout Florida. P. sagittifolia (Michx.) Morong, considered rare or occasional in central, north,
and west Florida.
Flowering: Spring to autumn in warmer areas, to June in cooler regions.
P. virginica (L.) Schott & Endl GREEN ARUM
habit
MONOCOTS 37
Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (Griseb. & Wendl.) Wendl. ex Becc. PAUROTIS PALM
synonymy: Paurotis wrightii (Griseb. & Wendl.) Britt.
Description: A multi-stemmed small palm of hydric Everglades hammocks to 12 m (40 ft) tall, stems
slender and completely or nearly completely covered by the bases of the petioles of broken off dead
leaves and matted fibers; leaves evergreen, spirally arranged from a terminal bud; petiole thin, 20-90
cm long and armed with sharp, orange colored lateral spines; leaf blade fan shaped and without a
midrib (costa), individual segments separate for approximately half the length; both upper and
lower leaf surfaces bright green and glabrous; flowers bisexual, small, white to yellow-green,
clustered on lateral branches of the large (typically longer than leaves) inflorescence stalk; fruit in
clusters on the lateral branches of the long inflorescence stalk, individually drupe-like, hard and
smooth with a single seed, orange when immature turning black and lustrous at maturity, globose,
5-8 mm dia.
Recognition: A multi-stemed small palm with slender trunks covered by reddish matted fibers and
remains of leaf bases. Plants most often growing in vegetatively produced clusters consisting of
numerous trunks.
Habitat: OBL. Everglades tree islands or portions thereof, that seasonally inundate or are saturated
for extended periods.
Distribution: Restricted to extreme southern Florida (Dade, Collier, and Monroe Counties).
Flowering: Spring.
t: jdt
ippg
Vjj

Rhapidophyllum hystrix (Pursh) Wendl. and Drud NEEDLE PALM
Description: A shrubby understory palm of moist to hydric seepage slopes and wetland floodplains
with a trunk to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, weakly suckering at the base; leaves evergreen, spirally arranged
from a terminal bud, the base of the petioles at the trunk encompassed by numerous long, exceed
ingly sharp, needle-like spines; petiole much longer than leaf blade and without lateral spines; leaf
blade fan shaped and typically without a midrib (costa), (a small insignificant costa can be present),
individual segments separate for over half their length, terminus of segments squarely to obliquely
truncate with 2-6 irregular notches, upper surface bright green, lower surface a mottled silvery
green; flowers bisexual or unisexual, small and yellowish, clustered on branched inflorescences that
for the most part are contained within the structure and spines of the petiole bases; predominately
male inflorescence generally extending outward more (thereby becoming more conspicuous) than
predominately female inflorescence; fruit in dense clusters among the spines, individually drupe
like with a single seed, typically ovoid to globular, 15-20 mm dia., some with angular aspects caused
by congestion during development, brown to reddish brown, and covered by a loose blanket of
easily removed hairs.
Recognition: A shrubby understory palm with numerous long, exceedingly sharp, needle-like spines
apically surrounding the trunk. This palm is often observed growing in clusters created by vegeta
tive reproduction.
Habitat: FACW. Regularly but shallowly inundated floodplains, seepage swamps, especially associ
ated with springs, hydric seepage slopes and at times, some of the adjacent non-hydric slope, hydric
hammock, and moist upland bluffs adjacent to rivers.
Distribution: Sporadic in occurrence although locally abundant within certain sites; from northwest
ern Florida through the central peninsula (Highlands County).
MONOCOTS 39
Roystonea regia (Kunth) O. F. Cook FLORIDA ROYAL PALM
synonymy: Roystonea floridana O. F. Cook, Roystonea elata (Bartr.) F. Harper
Description: A stately palm tree of subtropical wetland forests to over 30 m (100 ft) tall, with a
smooth, columnar, light gray trunk that is enlarged at the base; leaves spirally arranged from a
terminal bud, the petiole bases encompassing the trunk to create a bright green "crown shaft"
which separates the gray trunk from the point of apparent leaf emergence; petiole shorter than leaf
blade and without lateral spines; leaf blade elongate and pinnate to 3.6 m long; flowers unisexual,
small, white, clustered on lateral branches of the large inflorescence stalks which emerges from the
base of the "crown shaft" with a large covering bract that falls after flowering; fruit in clusters on
the lateral branches of the long inflorescence stalk, individually drupe-like, hard and smooth with a
single seed, purple-black at maturity, globular, 0.76-1.27 cm dia.
Recognition: A palm tree with elongate, pinnate leaves and a smooth light gray trunk. Only native
palm, other than the extremely rare Pseudophoenix sargentii (Florida cherry palm) of the Keys, that
has pinnate leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Subtropical mixed cypress-hardwood swamps, southern everglades tree islands, and
wet hammocks. Young trees are shade tolerant.
Distribution: Rare in the wild, confined to the extreme southern portion of the peninsula: Collier,
Monroe (excluding the Keys), and Dade Counties.
Flowering: Throughout the year.

Sabal minor (Jacq.) Pers. BLUESTEM PALMETTO, DWARF PALMETTO
Description: A shrubby understory palm of moist to hydric seepage slopes and wetland floodplains
with the stem typically subterranean; leaves evergreen, spirally arranged from a terminal bud;
petiole often much longer than leaf blade and without lateral spines; leaf blade fan shaped with a
midrib (costa) which is relatively short compared to other Florida Sabal species, 2-12 cm long, blade
medially divided into two sides by a split which reaches the tip of the midrib or nearly so; without
filiferous threads along edges; individual segments separated nearly completely basally to only one
half to one third separate near the medial divide, terminus of segments single notched; both blade
and petiole green with a blue hue; flowers bisexual, small and whitish, clustered on widely sepa
rated branches located on the distal half of a long inflorescence stalk (typically longer than leaf);
fruit in loose clusters on the distal half of the long inflorescence stalk which is often arched and
drooping with the weight of the fruit, individually drupe-like with a single seed, black and lustrous
at maturity, orbicular to oblate, 8-10 mm dia.
Recognition: A shrubby understory palm with a subterranean stem and blue-green medially divided
leaves. The presence of a leaf midrib and habitat easily separates Sabal minor from all other palms
except Sabal palmetto (cabbage palm), which may be distinguished by the relatively longer midrib
and by filiferous threads occurring along the edges of leaf segments.
Habitat: FACW. Shallowly inundated floodplains, shallow wet sinks, hydric seepage slopes and
immediately adjacent mesic slopes, hydric hammock and moist mesic hammock adjacent to
streams.
Distribution: Throughout northwestern and northern Florida southward in the peninsula to Char
lotte County and the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee.
Flowering: Spring.
o Q
< <
MONOCOTS 41
Sabal palmetto (Walt.) Lodd. ex J. S. Shult. and Shult. CABBAGE PALM
Description: A palm tree of moist to wet forests to 30 m (98 ft) tall with the trunk partially or com
pletely (smaller individuals) covered by the bases of the petioles of broken off dead leaves commonly
known as "boots", the trunk of older individuals gray and fibrous after deterioration of the "boots";
leaves evergreen, spirally arranged from a terminal bud, the base of the petioles at the trunk expanded
laterally and split medially forming an inverted V-shaped gap; petiole usually longer than leaf blade
and without lateral spines; leaf blade fan shaped with a long midrib (costa) gradually tapering to a thin
point and at the same time strongly bending downward giving a "boat keel" effect to the blade,
individual segments varying in the degree of separation, terminus of segments deeply bifurcate, a
single filiferous thread originates from one edge of each separate segment and each bifurcation;
flowers bisexual, small, white, clustered on lateral branches of the large (typically longer than leaves)
inflorescence stalk; fruit in clusters on the lateral branches of the long inflorescence, individually
globose and drupe-like, 9-14 mm dia., black and lustrous at maturity, with a single seed.
Recognition: A palm tree with evergreen, fan shaped leaves which exhibit hanging threads and a long
downturned midrib. The trunk is usually partially or completely (smaller individuals) covered by
the bases of the petioles of broken off dead leaves. Very young specimens on moist to wet sites may
be separated from the somewhat similar Sabal minor (bluestem palmetto) by the presence of the
leaf threads which are seldom if ever present on Sabal minor or by the presence of flower stalks on
the Sabal minor which are never present on very young Sabal palmetto. The very similar Sabal
etonia (scrub palmetto) which may be extremely difficult to distinguish from very young Sabal
palmetto except when reproductive, occurs only on xeric sites and never develops as a tree.
Habitat: FAC. Inhabiting both wetland and upland sites; shallow floodplains, hydric and mesic
hammocks, coastal forests especially where subsurface limestone is present, moist to hydric
flatwoods, and pine rocklands of southern Florida.
Distribution: Throughout the state but tending to be coastal in northwest Florida.
Flowering: Spring-summer.

Thrinax radiata Lodd. ex J. A. Schult. & J. H. Schult. FLORIDA THATCH PALM
synonymy: Thrinaxparviflora Sw., Thrinaxfloridana Sarg.
Description: A small palm to 9 m (30 ft) tall with slender trunk and enlarged root-mass base; leaves
spirally arranged from a terminal bud; petiole thin, to 0.9 m long and unarmed; leaf blade fan
shaped and without a midrib (costa), individual segments separate for approximately half their
length, upper surface bright green with yellowish inter-segment ribs, lower surface paler green;
flowers bisexual, small, white, numerous, clustered on lateral branches of the inflorescence stalk
which is typically longer than the leaves; fruit in long clusters on the lateral branchlets of the
inflorescence which often hangs down from the leaf crown with the weight of the numerous mature
fruit, individually drupe-like and short stalked, smooth with a single seed, green when immature
turning white at maturity, globular, 7-14 mm dia.
Recognition: A small palm with fan shaped bright green leaves that have yellowish inter-segment ribs
on the upper surface and an enlarged root-mass base. Similar to Thrinax morrisii (Keys thatch
palm) which is distinguished by whitish lower leaf surfaces and typically smaller sessile fruit.
Habitat: FAC - Keys only. Found in a variety of habitats on sandy calcareous soils, including season
ally inundated flats and shallow depressions.
Distribution: Restricted to extreme southern Florida (Monroe County - Keys).
Flowering: Summer.
MONOCOTS 43
Carina flaccida Salisb. GOLDEN CANNA
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial, to about 1.2 m (4 ft) tall, from an underground stem or
rhizome; leaves alternate (appear spirally arranged), 3.9-61 cm long, 5-15 cm wide, oblong or
oblong-elliptic, with conspicuous parallel veins; flowers bisexual, showy, asymmetric, individually
consisting of three green sepals, three small inconspicuous petals and three highly modified, yellow,
petal like stamens (the showy part of this flower) with anthers along the edges, produced on a
branched terminal raceme; fruit is a 3-parted, rough capsule, 3-5 cm across, with spherical, dark
brown to black seeds.
Recognition: Large flat leaves with many lateral veins spreading upward at a sharp angle, alternately
arranged on a green, herbaceous stem. Showy, irregularly shaped, yellow flowers produced in a
terminal raceme. This species is distinguished from most naturalized exotic species or hybrids of
Canna by its clear yellow flowers and non-variegated leaves. C. indica (Indian shot), is an intro
duced species with bright red and orange flowers that can become naturalized in ditches and other
disturbed wet areas. Hybrid cannas known botanically as Canna x generalis are listed as FAC and
are recognized by flowers that are red, orange, or yellow and mixtures of these colors.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, pond and lake margins, ditches, savannas, hydric pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Peninsular and Northeast Florida west to Franklin County.

Cyperus spp FLAT SEDGES
Description: Annual or perennial grass-like herbs, in tufts or from rhizomes; stems solid, 3-angled,
unbranched, leafy at base, flowering stems mostly scapose (leafy only near base); leaves alternate,
3-ranked, leaf blades usually well developed, from closed leaf sheaths (i.e., unsplit at tops, tubular);
flowers bisexual, reduced; inflorescence branched terminal spikes or glomerules (compact heads)
subtended by leaflike bracts (involucral bracts) and consisting of clustered spikelets each of which
have several to numerous scales arranged in two ranks on a jointed axis, each scale enclosing a
floret of 1-3 stamens and a pistil with 2-3 lobes; fruit a 2- or 3-sided achene from each floret, falling
separately or with the spikelet as a unit at maturity.
Recognition: Tufted grass-like herbs with closed leaf sheaths and a branched inflorescence of
clustered spikelets. Leaflike involucral bracts are present below the inflorescence. Spikelet scales
appear flattened or nearly two dimensional (two-ranked). The fruit (achenes) do not have bristles or
tubercles.
Habitat: FACW, for the majority (51%) of species in Florida (see following pages for species listed as
OBL, FAC, and U). Moist to wet woodlands, swamps, marshes, prairies, floodplains, ditches,
shorelines and shallows of lakes, rivers, and streams (in uplands, sandy woods and fields). Impor
tant food and habitat for birds.
Distribution: In Florida, approximately 50 species, including several invasive introduced taxa; many
of the native species found throughout the state.
Cyperus lecontei Torr. FACW FLAT SEDGE
BNC
'
V -
.
.
r'
-
• miM
>p •- habit scale achene
• .
Cyperus odoratus L. FACW FLAT SEDGE
achene scale

54
Cornmelina spp DAYFLOWERS
Description: Annual or perennial subsucculent herbs; stems erect or sprawling (decumbent),

branched or unbranched, internodes to 10 cm (4 in) long; leaves alternate with conspicuous, often
hairy, basal sheaths, blades simple, entire, ovate- or linear-lanceolate, parallel-veined, commonly to
7 cm long (much longer, to 21 cm, in C. virginica)-, flowers bisexual, 3 unequal petals all blue or 2
blue and 1 small white, usually 3 fertile stamens, produced in small clusters at the stem tips within
a closely folded leaflike bract (spathe) and opening 1 flower at a time above the spathe; fruit a 3-
celled capsule, often with 1 cell empty, hidden in the spathe and containing 2-6, brown or reddish
seeds.
Recognition: Low growing herbs with alternate leaves that have basal sheaths and a single opened
flower. The flowers have 2 larger petals and 1 smaller one (all blue or smaller one white) and are
formed in a folded, leaflike spathe. The introduced C. nigritiana Benth. has all yellow-brown petals.
C. erecta is distinguished by its petals (2 blue, 1 tiny white) and its erect, perennial habit.
Habitat: FACW (except C. erecta, U). Moist to wet woods, floodplains and marshes; C. erecta in
sandhills and scrub; uncommon introduced species usually in highly disturbed sites.
Distribution: Nine species recognized in Florida (5 native, 4 introduced); most common natives
found throughout; others in north and west regions or central and south; introduced species
escaping from cultivation in scattered localities.
Flowering: Spring-fall for most common species.
Cornmelina diffusa Burm. f. FACW
Cornmelina erecta L. UPLAND
MONOCOTS
45
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Murdannia spp. DEWFLOWERS

synonymy: Aneilema spp.
Description: Prostrate or sprawling annuals, often forming dense mats; stems subsucculent,
branched or unbranched, usually rooting at nodes; leaves alternate with ciliate basal sheaths, blades
simple, parallel-veined, glabrous or ciliate, linear to oblong, 2-10 cm long; flowers bisexual, stalked,
1-several in small clusters at leaf axils and/or stem tips (no spathe present); 3 green sepals, 3
ephemeral (lasting only a morning), pink-lilac or bluish purple, equal sized petals; 2 or 3 fertile
stamens; fruit an oval, 2- or 3-celled capsule, with several reddish-brown seeds (thin, grayish
coating over brown in M. keisak).
Recognition: Mat-forming annual with alternate, parallel-veined leaves that have basal sheaths.
Flowers small and ephemeral, petals pink or maroon. Produced at leaf axils or stem tips and not
hidden in a spathe as in Commelina species.
Habitat: FAC. Marshy stream banks, swamp borders, ditches, canals, wet clearings and woods;
sometimes in shallow water.
Distribution: Three species in Florida, all from Asia; M. keisak in north and west region, M. nucLiflora
throughout, and M. spirata (L.) Bruckner rare in southwest Florida.
Flowering: Summer-fall; all year in south Florida.

Abildgaardia ovata (Burm. f.) Krai FLAT-SPIKED RUSH
synonymy: Fimbristylis monostachya Hassk., A. monostachya (L.) Vahl
Description: Clumped, bulbous-based perennial, 1-4 dm (1.25 ft) tall, with a tuft of leaves, leaves
slender, ridged on back, margins rolled inward, filiform, less than 1 mm wide, 10-15 cm long, in a
tuft from a hard bulbous base; inflorescence usually a single ovoid, spikelet 1-2 cm long, subtended
by a filiform bract, secondary spikelets, if present are on slender stalks at the base of the primary
spikelet, spikelet scales ovate, keeled, 2-ranked, overlapping, deciduous (first falling from the base
leaving an exposed axis with 3-5 brown veins along a ridged center), flowers inconspicuous within
the scales, 1 to 3 stamens and 3 stigmas; fruit an obovoid, 3-angled, dull whitish achene, 2 mm long.
Recognition: A clumped perennial with erect basal leaves and an inflorescence usually of a single
spikelet on a stem to 40 cm tall. Leaves are narrow, less than 1/2 the length of the inflorescence
length at maturity and have bristles at the tip. Scales on the spikelet are deciduous, leaving an
exposed axis.
Habitat: FACW. Calcareous soils, savannas over limestone, solution pockets, and on limestone spoil.
Distribution: Limestone outcrops in south Florida and the Florida Keys (Dade and Monroe Coun
ties). Savannas over limestone in Citrus and Hernando Counties.
habit spikelet
MONOCOTS
Carex spp. CARIC SEDGES
Description: Loosely to densely tufted perennial herbs, usually from rhizomes (short or elongate);
stems solid, 3-angled, unbranched; leaves 3-ranked, mostly basal (aerial stem leaves few and
smaller, or lacking), leaf blades flat to rolled slightly inward, from closed leaf sheaths (the tops often
membranous); flowers unisexual on the same plant, reduced, male (staminate) flowers consisting
only of 3 stamens, female (pistillate) flowers consisting of a single pistil enclosed in a distinctive
saclike structure (perigynium) with 2 or 3 stigmas protruding from its usually beaked top, each
flower subtended by a scale; inflorescence a single terminal spike or cluster of spikes, each spike
subtended by a leaflike bract, male flowers clustered in separate spikes (usually extending above
female spikes) or on same spike with female flowers (clustered above or below them); fruit a 2- or 3-
sided achene hidden within the perigynium (falling as a unit at maturity), achene lenticular
(biconvex, 2 stigmas) or trigonous (3-angled, 3 stigmas).
Recognition: Leafy clump-forming (sometimes loosely so) sedges with closed leaf sheaths and
reduced unisexual flowers in dense spikes. The fruit (achenes) are enclosed in sacs (perigynia).
Habitat: FACW (except 16 OBL species shown on following pages). Moist to wet woodlands,
swamps, marshes, prairies, floodplains, ditches, shorelines, stream banks. Important fodder for wild
mammals and fowl.
Distribution: Largest genus of seed plants in the southeastern United States (about 170 taxa). In
Florida, approximately 70 species, all native, mostly in west, north, and central regions.
Carex albolutescens Schw. FACW CARIC SEDGE

(=C. longii Mack.)
perigynium achene
Carex glausescens Ell. FACW CARIC SEDGE
perigynium achene

Carex atlantica Bailey. PRICKLY BOG SEDGE
BNC BNC
perigynwm achene
Carex howei Mack. OBL HOWIE'S SEDGE
BNC
perigynium achene
Carex crus-corvi Shuttlw. ex Kuntze. OBL RAVEN-FOOT SEDGE
perigynium achene
Carex stipate Muhl. ex Willd OBL STALK-GRAIN SEDGE
achene
MONOCOTS
Carex spp. (continued)
Carex descomposita Muhl. OBL CYPRESS-KNEE SEDGE
perigynium
Carex leptalea Wahl. BRISTLY-STALK SEDGE
BNC
achene perigynium

Carex elliottii Schw. & Torr. ELLIOTT'S SEDGE
BNC
perigynium achene
Carex folliculata Schw. L. OBL

(=C. lonchocarpa Willd. ex Sprengel)
BNC
perigynium
Carex hyalinolepis Steud. OBL SHORELINE SEDGE
BNC
BNC
1 BNC
habit inflorescence perigynium
Carex walteriana Bailey OBL WALTER'S SEDGE

(=C. striata Michx.)
" I Ki r i
11 { ,1 ,j
\y\ •- w$
'•?. $ r
¥ w*
BNC BNC
il /1 perigynium achene
MONOCOTS
Carex gigantea Rudge LARGE SEDGE
BNC
achene
Carex lupulina ex Schk. in Willd. HOP SEDGE
perigynium
Carex louisianica Bailey OBL LOUISIANA SEDGE

Cladium jamaicense Crantz. SAW-GRASS
Description: Large perennials, 1-3 m (3.3-10 ft) tall, with leafy stems and large scaly stolons; stems
obtusely three angled; leaves 0.5-1.5 cm wide, to over 1 m long, flat, the underside of the midiib
spinulose-serrulate, leaf margins spinulose-serrate; inflorescence composed of several cymes with
2-6 spikelets terminating each branch, the lower cymes flexuous; spikelets one flowered with 2-3
imbricated scales; Fruit an achene, 2-2.5 mm long, ovoid-spherical with a wrinkled surface, the
apex apiculate to obtuse, bristles absent.
Recognition: Large grass-like perennials with thick scaly stolons and leaves with the upper midribs
and margins saw-like. The much branched inflorescence extends above the leaves. Can be confused
with Cyperus ligularis L. which has bluish-green leaves with serrate margins and an inflorescence
with long bracts and spikelets arranged in dense heads. C. ligularis is a species of coastal marsh,
edges of mangrove swamps and moist ditches.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, marshes, and the shores of water bodies, common in coastal marsh.
achene
inflorescence
section of leaf blade
MONOCOTS
Cyperus spp, FLAT SEDGES
Description: Annual or perennial grass-like herbs, in tufts or from rhizomes; stems solid, 3-angled,
unbranched, leafy at base, flowering stems mostly scapose (leafy only near base); leaves alternate,
3-ranked, leaf blades usually well developed, from closed leaf sheaths (i.e., unsplit at tops, tubular);
flowers bisexual, reduced; inflorescence branched terminal spikes or glomerules (compact heads)
subtended by leaflike bracts (involucral bracts) and consisting of clustered spikelets each of which
have several to numerous scales arranged in two ranks on a jointed axis, each scale enclosing a
floret of 1-3 stamens and a pistil with 2-3 lobes; fruit a 2- or 3-sided achene from each floret, falling
separately or with the spikelet as a unit at maturity.
Recognition: Tufted grass-like herbs with closed leaf sheaths and a branched inflorescence of
clustered spikelets. Leaflike involucral bracts are present below the inflorescence. Spikelet scales
appear flattened or nearly two dimensional (two-ranked). The fruit (achenes) do not have bristles or
tubercles.
Habitat: FACW, for the majority (51%) of species in Florida (see following pages for species listed as
OBL, FAC, and U). Moist to wet woodlands, swamps, marshes, prairies, floodplains, ditches,
shorelines and shallows of lakes, rivers, and streams (in uplands, sandy woods and fields). Impor
tant food and habitat for birds.
Distribution: In Florida, approximately 50 species, including several invasive introduced taxa; many
of the native species found throughout the state.
Cyperus lecontei Torr. FACW FLAT SEDGE
BNC
1
habit scale achene
Cyperus odoratus L. FACW FLAT SEDGE

1—
Q
M
MM
."iSSm
BNC
achene scale

Cyperus spp. (continued)
Cyperus polystachyos Rottb. FACW FLAT SEDGE
achene and scale
Cyperus surinamensis Rottb. FACW FLAT SEDGE
BCN BCN
achene
Cyperus alternifolius L. OBL UMBRELLA SEDGE,

(=C. involucratus Rottb.) ALTERNATE-LEAF SEDGE
(from Old World tropics)
BCN
achene
INVASIVE EXOTIC
MONOCOTS 55
JOINTED FLAT SEDGE
Cyperus difformis L. VARIABLE FLAT SEDGE
INVASIVE EXOTIC
achene
Cyperus distinctus Steud. OBL MARSHLAND FLAT SEDGE

Cyperus drummondii Torr & Hook. OBL FLAT SEDGE

(=C. robustus Kunth.)
JTD
habit achene
Cyperus entrerianus Boeckler. OBL FLAT SEDGE

(from South America or Mexico)
INVASIVE EXOTIC
JDT
achene
Cyperus erythrorhizos Muhl. RED-ROOT FLAT SEDGE
achene and scale
MONOCOTS 57
Cyperus haspan L. OBL JOINTED FLAT SEDGE
habit achene
Cyperus lanceolatus Poir. OBL EPIPHYTIC FLAT SEDGE
achene habit
Cyperus papyrus L. OBL PAPYRUS (from Africa)

INVASIVE EXOTIC

Cyperus cuspidatus Kunth FAC COASTAL-PLAIN FLAT SEDGE
DARST
DARST
habit spikelet scale
Cyperus esculentus L. YELLOW NUT-GRASS

INVASIVE EXOTIC CHUFAS, NUT SEDGE
achene
Cyperus globulosus Aubl. FAC BALDWIN FLAT SEDGE

(=C. croceus Vahl)
MONOCOTS 59
Cyperus huarmensis (HBK) M.C. Johnst. FAC BLACK KNOTTY-ROOT

(=C. aggregatus (Wild.) Endl.) FLAT SEDGE
JDT
achene
Cyperus metzii Mattf. & Kuketh. FAC FLAT SEDGE

(=kyllinga squamulata Thon. ex Vahl) (from tropical Asia and Africa)
spikelet achene
Cyperus retrorsus Chapm. FAC FLAT SEDGE
m j*
achene

Cyperus rotundus L. FAC PURPLE NUT-GRASS,

NUT SEDGE; COCO-GRASS
q (from Eurasia, considered "World's Worst Weed")
INVASIVE EXOTIC
habit achene
Cyperus filiculmis Vahl. FLAT SEDGE
achene habit
Cyperus ovularis (Michx.) Torr. UPL FLAT SEDGE

(=C. echinatus (L.) A. Wood)
RC
achene
MONOCOTS
Cyperus reflexus Vahl UPL FLAT SEDGE
habit achene
Cyperus retrofractus (L.) Torr. UPL FLAT SEDGE

(=C. plukenetii Fern.)
achene
habit
Cyperus tetragonus Ell. UPL HAMMOCK FLAT SEDGE
habit achene

Dichromena spp. WHITE-TOP SEDGES, STAR RUSHES
synonymy: Rhynchospora spp.
Description: Tufted or rhizomatous perennial herbs; leaves erect, linear to filiform, 10-50 cm long,
1-6 mm wide, widest at base, narrowing distally; stems slender, triangular to round, 10-120 cm tall;
inflorescence a dense cluster of few to several-flowered spikelets surrounded by 3-10 leaf-like
bracts (involucral leaves), spirally arranged, white at base, green at apex, 5-12 cm long, 2-10 mm
wide; flowers inconspicuous and without a perianth, 3 stamens, styles 2-lobed; fruit a 2-sided
achene, tan to dark brown, with tubercle at the apex.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial, clumped or from rhizomes. Our only sedge-like plant with
an inflorescence subtended by 3-10 conspicuous bracts with white bases and green apexes.
D. latifolia has 7-10 bracts, the longest leaves (50-60 cm) and the tallest stem (to 1.2 m).
D.floridensis and D. colorata have 3-6 bracts, leaves to 20 and 40 cm long and stems to 40 and
60 cm long respectively.
Habitat: FACW except D. latifolia (OBL). Wet open areas, hydric pine flatwoods, edges of sloughs,
savannas, marshes, ditches, and bogs.
Distribution:
D. colorata (L.) Hitchc.: Throughout the state.

D.floridensis Britt.: Highlands, Dade, and Monroe Counties.
D. latifolia Bald, ex Ell.: Throughout the state.
Flowering: Throughout the year in central and south Florida, Spring-Summer in north Florida.
Dichromena colorata (L.) Hitchc. OBL WHITE-TOP SEDGE
Dichromena latifolia Bald, ex Ell. OBL GIANT WHITE-TOP SEDGE
MONOCOTS 63
Dulichium arundinaceum (L.) Britt. THREE-WAY SEDGE;
SHEATHED GALINGALE
Description: Perennial, from rhizomes, sometimes forming extensive colonies; stems unbranched,
hollow, round, jointed (septate), leafy, to 1 m (3 ft) tall; leaves numerous, conspicuously arranged in
3 ranks (especially when viewed from above), blades from closed sheaths (lower ones reduced to
brown bladeless sheaths) flat, linear, spreading, to 10 cm long; flowers reduced, bisexual, in small
clusters in axils of upper leaves; basic unit a spikelet, with 4-12 keeled, pointed scales arranged in
two ranks on a jointed axis (making spikelet appear flattened); each fertile scale enclosing 3
stamens, 6-9 downwardly barbed bristles and a pistil with 2 style branches; fruit a biconvex
(lenticular) achene, 3-4 mm long, with a long beak and narrowed base.
Recognition: Leafy rhizomatous sedge, with conspicuously 3-ranked leaf blades extending up the
stem and axillary flower clusters (not terminal as in most sedges).
Habitat: OBL. Wet pinelands, floodplains, bogs, and edges of marshes, swamps, lakes, and streams,
often in standing water. Fruit eaten by wildlife.
Distribution: Frequent in west and north Florida, occasional south to Highlands County.
Flowering: Late spring-fall.
GR
achene habit

Eleocharis spp. SPIKERUSHES
Description: Tufted annuals or perennials from rhizomes or stolons, often forming mats or large
clumps; stems unbranched; leaves reduced to bladeless sheaths (the sheath tops often used to help
distinguish species); flowers bisexual, reduced; inflorescence a single terminal spikes of closely
overlapping, usually spiraled, scales, inflorescence sometimes proliferous (new shoots arise from
spike); fruit hidden by a scale, a 2- or 3-sided nutlet (achene) with tubercle (hardened style base),
and usually with 6-9 perianth bristles (sometimes with few or none).
Recognition: Unbranched stems, leaf sheaths with no leaf blades, single terminal flower spikes of
overlapping scales with no leaflike bracts below the spike, and achenes with tubercles. Usually
rooted and emergent but some species may form floating or submersed mats.
Habitat: OBL (all species). Usually in water, in marshes, swamps, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds,
ditches, canals, floodplains. Stems and roots eaten by wildfowl.
Distribution: Twenty-nine species in Florida, all native. Less than a dozen found throughout state,
e.g., E. baldwinii, E. cellulosa, E. geniculata, and E. vivipara. Most in west, north, and central regions.
Flowering: Year-round.
Eleocharis baldwinii (Torr.) Chapm. HAIRGRASS
habit achene
Eleocharis vivipara Link VIVIPAROUS SPIKERUSH
habit (red dotted) achene
MONOCOTS 65
Eleocharis equisetoides (Ell.) Torr. JOINTED SPIKERUSH
Eleocharis interstincta (Vahl) R. & S. JOINTED SPIKERUSH
sheath top
COASTAL SPIKERUSH
1
GR
sheath top
i
Eleocharis quadrangulata (Michx.) R. & S. SQUARE-STEM SPIKERUSH
sheath top

Eleocharis geniculata (L.) R. & S. ANNUAL SPIKERUSH
GR
habit sheath top achene
Eleocharis atropurpurea (Retz) Kunth ANNUAL SPIKERUSH
Eleocharisflavescens (Poir.) Urban.
habit achene
Eleocharis olivacea Torr. SPIKERUSH
GR
habit achene
MONOCOTS 67
Fimbristylis spp. FRINGE-RUSHES
Description: Annual or perennial grass-like herbs, usually in tufts (cespitose); leaves narrow, all basal,
blades linear-flat or inrolled from closed or partially opened sheaths (some with a ring of short hairs
at top); flowers bisexual, reduced, crowded in spikelets of many tightly spiraled scales; inflores
cence usually branched clusters of spikelets (spikelets solitary or 2-3 in F. schoenoides), with short
or inconspicuous subtending leaf-like bracts, borne above the leaves atop a scape; fruit a 2- or 3-
sided nutlet (achene) without bristles or persistent style bases (tubercles); each achene hidden by a
spikelet scale.
Recognition: Tufted, grass-like herbs typically with branched inflorescences (umbels) of clustered
spikelets. Spikelets consist of many spiraled, overlapping scales, mostly fertile, each with 1-3
stamens. The achene lacks bristles, and has a distinctive style, the base of which does not persist as
a tubercle. The 2- or 3-branched style, with the undivided portion widened and flattened, and
frequently fringed on the edges (fimbriate), distinguishes this genus from other sedges.
Habitat: OBL (except 3 species, see following pages). In wet sandy soils or marls, often alluvial or
disturbed areas, of savannas, pond or river shorelines, ditches, and flatwoods. F. caroliniana (often)
and F. castanea (usually) in brackish coastal marshes or swales.
Distribution: Nine to 13 species in Florida (depending on reference), some introduced; most species
found throughout the state.
Flowering: Summer-fall for most species.
Fimbristylis autumnails (L.) R. & S. FRINGE-RUSH

cespitose annual
achene
Fimbristylis glausescens (Lam.) Fern, FRINGE-RUSH

perennial from slender rhizomes
KRAL KRAL
achene habit

Fimbristylis annua (All.) R. & S. FACW ANNUAL FRINGE-RUSH
(=F. cymosaf. annua (All.) Ohwi)
cespitose annual
(probably introduced)
KRAL
KRAL
achene habit
Fimbristylis dichotoma (L.) Vahl ORL FRINGE-RUSH

tufted perennial
(probably introduced)
BNC
BNC
achene habit
Fimbristylis puberula (Michx) Vahl FACW VAHL'S HAIRY

tufted or solitary perennial; FRINGE-RUSH
stem base hard, knotty
BNC BNC
achene
habit
MONOCOTS
Fimbristylis spp. (continued)
Fimbristylis spathacea (All.) R. & S. FAC HURRICANE-GRASS

(may be referred to F. cymosa)
solitary or tufted perennial
habit
Fimbristylis schoenoides (Retz) Vahl ORL FRINGE-RUSH

cespitose annual .
INVASIVE EXOTIC
achene
Fimbristylis castanea (Michx) Vahl OBL SALTMARSH FRINGE-RUSH

(may be referred to F. spadicea (L.) Vahl)
densely tufted perennial
KRAL KRAL
achene habit

Fuirena spp. UMBRELLA-GRASSES
Description: Perennials from rhizomes, except the tufted annual F. pumila, usually clump-forming
(exception being F. scirpoidea with its elongated rhizomes) and often seen in large clumps or
populations; stems unbranched, bluntly triangular; leaves typically all reduced to bladeless sheaths
or just lower leaves reduced (the sheath tops sometimes used to help distinguish species); flowers
bisexual, reduced, crowded in spikelets and often appearing bur-like; inflorescence terminal, a
single spikelet or an umbel of 2 to several clustered spikelets subtended by usually inconspicuous
leaf-like bracts, spikelet scales awned (bristle-tipped); fruit; a 3-sided, stalked nutlet (achene) with
pointed tip (persistent style base), that is hidden by a spikelet scale.
Recognition: Typically rhizomatous herbs with unbranched stems and often bladeless leaf sheaths (in
some only the lower leaves are reduced). The terminal inflorescence consists of bur-like spikelets
produced either singly or in clusters. The reduced perianth (sepals and petals) consisting of 3
bristles alternating with 3 stalked and awned, paddle-like scales distinguishes this genus from other
sedges.
Habitat: OBL (all species). In wet sands, peat, muck, or marls along borders of, or in, marshes,
swamps, lakes, ponds, ditches, canals, bogs, prairies, and pineland depressions. F. scirpoidea usually
in standing water, fresh to brackish.
Distribution: Five species recognized in Florida, all native, four found throughout the state, with F.
squarrosa restricted to northern Florida eastward to Columbia County.
Flowering: Summer-autumn.
Fuirena breviseta (Cov.) Cov. in Harper SHORT-BRISTLED

UMBRELLA-GRASS
sheath top
achene
perianth bristle
and scale
MONOCOTS 71
Fuirena pumila (Torr.) Spreng. DWARF UMBRELLA-GRASS
Fuirena squarrosa Michx. LAKE-RUSH
achene sheath top perianth bristle

and scale
Fuirena scirpoidea Michx. RUSH-FUIRENA
sheath top achene perianth bristle

(bladeless) and scale

Lipocarpha spp. LIPOCARPHA
synonymy: sometimes includes Hemicarpha spp.
Description: Plants less than 30 cm (1 ft) tall, with fine roots and tufts of wiry stems, usually in sunny
moist or wet sands; leaves at stem bases, with wiry blades shorter than the stems; inflorescence a
cluster of 1-4 stalkless, egg-shaped, many-flowered straw-colored or pale green spikelets at end of
stem, above 2 long and a few short spreading leaf-like bracts; scales spirally arranged, oblanceolate,
each enclosing an achene and two transparent inner scales wrapped around the achene; achene
without bristles or scales at the base, pale tan, narrowly cylindrical, with a finely pebbly surface and
a minute point at the rounded tip.
Recognition: Tufts of leafless wiry stems less than 30 cm (1 ft) tall, each stem topped by 1-4 tiny, egg-
shaped spikelets; spikelet scales spirally arranged, each enclosing an achene and 2 transparent inner
scales; achenes without bristles or scales at base or tubercle at tip. Hemicarpha species are similar
to Lipocarpha, but tend to be smaller and have clusters of spikelets that seem to arise on the side of
the stem. Some species of Fimbristylis, like F. vahlii, are as small as Lipocarpha, but have tufts of
larger leaves and larger spikelets at the end of the stem. Species of Bulbostylis have wiry stems like
Lipocarpha, but tend to have larger leaves and spikelets. Lipocarpha maculata (Michaux) Torrey is
the only species likely to be encountered in Florida. An Old World species, L. microcephala Kunth,
was reportedly naturalized around Immokalee.
Habitat: FACW. In open moist to wet sandy soil around ponds, marshes, and streams.
Distribution: Lipocarpha maculata: throughout. Lipocarpha microcephala: Immokalee.
Flowering: Summer.
MONOCOTS
Psilocarya spp. BALD-RUSHES
Description: Annual glabrous herbs; stems unbranched, round to softly 3-angled, to 7 dm (2.3 ft) tall;
leaves few, with narrow blades elongate from closed sheaths; flowers reduced, bisexual, in terminal
and axillary inflorescences, each inflorescence usually broad, open, and more or less flat-topped;
basic unit a spikelet, oval shaped, with several spiraled scales; each fertile scale enclosing usually 2
stamens and a pistil with 2 style branches; fruit a biconvex (lenticular) achene 0.7-1.5 mm long,
lacking bristles, but with a tubercle (persistent style base) pressed atop the achene body.
Recognition: Leafy annual sedges, with long blades from closed sheaths and broad, open, axillary and
terminal inflorescences of oval spikelets with spiraled, dark scales. The 2-sided achene has a short
tubercle and lacks bristles.
Habitat: OBL. Most often in wet sands and sandy peats of flatwoods, prairies, ditches, bogs, coastal
swales, marshes, and edges of swamps, lakes, and ponds.
Distribution: Two or three species recognized; P. nitens frequent throughout the state; P. scirpoides
occasional in west and north Florida.
Flowering: Mid-summer to early fall.
Psilocarya nitens (Vahl) Wood

(-Rhynchospora nitens (Vahl) A. Gray)
achene
Psilocarya scirpoides Torr.

(^Rhynchospora scirpoides (Torr.) A. Gray)

Rhynchospora spp BEAKRUSH
Description: Tufted annual and perennial herbs, clumped or spreading (rhizomatous); stems solid,
3-angled, smooth to scabrous, branched or unbranched; leaves 3-ranked, leaf blade smooth, flat or
rolled, margins usually scabrous, from closed leaf sheaths: flowers bisexual, reduced, perianth of 5-
13 bristles, typically with 2-3 stamens and a single pistil with 2 stigmas and an enlarged base, the
style base is persistent and forms a long or short "beak" on the achene, each flower subtended by a
scale, in 1-2 flowered spikelets with imbricate scales (glumes): inflorescence complex, terminal
spikelets, or a series of spikelets or spikelet clusters subtended by a leaflike bract and produced
distally along the stem; fruit a lenticular (biconvex) achene.
Recognition: Leafy clump forming herbs with closed leaf sheaths and reduced flowers in a compact
terminal head or in short spikes; achenes are flattened with a persistent style base, usually with
bristles around the base of the achene.
Habitat: FACW (except 14 OBL species and three UPLAND species shown on the following pages).
Moist to wet woodlands, hydric pine flatwoods, hydric hammocks, swamps, marshes, prairies,
floodplains, ditches, shorelines, stream banks and bogs.
Distribution: The approximately 29 species are found throughout Floridas wetlands.
Flowering and Fruiting: Spring-summer for most species.
Rhynchospora cephalantha A. Gray OBL CLUSTERED BEAKRUSH
Rhynchospora chapmanii M. A. Curtis OBL CHAPMAN S BEAKRUSH
habit achene
MONOCOTS
Rynchospora spp. (continued) All species below OBL
Rynchospora corniculata (Lam.) A. Gray SHORT-BRISTLE BEAKRUSH
JDT Xf
habit achene
Rynchospora decurrens Chapm. SWAMP-FOREST BEAKRUSH
habit achene
Rynchospora divergens Chapm. ex M.A. Curtis SPREADING BEAKRUSH
habit achene
Rynchospora harperi Small HARPER'S BEAKRUSH
achene

Rynchospora spp. (continued) All species below OBL
Rynchospora inundata (Oakes) Fern. HORNED BEAKRUSH
habit achene
Rynchospora macra (Clarke) Small LARGE BEAKRUSH
Rynchospora miliacea (Lam.) Gray MILLET BEAKRUSH
achene
MONOCOTS
Rhynchospora spp. (continued) All species below OBL
Rhynchospora mixta Britt. ex Small MINGLED BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora oligantha Gray FEW FLOWERED BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora stenophylla Carey ex Chapm. NARROW BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora tracy Britt. TRACY'S BEAKRUSH
achene

Rhynchospora spp. (continued) All species below FACW
Rhynchospora baldwinii Gray BALDWIN'S BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora chalarocephala Fern. & Gale LARGE HEADED BEAKRUSH
achene
CILIATED BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora compressa Carey ex Chapm. FLATTENED BEAKRUSH
achene
MONOCOTS
Rhynchosporafascicularis (Michx.) Vahl FASCICLED BEAKRUSH
\T
Rhynchosporafilifolia Gray FILIFORM BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora globularis (Chapm.) Small GLOBULAR BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora gracilenta Gray SLENDER BEAKRUSH
achene

Rhynchospora inexpansa (Michx.) Vahl LONG BRISTLED BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora intermixa Wright TUFTED BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora microcephala Britt. ex Small SMALL HEADED

BEAKRUSH
achene
MONOCOTS
Rhynchospora odorata Wright ex Griseb. BEAKRUSH
achene
PLUMED BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora rariflora (Michx.) Ell. FEW FLOWERED BEAKRUSH
achene

Rhynchospora spp. (continued) All species below UPL
Rhynchospora grayi Kunth GRAY'S BEAKRUSH
piliiS
zmmmtmsaf
achene
Rhynchospora intermedia (Chapm.) Britt PINEBARREN BEAKRUSH
achene
Rhynchospora megalocarpa Gray GIANT-FRUITED BEAKRUSH
achene
MONOCOTS
Schoenus nigricans L, BLACKSEDGE
Description: Perennial herb that forms large, dense clumps; leaves erect, shorter than stems, basally
crowded, stiff triangular, channeled, with rough edges, distally becoming thin and wiry with edges
rolled inward; sheaths dark reddish brown to black; stems squarish in cross section, smooth,
20-70 cm tall, wiry; inflorescence sessile, single cluster of 10 sessile spikelets, dark reddish brown,
on stem tips with 1-2 leaf-like bracts, lowermost bract to 8 cm long; spikelets laterally compressed,
with 5-10 overlapping scales dark reddish brown to black; spikelet scales 2-ranked, ridged, pointed;
fruit a rounded, glossy white achene without a tubercle.
Recognition: Dense clump of erect, wiry leaves with dark reddish brown to black bases. The inflores
cence of dark brown to black spikelets and bracts extends above the leaves. Seed heads (spikelets
with achenes), subtended by 1-2 leaflike bracts. Achenes glossy white with a small dark apical scar.
Habitat: FACW. Marshes, wet calcareous pinelands and prairies, and limerock outcrops.
Distribution: Found in Florida in two disjunct areas; Leon Co. west to Bay Co. in north Florida and in
south Florida from Pasco Co. to Broward Co. southward to the Florida Keys.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, summer in north Florida.
84
Scirpus spp. BULRUSHES
Description: Annual or perennial herbs, in tufts or large colonies; stems sharply 3-angled or slightly
rounded and softly angled; leaves reduced to bladeless sheaths in some species, blades flat or
folded from closed (not split) sheaths in others; flowers bisexual, reduced, crowded in spikelets of
many spiraled, overlapping scales; inflorescence terminal, with spikelets in a single tight cluster or
in branched arrays, subtended by one or more spreading, leaflike bracts (in some species one erect
bract appearing as an extension of the stem); fruit a 2 or 3-sided achene with 1-6 (rarely none)
bristles and a small apical point, surface either smooth or bumpy, lacks a tubercle (different-
textured, hardened style base).
Recognition: Annual or perennial herb with a terminal single-clustered or branched inflorescences.

Distinguished from other sedges by having spikelets of many spiraled, overlapping, fertile scales
(usually brown or reddish brown), reduced flowers with bristles nearly always present, and the
achene without a tubercle.
Habitat: OBL. Often in water, especially larger species (e.g., S. californicus, S. cyperinus, S. validus).
Brackish and fresh water marshes, lake and pond margins, swamps, stream banks. Those in water
provide important habitats for fish and other aquatic life.
Distribution: About 13 species recognized in Florida, all considered native; many found in scattered
locations throughout state. S. californicus often planted in revegetation projects.
Flowering: Spring to fall for many species.
Scirpus californicus (Meyer) Steud GIANT BULRUSH
Scirpus validus Vahl SOFT-STEM BULRUSH

(=S. tabernaemontani C. Gmelin)
MONOCOTS 85
Scirpus spp. (continued) All species listed below OBL
Scirpus pungens Vahl SWORD GRASS

(S. americanus Pers., misapplied)
achene
Scirpus americanus Pers THREE-SQUARE

(=5. olneyi Gray)
achene
Scirpus cyperinus (L.) Kunth WOOL-GRASS
achene

iScleria spp, NUT-RUSHES, WHITE NUT SEDGE
Description: Grasslike annual or perennial herbs, 5-10 dm (1.7-3.3 ft) tall, perennials rhizomatous,
annuals with fibrous roots; stems sharply three angled; leaves of lower stem bladeless sheaths,
upper stem leaves with keeled blades; flowers unisexual, born in spikelets on the same plant,
lacking perianths; inflorescence terminal or axillary spikelets clusters, staminate and pistillate
spikelets mixed in the same clusters; fruit globose to ovoid achenes, usually white when mature
with a smooth to reticulate, warty, or papillose surface, bases narrowed or flared, when flared
sometimes bearing tubercles on the bottom of the achene above the flared portion.
Recognition: Annual or perennial herbs with sharply three angled stems, and globose to ovoid
achenes that have smooth to reticulate, warty, or papillose surfaces and are usually white when
mature. Achenes usually born in clustered spikelets and are easily visible within the spikelets.
Annuals with fibrous roots, perennials with rhizomes. There are ten species recognized in Florida;
S. baldwinii, S. ciliata, S. georgiana, S. hirtella, S. verticillata, S. triglomerata, S. reticularis,
S. oligantha, S. lithosperma, and S. lacustris; the last species known only from Lee County.
Scleria baldwinii (Torr.) Steud.
Recognition: A perennial herb spreading from a knotty rhizome. Stems to 9 dm (3 ft) tall with
terminal clusters of spikelets. Blades of stem leaves 1-5 mm wide, with variable smooth or scabrous
margins. The mature achene bodies are white, globose-elliptic, 3-4 mm long with longitudinal
ridges, apiculate tips, and obpyramidal bases with three concave sides; these lacking iridescent pits.
Habitat: FACW. Most often in shallow water; hydric savannas, pond borders, ditches, and hydric pine
flatwoods.
Flowering: April-July.
MONOCOTS 87
Scleria ciliata Michx.
synonymy: S. pauciflora Muhl. ex Willd., S. brittonii Core, S. elliottii Chapm.
Recognition: A perennial herb with thick, knotty rhizomes, a pubescent stem to 7 dm (2.3 ft) tall
bearing spikelets in terminal or both terminal and axillary clusters, leaf blades that are 1-7 mm wide
and either glabrous or pubescent, and lustrous-white, globose or ovoid achenes that are 1.5-3 mm
long. The surface of achenes are papillose to irregularly verrucose, while the bases are flared and
triangular with three finely granular, often two lobed, tubercles connecting the flared bases with the
achene bodies.
Habitat: FACW. Highly variable: from wet pine flatwoods, swamps, seepage bogs, savannas, and pond
margins, to sandhills.
Flowering: Late spring-autumn.
Scleria georgiana Core.
Recognition: A clump-forming perennial herb with short, knotty rhizomes, slender to filiform,
glabrous, stems to 5 dm (2.7 ft) tall bearing spikelets in terminal clusters, and leaf blades that are
1-2 mm wide and glabrous. Mature achenes are whitish, globose-elliptic, 2-3 mm long, with
longitudinal ridges that are more distinct on lower portion of achene body which is narrowed and
formed into three points with concave surfaces between; these bearing iridescent yellow pits.
Habitat: FACW. Wet mesic to hydric flatwoods, hydric savannas, and margins of forested pond.
achene
88
Scleria hirtella Sw.
synonymy: S. distans
Recognition: A colonial, perennial herb with stems to 6 dm (2 ft) tall, spreading by means of slender,
aromatic rhizomes. Leaf blades are 2-5 mm wide and pubescent, as are the sheaths. The spikelets
are in small, often nodding clusters alternately arranged around the long axis of the inflorescence
and have long, ciliate, bracts and scales. Mature achenes are smooth, white and shiny, obovoid, 1-
1.5 mm long, with a slightly apiculate apex and narrowed triangular base. The pubescent sheaths
and leaves combined with the ciliate inflorescences, make this species appear more hairy than
other species of the genus.
Habitat: FACW. Pine flatwoods, savannas, and roadside ditches and swales.
Flowering: Summer.
GR
achene
Scleria lithosperma (L.) Sw.
Recognition: A rhizomatous perennial herb with filiform stems to 6 dm (2 ft) tall and an inflores
cences composed of spikelets in several (2-4) short stalked, terminal clusters with several long-
stalked axillary clusters below. The leaf blades are 1-3 mm wide, involute and glabrous. Mature
achenes are smooth, white and shiny, subglobose, 2-2.5 mm long. The lower portion of the achene
body is narrowed and formed into three points with concave surfaces between and a brown rim
below.
Habitat: FACW. Calcareous pinelands and hammocks.
Distribution: Extreme southern Florida including the keys (Dade and Monroe Counties).
Flowering: Summer.
MONOCOTS 89
Scleria oligantha Michx.
Recognition: A rhizomatous perennial herb with pubescent to glabrous and sometimes glaucous
stems to 3-6 dm (2 ft) tall, and flat leaf blades 3-6 mm wide. The inflorescence consists of spikelets
in lateral fascicles on long flexuous stalks and 1-2 terminal fascicles. Mature achenes are smooth,
white and lustrous, ovate, 3-4 mm long, with a roughly triangular, basal disc bearing 8-9 granular
tubercles near the bottom of the achene body and a flared basal rim.
Habitat: FACW. Highly variable: from floodplains, savannas and stream banks to well-drained
uplands.
Distribution: All of northern Florida, south in the peninsula to Hillsborough County and probably
further south.
Scleria reticularis Michx.

synonymy: S. muhlenbergii Steud., S. setacea Poir.
Recognition: A grasslike herb which can be either an annual with fibrous roots or a perennial with
soft, small rhizomes. Numerous, often reclining, stems up to 7 dm tall (long) are typically present
with spikelets arranged in terminal and axillary panicles. The leaf blades are mostly shorter than
the stem, 2-5 mm wide, and glabrous or sparsely hirsute. Mature achenes are dull, white to grayish,
subglobose, 1.5-3 mm long with a pubescent, reticulate surface that may also have short, horizontal
ridges. At the base of the achene is a three lobed bract-like structure.
Habitat: FACW. Most often in shallow water; pond, bogs, hydric savannas, ditches, and hydric pine
flatwoods.
Flowering: Summer.
H I—
•o
Hi
JDT
achene

Scleria triglomerata Michx. TALL NUT-RUSH
Recognition: A robust perennial herb spreading by a thick knotty rhizome and often forming large
clumps. Stems have rusty red bases and are glabrous to somewhat pubescent, to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall.
The inflorescence consists of spikelets in terminal clusters, often with one or two smaller, stalked,
clusters lower on the stem. Leaf blades are flat, to 9 mm wide, with scabrous margins. Mature
achenes are smooth, lustrous white, subglobose to ovate, 2.5-3.5 mm long, with flared papillose
bases that lack tubercles between the flared base and the achene body.
Habitat: FACW. Variable: bogs, savannas, mesic to hydric pine flatwoods, and mixed upland woods.
Scleria verticillata Muhl. ex Willd.
Recognition: An often tufted, annual herb with aromatic, Fibrous roots, and weak, thin, glabrous
stems that have spikelets in sessile roundish clusters, disposed alternately towards top of the stem.
Mature achenes have a reticulate to verrucose surface and are whitish, globose, 1-1.5 mm long, with
narrow triangular bases.
Habitat: Pond margins, depressions, savannas, bogs, marl prairies and hydric to wet mesic pine
flatwoods.
MONOCOTS
Eriocaulon spp, HATPINS, PIPEWORTS
Description: Small to medium sized, rosulate, scapose, tufted herbs with thickened, septate, generally
unbranched and pale colored roots; leaves linear to linear lanceolate, basal, arranged in a spiral
rosette, expanded basally and clasping, distinctive aerenchyma tissue present, especially toward the
base, light green to yellow green in color; scape variously ridged, to greater than 110 cm long;
flowers unisexual, individually tiny, with 2 sepals, 2 petals, 3 to 4 to 6 stamens, 2 carpels and a
2-branched style, subtended by a single membranous bract, borne in a single involucrate head or
contracted spike with an outer involucre and an inner mass of flowers appearing white to gray;
fruit a capsule with a persistent style.
Recognition: Eriocaulon species are often confused with Lachnocaulon species and Syngonanthus
flavidulus. Eriocaulon have generally whitish septate roots, and air species (lacunar tissue) are
prominent within the leaves and visible to the naked eye. Lachnocaulon have fine, dark, fibrous,
slenderly branched roots while Syngonanthus flavidulus has pale brown, thickened, fleshy roots. In
addition, Lachnocaulon and Syngonanthus genera do not have visible air spaces occurring within
the leaves.
E. decangulare L.: heads white, hard, firm, 1-2 cm broad; scape several per tuft, 30 to 100 cm long,
twisted with 8-12 ridges; sheath loose, shorter than leaves; leaves erect, firm, linear attenuate, 10-40
cm long; involucral bracts ovate to lanceolate, straw-colored with club-shaped white hairs near tips.
Largest Eriocaulon species in Florida.
E. compressum Lam.; heads white, soft, 1-2 cm broad; scape solitary, 20-70 cm long, twisted with
several ridges; sheath very loose, longer than leaves; leaves flaccid, linear attenuate, 5-30 cm long;
involucral bracts ovate to elliptic, grayish translucent, 2-3 mm long, with rounded tips.
E. texense Korn.: heads white, soft, 0.5 cm broad; scape 5-30 cm long, twisted with 4-7 ridges; sheath
equal to or longer than leaves; leaves 1-5 cm long, inner basal portions with numerous trichomes or
short, blunt projections; involucral bracts broadly obovate, straw-colored (young) to dark gray
(mature), 1.5 mm long, with rounded tips.
E. ravenelii Chapm.: heads gray-brown to charcoal gray, soft, 3-4 mm broad; scape 10-20 cm long,
slightly twisted with 4-6 ridges; sheath loose, shorter than the leaves; leaves blue green, linear
attenuate or with acute tips on drier sites, aerenchyma tissue evident throughout the length;
involucral bracts 2 mm long, gray, translucent.
E. lineare Small: heads white, 0.4-0.6 cm broad; scape 6-15 cm long, slightly twisted with 4-7 dark green
ridges; sheath longer than or equal to the leaves; leaves bluish green, linear attenuate, 1-10 cm long,
1.5-4.0 mm broad; involucral bracts orbicular to ovate, 2-2.5 mm long, pale with rounded tips. Both
leaves and sheath vary in size and form depending on growing conditions.
E. nigrobracteatum E. L. Bridges and Orzell: heads white above, dark gray to black below, hemispheri
cal, 3-5 mm broad; scape delicately filiform, 5-19 cm long, 4-sided, strongly twisted; sheath much
longer than leaves; leaves linear-attenuate, 0.5-1.5 (4.0) cm long, 0.3-1.0 mm wide, dark green above,
whitish below; involucral bracts broadly ovate to orbicular, 1.0-1.3 mm long, dark gray to black.
Habitat: OBL. E. decangulare-. cypress domes, lake margins, ponds, wet prairies; E. lineare: pine
flatwoods ponds and pond margins, ditches, swamps, sinkhole lake shores and margins; E.
compressum-. hydric pine flatwoods, shallow ponds and marshes, seepage bogs, lake shores, and
ditches. Often found inundated with leaves and completely submerged; E. ravenelii: mildly acid,
sandy pineland swamps and calcareous wet prairies; E. texense: sphagnum-pitcher plant bogs; E.
nigrobracteatum: mucky, seepage slopes.

Distribution: E. compressum and E. decangulare are found throughout the State; E. ravenelii is
predominately a peninsula species but does occur westward to the Apalachicola River; E. lineare is
most common in limestone areas of northwest Florida but is also present in suitable calcareous
habitats southward to Pasco County, and Seminole and Volusia Counties; E. texense is rare and
restricted to the panhandle from Bay County westward; E. nigrobracteatum is at present known
only from the central panhandle (Bay, Calhoun, and Gulf Counties).
Eriocaulon compressum Lam. FLATTENED PIPEWORT
Eriocaulon decangulare L. TEN-ANGLED PIPEWORT
MONOCOTS 93
Eriocaulon ravenelii Chapm. SOUTHERN PIPEWORT
Eriocaulon texense Korn. Eriocaulon lineare Small

TEXAS PIPEWORT NARROW PIPEWORT
94
Lachnocaulon spp, BOG BUTTONS, PIPEWORT
Description: Small perennial, rosulate, scapose herbs with slender, branched, fibrous, non-septate
roots; leaves basal, linear, alternate, spirally arranged around a tight base forming small tufts, no
apparent lacunar tissue; flowers unisexual, monoecious, borne in a single involucrate head or
contracted spike composed of an outer involucre and of numerous, bracteoles, on top of a smooth
or hairy scape generally twisted with obscure ridges; flowers appear as white to gray, each flower
subtended by 1 or 2 bracts, 3 sepals, petals absent or appearing as small scales or hairs, 2-3 stamens
with linear filaments and oblong, linear anthers, gynoecium with 3 carpels, 2-3 styles joined for
more than one-half their length; fruit a capsule producing numerous striate, reticulate or papillose
seeds.
Recognition: Perennial, rosulate, scapose herbs with slender, branched, fibrous, non-septate roots and
flowers borne in a single, white to gray, involucrate head or contracted spike on top of a smooth
or hairy scape. Lachnocaulon species are confused with Eriocaulon species and Syngonanthus
flavidulus but are distinguished from these species by having a finely branched, dark colored
root system. Eriocaulon spp. have thick, light colored, septate roots, and S. flavidulus has pale,
thickened, unbranched, non-septate roots.
L. anceps (Walt.) Morong, (white-head bog button): flower heads white to gray, 4-7 mm broad; scape
15-40 cm long, twisted, obscurely ridged, smooth to pilose; sheath about equal to leaves in length;
leaves linear, 2.5-5.5 mm long, smooth, ciliate or with trichomes; involucral bracts brownish, margin
with white club-shaped hairs, 1-1.5 mm long.
L. beyrichianum Sporleder ex Korn., (southern bog button): flower heads pale gray, 3.5-4 mm broad;
scape twisted, obscurely ridged, with long, upward pointing, translucent, multicellular trichomes,
15-23 cm long; sheath hairy, about equal to leaves in length; leaves narrowly linear, 1.5-4 cm long;
involucral bracts ovate, 1 mm long, with fine or club-shaped hairs on the back near the tips.
L. digynum Korn., (pineland bog button): flower heads gray to gray brown, 2-3.5 mm broad; scape
twisted, 3-ridged, smooth but may have some hairs, 5-10 cm long; sheath smooth or with few hairs
toward tip, longer than leaves; leaves linear, acute, yellow green, 0.6-1 cm long; involucral bracts
triangular, 1 mm long, brownish with translucent hairs on tips.
L. engleri Ruhl. in Engler, (Engler's bog button), flower heads dark brown, appear smooth as compared
to other species, 3-4 mm broad, 3-8 mm long; scape twisted, 3-ridged, smooth, with no hairs, 6-15
cm long; sheath smooth, equal to or shorter than leaves; leaves linear, acute to attenuate, yellow
green, 2-3 cm long; involucral bracts broadly ovate, 1-1.5 mm long, brown, ciliate.
L. minus (Chapm.) Small, (Small's bog button): flower heads gray to gray brown, 3-4 mm broad, 4-6 mm
long; scape twisted, 3-ridged, smooth to densely hairy with ascending, multicellular hairs, 6-15 cm
long; sheath about equal in length with leaves, hairy at the tip; leaves linear, acute to attenuate,
yellow green, 2-3 cm long, smooth to hairy with multicellular hairs; involucral bracts ovate, to ±1
mm, pale brown with club-shaped, clear hairs.
Habitat: OBL. L. digynum: seepage slopes, hydric pine flatwoods, pond margins, and ditches; L.
engleri: pond margins, marshes, and lake shores; L. minus: wet sand, muck or mucky-sands of the
margins of flatwoods ponds, marshes, ditches, lake shores and seepage slopes. FACW. L.
beyrichianum: mesic pine flatwoods, margins of flatwoods ponds, dry oak-pine barrens, ditches; L.
anceps: mesic pine flatwoods, pond margins, bogs, pond margins, ditches, and lake shores.
Distribution: L. beyrichianum, L. minus, L. anceps, and L. engleri occur throughout Florida, although
L. engleri is sporadic. L. digynum is restricted to the panhandle.
MONOCOTS 95
Lachnocaulon spp. (continued)
Lachnocaulon digynum Korn OBL PINELAND BOG BUTTON
Lachnocaulon engleri Buhl, in Engler OBL ENGLEB'S BOG BUTTON
Lachnocaulon minus (Chapm.) Small OBL SMALL'S BOG BUTTON

Lachnocaulon spp. (continued)
Lachnocaulon anceps (Walt.) Morong WHITE-HEAD BOG BUI TON

FACW
Lachnocaulon beyrichianum FACW SOUTHERN BOG BUTTON

Sporleder ex Korn
97
MONOCOTS
Syngonanthus flavidulus (Michx.) Rubl. in Engl. BANTAM-BUTTONS,
SHOE BUTTONS
Description: A small, low-growing, solitary or clump-forming perennial herb with a rosette of
crowded, recurved leaves; leaves narrowly linear, recurved, shiny bluish-green with pointed tips,
smooth to pubescent with multicellular trichomes (hairs) most commonly occurring in the basal
area of each leaf; flowers unisexual, monoecious, borne in hemispherical to globose, white heads
5-10 mm wide, subtended by straw-colored outer bracts, atop an erect, twisted, 5-ridged scape with
many glandular-tipped trichomes (hairs) especially directly below the head, to 30 cm long; scape
sheath slightly longer than the leaves.
Recognition: Small, clump-forming or solitary herb with recurved, shiny leaves and a scapose
inflorescence appearing as a small white button. S. flavidulus can be confused with Lachnocaulon
and Eriocaulon species that have a very similar appearance. Eriocaulon are characterized as having
generally whitish, septate roots and visible air spaces within the basal portion of the leaves. Neither
Lachnocaulon or S. flavidulus possess these characteristics. Lachnocaulon has fine, dark, fibrous,
slenderly branched roots and does not have glandular hairs along the scape, whereas S. flavidulus
has pale brown, thickened, fleshy roots and glandular hairs along the scape. In addition, the bracts
below the head are pale yellow, whereas in Lachnocaulon these appear light gray.
I labitat: FACW. Moist to saturated sandy or mucky sand soils. Wet prairies, mesic pine flatwoods,
ditch banks, road slopes, lake and pond margins. Quite commonly found on sandy, saturated soil
with Drosera species (sundews).

98
Lachnanthes caroliana (Lam.) Dandy REDROOT
synonymy: often spelled as L. caroliniana
Description: Perennials, to 0.9 m (3 ft) tall, from slender rhizomes, both rhizomes and roots red in
color; stems slender, with few leaves, hairy only near top, terminating in flower heads; leaves
mostly basal, linear-tapering, overlapping and laterally flattened (iris-like, equitant), to 0.5 m long,
15 mm wide; flowers bisexual, 6 petals with inner 3 yellow and 3 long stamens protruding above
petals; numerous flowers congest in a "woolly" terminal inflorescence, the woolly hairs whitish to
tawny; fruit a subspherical capsule, to 5 mm long, containing round, flat, blackish brown seeds.
Recognition: Herb with laterally flattened basal leaves and red to red-orange rhizomes and roots.
The inflorescence atop the slender, mostly glabrous stem has a "woolly" appearance. The 3 stamens
which protrude beyond the yellow petals help to distinguish this species from the vegetatively
similar Lophiola americana, which has smaller flowers, 6 stamens, rhizomes and roots that are not
reddish.
Habitat: FAC. Flatwoods, savannas, bogs, ditches, and swamp edges. Seeds considered an important
food for sandhill cranes and other wildfowl. Often abundant after the clear cutting and racking of
pine flatwoods and plantations.
Distribution: Common throughout the state; a monotypic genus endemic to North America.
Flowering: Summer - fall.
MONOCOTS
Lophiola americana (Pursh) Wood. GOLDEN-CREST
synonymy: L. aurea Ker-Gawl.
Description: Perennials, to 0.7 m (2.3 ft) tall, slender brown to white rhizomes and roots; stems
slender, with few leaves, hairy nearly to base, terminating in flower heads; leaves mostly basal,
linear-tapering, overlapping and laterally flattened (iris-like, equitant), to 5 mm wide; flowers
bisexual, inner petals yellow and bearded with long, yellow hairs; 6 stamens that are shorter than
petals; numerous flowers loosely arranged in multi-branched, terminal inflorescence covered in
fine, white, woolly hairs; fruit an oval-round, beaked, capsule, about 2 mm long, containing yellow-
white, oval seeds.
Recognition: Herb with laterally flattened basal leaves and a loose, white-woolly inflorescence atop a
slender, hairy stem. Distinguished from the similar Lachnanthes caroliana ( see preceding page) by
rhizomes and roots that are brown to white (not reddish), 6 short stamens, and seeds that are oval,
not flat.
Habitat: FACW. Savannas, bogs, and wet ditches and flatwoods.
Distribution: Infrequent in the Panhandle; Escambia to Wakulla Counties. The genus Lophiola is
endemic to North America.
Flowering: Summer.

Limnobium spongia (Bosc.) Steud. FROG'S BIT
Description: Perennials, from runners (stolons), young plants often float and form bright green mats,
mature plants rooted emergents to 20 cm (8 in) tall; stems reduced, hidden by leaves, or horizontal;
leaves of two forms: heart-shaped, floating in rosettes when young, with central disk of thick,
purplish spongy tissue below or erect, basal, long petioled when mature, with blades oval to nearly
round; flowers unisexual, monoecious, small, white, on short stalks from leaf axils, 3 sepals and
petals, 6-12 fused stamens; fruit a fleshy berry on a recurved stalk containing many, minutely spiny
seeds.
Recognition: Short or low perennial spreading by runners with either floating leaves that have a
spongy disk below, or erect, long-petioled leaves with roundish blades (somewhat like Pontederia
cordata but much smaller). The flowers are solitary, small, and white. The fruit is a many-seeded
fleshy berry on a curled stalk.
Habitat: OBL. Usually in still shallows of marshes, ponds, lakes, ditches, canals, and swamps. Seeds
eaten by marsh birds and other wildlife.
Distribution: Occurring in scattered localities from the central Panhandle south in the peninsula to
Collier County.
Underside
of leaf
MONOCOTS
Hypoxis spp. YELLOW STARGRASSES
Description: Small grass-like perennials to 0.5 m (1.6 ft) tall; stems reduced, buried (corms); leaves
basal, linear, 1-4 mm wide (4-12 mm wide in H. curtissii), rolled inward (involute, H. juncea) or flat,
glabrous or hairy only near bases, midveins often off-center; flowers bisexual, yellow, 6-parted,
solitary or in small clusters on thin scapes (flowering stalks) shorter than leaves, each flower
stalked with 1-2 small bracts at the base of the stalk, sepals hairy on outer surface, petals glabrous,
symmetrical, forming a "star" when opened; fruit a long-oval capsule, 4-8 mm long containing
brown to black, round-oval seeds with finely bumpy surfaces.
Recognition: Small herbs with linear, basal leaves from a corm and one to a few 6-parted, star-shaped
yellow flowers on short scapes. The seeds are tiny, dark and often shiny, with finely bumpy surfaces.
Five of the 7 species known for the U.S. and Canada are found in Florida. All are native.
Habitat: FACW. Bogs, flatwoods, floodplains, riverbanks, and swamps.
Distribution: All but one of the Hypoxis (H. rigida Chapm.) are found throughout the state, although
infrequently seen (and easily overlooked).
Flowering: Most abundantly in late spring or after a fire.
Hypoxis juncea J.E. Smith COMMON STARGRASS
Hypoxis curtissii Rose in Small SWAMP STARGRASS

(=H. leptocarpa (Engelm. & Gray) Small)

Iris spp.
Description: Perennial rhizomatous herbs to 1.3 m (4 ft) tall; leaves linear or sword-like, pointed,
laterally flattened, to 80 cm long; flowers bisexual, showy, red, yellow, or blue to purple, 6 clawed
perianth segments, the 3 sepals oval or oblong, spreading or drooping distally, distinctly clawed, the
3 petals erect or arching, narrower and shorter than the sepals, less distinctly or scarcely clawed;
fruit a capsule, 3-8 cm long with many, flattened, seeds.
Recognition: Perennial herbs arising from a rhizome with showy red, yellow, or blue to purple flowers.
Leaves and hence the plant are laterally flattened, tips pointed. Florida has five (5) native and two
(2) introduced species which are encountered outside cultivation.
Iris hexagona Walt.(anglepod blue-flag); native, tall and erect, to 1.3 m tall, leaves stiff, longest ones
reaching or slightly exceeding the flower stalk in height. The flowers are purple with central yellow
highlights on sepals and petals. Each flower or flower cluster arises from a node on an erect, zigzag
stem and is subtended by a long leaflike bract, the lowest one of which typically reaches the level of
the upper most flower.
Iris tridentata Pursh (bay blue-flag): native, flowers are purple-violet with central yellow highlights on
sepals, flower stem straight with a single terminal flower (occasionally branched), bract shorter
than the flower.
Iris virginica L. (southern blue-flag); native, similar to Iris hexagona but with leaves that are not as stiff
and erect, flower stem that is not as distinctly zigzag and bracts that are shorter.
Iris brevicaulis Raf. (Lamance iris): native, plant flaccid, sometimes nearly prostrate on the ground,
leaves to 7 dm long, overtopping the short, zigzag flower stem. Flowers are purple-blue with
greenish-white and greenish-yellow highlights.
Irisfulva Ker. (red-flag): introduced from north and west of Florida, erect, to 1 m tall, flower stem
zigzag, flowers red, copper-red or bronze-red, bracts shorter than flower.
Iris pseudoacorus L. (yellow-flag): introduced from Eurasia-Africa via Europe, erect but leaves distally
bending, to 1.2 m tall, flower stem straight, flowers bright yellow, bracts approximately equal in
length to the flower.
Iris verna L. (dwarf iris): native, short, stem hidden in bracts, flower blue-violet with yellow-orange
highlights, fragrant.
Habitat: OBL except Iris verna which is an Upland plant. Swamps, sloughs, marshes, marshy
shores, drainage ditches, canals, ponds, stream banks, and hydric flatwoods.
Distribution: I. hexagona is the most widespread iris in Florida extending nearly throughout the
state, I. virginica occurs throughout northern Florida south to Polk County, I. tridentata is found
from Wakulla County west to Bay County and disjunct in Duval County, I. brevicaulis is presently
known only from Jackson County, I. fulva has been found naturalized in the western panhandle, I.
pseudoacorus is escaping from cultivation in and around Leon County, I. verna occurs in the
sandhills of the western Florida panhandle.
Flowering: Spring.
MONOCOTS
Iris spp. (continued)
Iris hexagona Walt. ANGLEPOD BLUE-FLAG
Iris virginica L. SOUTHERN BLUE-FLAG
Iris verna L. UPL DWARF IRIS

Sisyrinchium atlanticum Bickn. EASTERN BLUE-EYED GRASS
(may be referred to S. angustifolium Miller)
Description: Tufted, grasslike perennial herb to 3 dm (1 ft) tall; stems visible as narrow, few-leaved,
flowering scapes, narrowly 2-winged (each wing not wider than central core), branched, with many
nodes abruptly bent (geniculate); leaves mostly basal, linear, 1-4 mm wide, flattened and overlap
ping at base in fanlike fashion (equitant), pale green, not darkening when dried; flowers bisexual,
in small clusters at stem tips, arising from long, narrow, 2-parted spathe; 6 petaloid parts radially
symmetric, blue with yellow eye-ring, tips pointed; stamens 3, with filaments fused; ovary below
the "petals"; fruit a tiny spherical capsule 3-4 mm high with minute, spherical, black seeds.
Recognition: Tufted small perennial with narrow, linear leaves fanlike at base (tuft base not fibrous
with old leaf veins); small radially symmetric flowers, blue with yellow eye-rings, on branched, bent
scapes; tiny globe-shaped capsules. [Plants with fibrous bases, unbranched scapes, capillary and
glaucous leaves, blue-purple flowers may be referred to S. capillare Bickn., similar plants with leaves
not glaucous and flowers violet, to S. mucronatum Michx.]
Habitat: FACW. Wet to moist meadows, marshes, shorelines, savannas, roadsides, and woodland
clearings. [Plants referred to S. capillare or S. mucronatum, also FACW, often seen in drier soils.]
Distribution: S. atlanticum is most common in north Florida and northward along Atlantic Coast,
often locally abundant; 5-8 species of this genus recognized in Florida. [A group with many names
unclearly applied, but Florida plants include native perennials with flowers violet or blue to white
with yellow eye-rings, and 1 or 2 introduced annuals with flowers pink-lavender or yellow and rosy
purple-white or red-brown eye-rings or stripes.]
MONOCOTS 105
Juncus spp, RUSHES
Description: Grass-iike herbs, mostly perennials from rhizomes (in Florida, all perennial except
tufted annual J. bufonius), usually clump-forming, a few with elongate rhizomes, plants glabrous;
stems round, usually unbranched; leaves with open (split lengthwise) basal sheaths (bladeless in a
few species), blades usually narrow and flat, folded, or round; flowers bisexual, reduced, with 6
scales, 3 or 6 stamens, and a 3-part ovary; inflorescence terminal, branched, loose or dense flower
clusters subtended by leaf-like bracts, sometimes with a single erect bract appearing as an exten
sion of the flowering stem (as in J. ejfusus); fruit a 3-sided capsule with many tiny seeds.
Recognition: Grass-like herbs with split leaf sheaths and a branched terminal inflorescence consist
ing of clusters of reduced, 6-parted, bisexual flowers. The capsular fruit with many tiny seeds
distinguishes this family from sedges and grasses, both of which have one-seeded fruits.
Habitat: OBL (all except J. marginatus, FACW, and ]. tenuis, FAC). Marshes, swamps, floodplains,
flatwoods, bogs, and swales. /. roemerianus in tidal marshes; ]. tenuis often in drier, disturbed
ground.
Distribution: In Florida 21 species, all native; about 1/3 of them found throughout the state, the rest
most frequently in north and northwest Florida.
Flowering: Summer for most species.
/. ejfusus L. OBL SOFT RUSH
LARGE-HEADED RUSH

OBL CREEPING RUSH
/. repens Michx.
/. roemerianus OBL NEEDLE RUSH
/. marginatus Rostk. FACW RUSH
/. tenuis Willd. FAC
GR
MONOCOTS 107
Aletris spp. COLIC-ROOTS, STAR-GRASSES
Description: Perennial herbs arising from short, thick, rhizomes and with a distinctive basal arrange
ment of leaves: leaves 2-15 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, clustered around the base, forming a distinct
rosette, leaves sessile, flat, linear elliptic to lanceolate: flowers yellow to white on very short stalks,
each flower subtended by 2 narrow bracts of unequal length, perianth tubular, united almost to the
top with 6 terminal lobes, the outer surface of flowers covered with small bumps and is gummy or
sticky to the touch, borne in a spike-like raceme atop a flowering stem to 1 m tall, many small
bracts scattered below the terminal inflorescence: fruit an ovoid, beaked capsule containing amber,
ribbed seeds 0.5-0.7 mm long.
Recognition: Showy, perennial herbs with a tall spikelike raceme of yellow or white flowers arranged
on a relatively leafless stem originating from a flat, persistent rosette.
A. aurea Walt.: flowers golden yellow; scapes 20-80 cm tall; leaves 2-8 cm long; perianth short cylindric,
lobes not flaring, 6-7 mm long.
A.farinosa L.: flowers white; scapes 30-120 cm tall; leaves 4-15 cm long; perianth lobes narrowly
deltoid, not flaring, 6-8 mm long.
A. lutea Small: flowers golden yellow; scapes 50-100 cm tall; leaves 4-15 cm long; perianth long, lobes
flaring, cylindric, 6-8 mm long..
A. obovata Nash: flowers white; scapes 40-70 cm tall; leaves 2-7 cm long; perianth lobes broadly deltoid,
flaring, 4-6 mm long.
Two additional taxa have recently been included in the Flora of Florida (Wunderlin, unpublished): A.
bracteata Northrop, found in Dade and Monroe Counties, and A. x tottenii E. T. Browne, which
occurs in northeast Florida and the central panhandle.
Habitat: FAC. Hydric to mesic pine flatwoods and savannas, margins of depression marshes, bogs,
ditches and road side slopes.
Distribution: A. lutea occurs statewide; A. obovata occupies the eastern panhandle and the north
central portion of the state from the Appalachicola River east, and south to Citrus and Marion
Counties; A. aurea is primarily restricted to northwest Florida but is also reported from Columbia
County; A.farinosa is presently known only from Escambia County.
Aletris aurea Walt. GOLDEN COLIC-ROOT

Aletris farinosa Walt. MILLERS-MAID
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Aletris lutea Small YELLOW COLIC-ROOT
Aletris obovata Nash SOUTHERN COLIC-ROOT
MONOCOTS
Lilium catesbaei Walt. SOUTHERN RED LILY
Description: Perennial herb from bulb 1-3 cm across with narrow scales; stem erect, leafy, 50-70 cm
tall; leaves alternate, ascending or appressed, lanceolate to linear, largest towards base to 8 cm long,
decreasing in size toward top; flowers solitary, erect, bisexual, showy, perianth with 6 spreading,
clawed segments, orange to red-orange with basal yellow and red to reddish purple dots; fruit an
oblong capsule, 4-5 cm long, 1-2 cm wide with numerous flat, brown seeds.
Recognition: A bulbous perennial herb with an erect, leafy stem, 50-70 cm tall. The flower is solitary,
erect and showy with an orange to red-orange, spotted perianth that narrows and becomes whitish
to yellowish-green toward the base.
Habitat: FAC. Bogs, wet wiregrass prairies, and mesic pine flatwoods.

Lilium iridollae M.G. Henry PANHANDLE LILY
Description: A perennial herb arising from several globose bulbs connected by rhizomes; stem erect,
leafy, to 2 m tall (6.5 ft), may root at base; leaves whorled or whorled above and alternate below,
oblanceolate to obovate, 5-9 cm long, 1-3 cm wide; flowers terminal and typically solitary, nodding,
bisexual, conspicuous, perianth with 6 strongly recurved segments, 7-10 cm long, 1-3 cm wide,
segments not clawed, golden yellow in color with prominent brownish-red spots, base green; fruit a
broadly oblong to elliptic capsule, 3-4 cm long, 2 cm wide with numerous seeds.
Recognition: A bulbous perennial herb with an erect, leafy stem, 50-200 cm tall. The flowers are
nodding with a golden yellow perianth that is spotted with brownish-red spots.
Habitat: OBL. Open bogs, wet savannas, edges of sloughs and along stream margins; typically in
mucky textured soils.
Distribution: Western Panhandle of Florida, Walton County westward.
Flowering: Summer.
MONOCOTS 111
Melanthium virginicum L. VIRGINIA BUNCHFLOWER
Description: Coarse perennials with course rootstocks and bulb-like bases; stem 1-2 m (3.3-6.6 ft)
tall, scurfy to downy above; leaves 4-30 mm wide, 3-8 dm long, the lower wider and sheathing the
stem, the upper reduced, compact below, becoming more widely spaced above; inflorescence a
panicle of rather long, bracteate racemes with ascending branches; perianth of 6 separate segments
(tepals) 5-8 mm long, these ovate, narrowed (or clawed) basally with 2 glands at the base of the
blade, cream colored becoming green to purple, ventral surface pubescent; stamens 6, adnate to the
distal end of the narrowed tepals.
Recognition: Coarse perennials with bulb-like bases and flowering stems 1-2 m tall with numerous
small flowers. The flowers are made up of 6 white tepals, 5-8 mm long, with ovate blades and
narrowed bases. The 2 glands at the base of the tepal are easily observable with a 10X magnifier.
Habitat: OBL. Flatwoods, bogs, wet woods, and savannas.
Distribution: North Florida, south to Orange, Polk, and Hillsborough Counties.
Flowering: Summer.

Pleea tenuifolia Michx. RUSH-FEATHERLING
Description: Herb with short, thick rhizome forming clumps; leaves stiff, leathery, evergreen, linear,
to 35 cm long, and 2-4 mm wide; scape 30-80 cm tall, 2-4 bracteal leaves, with a terminal raceme;
flowers bisexual, radially symmetrical, short stalked; 6 separate, spreading white perianth parts, 1-2
cm long, which are persistent, becoming brown and remaining on the fruit; 6 stamens and a single
pistil with a 3-lobed stigma; fruit a brown 3-locular, ovoid-ellipsoid capsule, 7-9 mm long; seeds
ellipsoid, 2 mm long, reddish-black with whitish tails at both ends.
Recognition: Tufted herbaceous perennial with narrow leaves and flowers with a white perianth.
Fruit is a brown capsule with persistent perianth parts. Seeds are small, reddish-black, with whitish
tails at both ends.
Habitat: OBL. Depressions in flatwoods, hydric pine flatwoods, savannas, shrub bogs, seepage slopes,
and wet prairies.
Distribution: North Florida, from Franklin County west to Escambia County.
MONOCOTS 113
Tofieldia racemosa (Walt.) BSP. COASTAL FALSE-ASPHODEL
synonymy: Triantha racemosa (Walt.) Small
Description: Rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial; stems erect and glandular; leaves, erect, linear,
tufted, to 40 cm long, 3-5 mm wide; flowering stem glandular, rough, 30-70 cm tall, with one
bracteal leaf; flowers bisexual, sessile, creamy-white to white; 6 perianth lobes oblong to oblan-
ceolate, 4-5 mm long; 6 stamens; a single pistal with a 3 lobed stigma; inflorescence a raceme or
compound cyme to 15 cm with terminal flowers opening first; fruit an obovoid capsule with
3 lobes, 3 mm long; seeds, many, ellipsoid, to 2 mm long, with membranous tails at both ends.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with a tuft of leaves from a short rhizome. Leaves are linear,
narrow and basal. The flowering stem is glandular and rough and produces creamy white flowers in
a narrow, long inflorescence. Mature capsules reddish brown with persistent perianth parts.
Habitat: OBL. Hydric pine flatwoods, savannas, bogs, and seepage slopes.
Distribution: North Florida, Jefferson County west to Escambia County, and Columbia County
northeast to Nassua County.
Flowering: Summer.
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Thalia geniculata L. ALLIGATOR FLAG, FIRE FLAG, THALIA
Description: Very large, robust, herbaceous perennials with thick rhizomes, to 2-3 m (6.5-9 ft) tall,
most often growing emergent in relatively deep water; leaves large, basal, alternate, long petioled,
broadly lanceolate to ovate lanceolate, to 1 m long; flowers bisexual, 3 purple petals, 3 sepals, paired
on a terminal inflorescence composed of panicled spikes that have zigzagging internodes with each
flower pair subtended by 2 bracts; fruit small, ovoid, bluish purple, with 1 seed, 6-8 mm diameter.
Recognition: Tall, large, perennial herb with very large, broad, light green to yellow green leaves and a
long zigzag inflorescence exerted beyond the leaves. Leaves are jointed at the petioles and appear
reflexed outward away from the central group of petioles. Plants die back in winter.
Habitat: OBL. Depression marshes, riverine marshes, open ponds in cypress sloughs, ditches, and
canal margins with extended periods of deep inundation; also found in pasture marshes with heavy
nutrient loads.
Distribution: Throughout south Florida, north to Hernando county on the west coast and to Nassau
County on the east coast; also local in coastal Franklin and Bay Counties.
MONOCOTS
Calopogon spp. GRASS-PINKS
Description: Terrestrial (not epiphytic) perennial herbs, commonly to 0.5m (20 in) tall, from roundish
corms (buried, shortened stems); aerial stems single, few-leaved, flower-bearing scapes; leaves
usually single, grasslike, to 2 dm long (to 5 dm in C tuberosus), with base sheathing lower stem;
blades entire, linear or lance-linear, often strongly ribbed with parallel veins; flowers bisexual,
bilaterally symmetric, few to several in a showy, branched, terminal inflorescence; sepals and petals
3 each, separate, all petaloid, magenta-purple to pink-white; enlarged "lip" petal uppermost,
bearded with club-shaped hairs; stamens and styles fused into "column" projecting above lower
sepal; fruit an elliptic capsule formed below sepals and petals, with numerous minute seeds.
Recognition: Single-stemmed perennials from corms. Plants produce a single, grasslike leaf, often
ribbed, with base sheathing stem. Flowers are showy, magenta to pale pink in terminal clusters, the
uppermost petal is enlarged toward the tip (lip petal) and bearded. In addition the flowers have a
curved central column, made up of fused stamens and styles. C tuberosus is the tallest species in
Florida with leaves over 5 mm wide and deep pink petals; C. pallidus has reflexed lateral sepals
(bent back in side view) and pale pink to white petals; C. barbatus with petals rose-pink and 3-5
flowers in a short cluster; C. multiflorus has magenta-purple petals and 6-10 or more flowers per
cluster.
Habitat: FACW. Flatwoods, bogs, savannas, and marshes.
Distribution: Four species recognized in Florida, scattered throughout the state.

Habenaria spp REIN ORCHID
Description: Herbaceous, glabrous perennials from bulbous tuberous roots; stems leafy, erect to
20 dm tall with alternate simple leaves or leaves reduced to bracts; leaves clustered at the base or
alternate along the stem, essentially sessile, oblong-elliptic, lanceolate, linear-elliptic, oblong-
obovate, oblanceolate, 5-30 cm long, and with a sheathing base; flowers produced in racemes; each
flower is zygomorphic or bilaterally symmetric with 3 outer sepals and 3 inner petals, some of the
sepals and petals are curved to form a hood over the column, a structure that houses the stamens
and styles, the lowermost petal has become a lip or labellum and this is simple or 3-lobed, behind
this is a long spur or "rein" that curves downward, sometimes this can be up to 18 cm long; fruit is
an ellipsoidal capsule to 2 cm long, of 3 parts and splitting along 3 sutures to release the dust-like
seeds.
Recognition: Five species are recognized in Florida. H odontopetala Reichenbach is a common

species found in both wet and dry forests, this is our only Habenaria species with an unlobed lower
lip petal, plants are robust and usually found in the shade of hydric hammocks and cypress
swamps. H. quinqueseta (Michx.) A. Eaton is our only white flowering species found in moist
hammocks, ditches and edges of wetlands, flowers have five conspicuous lobes and in var.
macroceratitis a spur up to 18 cm long! H. repens Nuttall is one of the most commonly encountered
wetland orchids flowering in early fall, occurring in a variety of wetlands and sometimes in floating
mats, the small green flowers have five lobes, the upper two lobes curve upwards the lower two
curve downwards, and a short spur to 12 mm long. H. distans Grisebach is a tropical species found
in the hammocks of southwest Florida, the plants have a distinct basal rosette with reduced cauline
leaves, the small greenish flowers have five lobes, the upper four lobes curve upwards. Habenaria is
often confused with Platanthera. The later are plants with racemes of orange, yellow or white
flowers, generally with a fringed lip petal. In addition the overall appearance of Florida plants is
different, Habenaria spp. have "leafy" stems with leaves that are wider, more noticeable, while
Platanthera spp. generally have leaves that are narrower and reduced especially toward the inflores
cence.
Habitat: FACW. Wet flatwoods, moist hammocks, swamps, bogs, marshes, savannas, lake and pond
shores, along streams, sloughs, wet ditches and canals, in floating mats of vegetation.
Distribution: H. quinqueseta and H. repens are found throughout Florida. H. odontopetala is found
primarily in central and south Florida, north to Nassau County and west to Alachua County. H.
distans is found in southwest Florida only.
Flowering: Primarily late August-September in north Florida to February in south Florida with
sporadic flowering of some species such as H. repens throughout most of the year.
MONOCOTS i
Platanthera spp FRINGED ORCHID
Description: Herbaceous glabrous perennials with fleshy tuberous roots; stems erect to 1 m, with a few
basal leaves, cauline leaves gradually reduced becoming bracteate, leaves essentially sessile, linear-
lanceolate, elliptic-lanceolate, oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 5-30 cm long and with a sheathing base;
flowers produced in racemes; each flower is zygomorphic or bilaterally symmetric with 3 outer sepals
and 3 inner petals, some of the sepals and petals are curved to form a hood over the column, the term for
the structure that houses the stamens and styles, the lowermost petal has become a lip or labellum and
this is "fringed" or lobed, behind this is a long nectar spur that curves downward; fruit is an ellipsoidal
capsule to 2 cm long, of 3 parts and splitting along 3 sutures to release the dust-like seeds.
Recognition: Seven species are recognized in Florida. P. ciliaris (L.) Lindl. is a showy orange flowering
species with globose racemes of fringed flowers, roughly 1 cm wide. The closely related P. cristata
(Michx.) Lindl. is almost identical except for flowers about half as large. P. blephariglottis (Willd.)
Lindl. is our only white flowering fringed species much like P. ciliaris in overall shape and size except
the flowers are white. P. integra (Nuttall) Gray ex Beck is another orange flowering species with a
short crenulated lip. P. nivea (Nuttall) Luer is our only white flowering species with an entire lip, the
inflorescence and flowers are about the same size as those of P. integra. P. clavellata (Michx.) Luer is a
tropical species with green flowers with a shallow, 3-lobed lip. P. flava (L.) Lindl. has yellow-green
flowers with two shallow lobes associated with the base of the lip. Platanthera is often confused with
Habenaria. The later are plants with racemes of greenish or white flowers with petals divided into two
parts and the lip divided into three parts. Platanthera spp. have leaves that are generally narrower and
reduced especially toward the inflorescence.
Habitat: OBL. Wet flatwoods, seepage bogs, marshes, savannas, lake and pond shores, along streams,
sloughs and moist ditches.
Distribution: P. ciliaris and P. blephariglottis are found throughout north Florida, south to Highlands
County; P. cristata is found throughout north Florida south to Polk County; P. integra is found
throughout northwest Florida to Leon County, Nassau and Duval Counties and along the central
Florida ridge south to Highlands County; P. nivea is found throughout Florida; P. clavellata barely
reaches northwest Florida; P. flava is found throughout
north Florida south to Polk County.
Flowering: Primarily June-August with sporadic plants in

flower from April-October.
Platanthera ciliaris (L.) Lindl.
%
MONOCOTS 119
Platanthera spp. (continued)
Platanthera integra (Nuttall) Gray ex Beck
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Platanthera nivea (Nuttall) Luer
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Spiranthes spp LADIES' TRESSES, SPIRAL ORCHIDS
Description: Terrestrial (not epiphytic) perennial herbs, commonly to 0.6 m (2 ft) tall, with tuberous,
rarely fibrous, roots; stems smooth or pubescent, single, few-leaved, flower-bearing scapes; leaves
few, basal or alternate, uppermost reduced to bracts; bases sheathing the stem; blades entire, linear
to oval, to 40 cm long, usually much shorter; flowers small, bisexual, bilaterally symmetric, numer
ous in 1 to several spiral ranks on a terminal spike; sepals and petals 3 each; enlarged "lip" petal
lowermost, prominent, usually with wavy or crinkled margin, white to yellowish, often marked with
green or red; stamens and styles fused into short "column" hidden within the lip petal; fruit an
ovoid capsule, formed below sepals and petals, with numerous minute seeds.
Recognition: Single-stemmed perennials with a few basal or alternate leaves, their bases sheathing
the stem. Flowers produced in a terminal spike. The individual flowers are small, numerous and
whitish, spiraled around the central axis. Each flower has a lowermost lip petal with wavy margins
and a short column held by the lip petal. Two of the most common species in Florida are: S.
praecox, with essentially glabrous spikes, white (often with green veins) flowers and narrow linear
leaves; and S. vernalis with dense, short pointed spikes, stems with reddish hairs, yellow, green, or
white flowers and narrow lance shaped leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Flatwoods, bogs, moist hammocks, swamps, and marshes.
Distribution: About 12 species in Florida, most in scattered localities throughout state.
Flowering: Any of four seasons, depending on species (spring-bloomers shown here).
- Spiranthes praecox (Walt.) S. Wats.

GRASS-LEAVED LADIES' TRESSES
GWD
Spiranthes vernalis Engelm. & Gray SPRING LADIES'

TRESSES
MONOCOTS
Agrostis stolonifera L. REDTOP
(Agrostis alba L. misapplied)
Description: Perennial grass, 0.3-1.5 m tall, erect, tufted or mat-forming from rhizomes and stolons;
stems with glabrous nodes; leaves with glabrous sheaths; blades scabrous above and below,
typically 2-5 mm wide and 5-20 cm long; flowers reduced, bisexual, occurring in open to ascending
panicles often purplish at maturity, 15-37 cm long, panicle branches filiform, fragile, scabious, much
divided; spikelets 1-flowered, 1.8-2.6 mm long, lemmas 1.7-2.4 mm long.
Recognition: Tufted grass with short rhizomes and stolons, and purplish panicles with thin, fragile
branches bearing spikelets along the entire branch.
Habitat: FACW. Wet banks, fields, pastures, roadsides, and marshes.
Distribution: Infrequent, in the western counties of west Florida.
Flowering: Summer.

Alopecurus carolinianus Walt. CAROLINA FOXTAIL,
TUFTED FOXTAIL
Description: Tufted, erect annual grass 1-5 dm tall; stems with glabrous nodes; leaves with glabrous
sheaths and membranous ligules (to 3 mm long); blades flat, scabrous both above and below,
typically 1-2 mm wide and 7-15 cm long; flowers reduced, bisexual, in dense, cylindrical, spikelike
panicles, 4-8 cm long and 4-6 mm wide; spikelets 1-flowered, 2.2-2.4 mm long, glumes equal,
pubescent on midnerve and margins; lemma glabrous, awned from near base; awns 3.5-4.1 mm
long, bent.
Recognition: Tufted annual grass about 0.5 m tall, with dense, cylindrical, spikelike panicles.
Habitat: FAC. Open moist to wet clearings in floodplains and ditches and along shores.
Distribution: Infrequent to rare, in northwest Florida.
Flowering: Spring.
MONOCOTS 123
Amphicarpum muhlenbergianum (Schult.) Hitchc. BLUE MAIDENCANE
Description: Nearly hairless perennial grass, creeping at the base and with rhizomes; stems slender,
leafy, to 1 m tall, leaves with sheaths often long-hairy on margins (hairs with swollen bases); blades
narrowly lance-shaped, hairless, with narrow white edges, to about 10 cm long; flowers reduced,
bisexual, produced above and below ground, those above in narrow, few-flowered panicles, often
not well developed; spikelets above ground lance-shaped, about 7 mm long, those below ground
solitary at ends of slender branches, straw-colored, to about 9 mm long, egg-shaped or ellipsoid
with pointed tips.
Recognition: Smooth, slender grass with rhizomes and white-edged, fairly short, lance-shaped leaves
scattered along the stem producing both aerial and underground spikelets. The underground
spikelets are unique, but if not present, the habit and white-edged leaves are distinctive.
Amphicarpum purshii Kunth has recently been found in north Florida; it also has underground
spikelets, but the leaves are crowded toward the base of the stem and are obviously hairy.
Habitat: FACW. In mesic to wet flatwoods and wet prairies, often forming a band around the edges of
shallow sand-bottomed lakes or marshes, or covering the sand bottom when it is exposed.
Distribution: Throughout.
124
Andropogon glomeratus (Walter) BSP BUSHY BBOOM GBASS
Description: Tufted perennial grass; stems to 1.7 m (5 ft) tall, nodes and sheaths smooth; ligule
pubescent, thin and papery to 1.0 mm or more long; leaves with blades to 7 mm wide and 60 cm
long, scabrous or smooth above and below; flowers reduced, produced in racemes with 2-5
branches, these are 1-3 cm long; each raceme has 5-12 pairs of spikelets; spathe expanded, 1-6 cm
long; spikelets with scabrous awns to 1 cm long; sessile spikelet 0.3-0.5 mm wide and 3-4 mm long;
pedicellate spikelet absent; rachis pubescent to 7 mm long; pedicel 3-5 mm long, pubescent.
Recognition: Large perennial grass in tall, tufts to 1.7 m (5 ft) tall. The leaves are mostly longer than
35 cm, and the plant may appear green or blue-green and chalky (var. glaucopsis (Ell.) Mohr). The
leaves have a ligule that is thin and papery, sometimes 1 mm or longer. Those plants with dense
pubescence are assignable to var.pumilus Vasey. Leaf sheaths scabrous, older leaf sheaths persist
ing around the base of the culm, becoming brown. Plants with many branches, often dense with
spathes and racemes, collectively these appear rounded toward the apex. Can be confused with A.
virginicus, which has shorter ligules, generally less than 1 mm long and stems without diffuse
branching.
Habitat: FACW. Bogs, wet pine flatwoods, wet ditches, fresh and brackish marshes, lake and pond
margins, depression wetlands and disturbed wet areas also found in a variety of disturbed upland
sites.
Flowering: Fall.
MONOCOTS 125
Andropogon liebmcuiii Hack. var. pungensis (Ashe) Campbell MOHR S BLUESTEM
synonymy: A. mohrii (Hack.) Hack, ex Vasey
Description: Tufted perennial grass; stems to 1.3 m (4 ft) tall, nodes smooth, sheaths pubescent;
ligule thin and papery with a fringe of whitish hairs, to 1 mm long; leaves with blades to 8 mm
wide and 30 cm long, pubescent above and below; flowers reduced, produced in racemes with
2-13 branches, these are 2-4 cm long; each raceme has 5-11 pairs of spikelets, spathe not expanded,
4-8 cm long; spikelets with scabrous awns to 2.4 cm long; sessile spikelet 0.3-1.0 mm wide and
3-5 mm long; pedicellate spikelet reduced to a single scale, pedicel with long hairs; rachis pubes
cent with hairs to 8 mm long.
Recognition: Tufted perennial grass with pubescent leaves. The ligule is thin and papery with a
fringe of whitish hairs. The racemes have silky hairs and long awns.
Habitat: FACW. Bogs and seepage slopes in pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Rare and local in northwest Florida.
Flowering: Fall.
inflorescence
spikelet pair

Andropogon perangustatus Nash in Small SLIM BLUESTEM
synonymy: A. gyrans Ashe var. stenophyllus (Hackel) Campbell
Description: Tufted perennial grass; stems less than 1 m (3 ft) tall, nodes smooth, sheaths pubescent;
ligule with a fringe of hairs, thin and papery, outer surface covered with short hairs, smooth on the
inside, to 1.0-1.5 mm long; leaves with filiform blades, to 2 mm wide and 42 cm long, scabrous
above, smooth below, may have long hairs just above ligule; leaf sheath is smooth; flowers reduced,
produced in racemes with 2 branches, these are 2-3 cm long; each raceme has 10 pairs of spikelets;
spathe expanded, 3-7 cm long, pinkish-tan toward the apex; spikelets with scabrous awns, 1-2 cm
long; sessile spikelet 0.4-0.5 mm wide and 3-4 mm long; pedicellate spikelet absent.
Recognition: Tufted perennial grass usually less than 1 m tall with long, filiform leaves and smooth
sheaths. The ligule is thin and papery. Older brown leaves often persisting around the base of the
stems. The inflorescence is distinctive with pinkish-tan spathes, 5-7 cm long. The spathes produce
2 racemes which have silky hairs and long awns.
Note: Andropogon gyrans Ashe var. stenophyllus (Hackel) Campbell is now considered the valid
botanical name for this species while Andropogon perangustatus Nash in Small is considered the
synonym. Two varieties of A. gyrans are recognized in Florida, variety gyrans with ligules less than
0.8 mm long is found in well drained sandy soils; and variety stenophyllus with ligules longer than
1.0 mm is found in wetlands.
Habitat: FAC. Pond margins, wet ditches and wet pine flatwoods.
Distribution: North and Central Florida.
Flowering: Fall.
MONOCOTS 127
Andropogon virginicus L. BROOM GRASS
including A. virginicus var. glaucus Hack.; A. capillipes Nash
Description: Tufted perennial grass; stems to 2 m (6 ft) tall; plants green to blue-green and chalky;
nodes smooth, sheaths smooth; ligule pubescent, thin and papery, generally less than 1.0 mm long,
edged with a fringe of hairs; leaves with blades to 6 mm wide and to 30 cm long, scabrous or
smooth above and below; flowers reduced, produced in racemes with 2-5 branches, these are 1-3
cm long; each raceme with 5-12 pairs of spikelets; spathe expanded, 1-6 cm long; spikelets with
rough-edged awns to 1 cm long; sessile spikelet 0.3-0.5 mm wide and 3-4 mm long; pedicellate
spikelet absent; rachis pubescent to 7 mm long; pedicel 3-5 mm long, pubescent.
Recognition: Large, tufted perennial grass to 2 m tall, may appear green or blue-green and chalky in
variety glaucus. Leaves with thin and papery ligules less than 1 mm long (A glomeratus generally
has longer ligules), often edged with a fringe of hairs. The inflorescence has few branches, collec
tively these do not approach the densely packed condition in A. glomeratus. The peduncles are
short and the racemes are often held within the sheath.
Habitat: FAC. Bogs, wet pine flatwoods, wet ditches, fresh and brackish marshes, lake and pond
margins, depression wetlands and disturbed wet areas also found in a variety of upland sites. The
glaucous form of this species, A. virginicus var. glaucus Hack. (syn. A. capillipes Nash) has two
forms, one found primarily in uplands and another primarily in wetlands.
Flowering: Fall.
128
Anthaenantia rufa (Ell.) Schult. PURPLE SILKY-SCALE
Description: Perennial grass with short rhizomes; stems mostly 8-10 dm (32-39 in) tall, marked with
fine parallel lines (striate); leaves also striate, with sheaths barely distinguishable from blades; ligule
a stiff collar of hairs; blades narrow, 5-6 mm wide, ascending, finely rough below and on the
margins, tips blunt; flowers reduced, bisexual, in a terminal, narrow, loose panicle of many fine,
ascending, twisted branches; spikelets mostly 3 mm long, ovoid, densely covered with fine hairs,
usually reddish-purple in color.
Recognition: Perennial grass with a long stem exceeding the leaves and bearing a terminal panicle of
numerous ovoid, reddish-purple, pubescent spikelets on long, thin, twisted branches, one spikelet
per branch.
Habitat: FACW. Pine flatwoods, wiregrass savannas, margins of ponds, pools, or depressions, boggy
seepage slopes, wet peaty ditches in flatwoods.
Distribution: West of Jefferson County and in a few scattered localities of northeast Florida.
Flowering: Fall.
Aristida affinis (Schult.) Kunth LONGLEAF THREE-AWN GRASS
Syn. Aristidapalustris (Chapm.) Vasey
Description: Stout, tufted perennial with stems to 1.5 m tall; sheaths mostly glabrous, occasionally
pilose, mostly shorter than the internodes; leaf blades to 4.5 mm wide and to 59 cm long, flat to
involute, scabrous above and somewhat scabrous below; panicle narrow, stiff, to 55 cm long;
spikelets 1-flowered; glumes subequal, 9-13.5 mm long (including awn), the first prominently 2-
nerved and 2-keeled; lemma 6-9 mm long, awns unequal, the central 1.5-4 cm long bending at a
right angle, the laterals slightly shorter and erect.
Recognition: Stout, tall, tufted perennial to 1.5 m tall found in wet habitats. Leaf blades 3-4.5 mm
wide. Awns unequal, the laterals slightly shorter and erect.
Habitat: OBL. Lowlands; marsh and pond shores, low flatwoods.
Distribution: Infrequent, throughout Florida.
Flowering: Summer-winter.

Aristida purpurascens Poir. in Lam. ARROWFEATHER GRASS
Description: Thin, tufted, erect perennial with stems to 1 m tall from a knotty base; sheaths glabrous
to pubescent; leaf blades to 2.5 mm wide and to 40 cm long, flat to involute, glabrous below and
scabrous with occasional long hairs scattered above; panicles narrow, 12-49 cm long, branches erect
usually appressed; spikelets 1-flowered; glumes slightly unequal; first glume 7.5-10 mm long;
second glume 5.8-7.3 mm long (including awn); lemmas 5-6.8 mm long, awns nearly equal, spread
ing, central awn 1.5-2.7 cm long, the laterals sometimes shorter.
Recognition: Thin, tufted perennial to 1 m tall. Leaf blades 1.5-2.5 mm wide. Awns nearly equal,
spreading, the laterals sometimes shorter.
Another species found in similar habitats is: Aristida spiciformis Ell., bottlebrush three-awngrass. This
distinctive species can be recognized by: stiff, thin, tufted perennial 2-3 ft tall, with a bushy,
compact seedhead; rolled blades; Awns subequal, very distinctive with a long twisted column.
Habitat: A. purpurascens: FACW. A. spiciformis: FAC. Wet to dry flatwoods, dry pinewoods, pond
and prairie margins, fields, and hammocks.
Distribution: Common, throughout Florida, A. spiciformis is infrequent in west Florida.
Flowering: Generally summer-winter, A. spiciformis often begins flowering early in spring.
Aristida spiciformis Ell.
imBi I
Aristida stricta Michx. WIRE GRASS
Syn. Aristida beyrichiana Trin. & Rupr.
Description: Perennial with stiffly erect stems from dense wiry tufts, to 1 m tall; sheaths usually
pubescent above; leaf blades to 2 mm wide and to 64 cm long, involute, pubescent with long hairs
at base that extrude from the rolled blade; panicles narrow, 12-32 cm long, branches appressed;
spikelets 1-flowered; glumes about equal, awned, approximately 8-13 mm long (including awn);
lemma 5.5-10 mm long to base of awns, awns approximately equal, 6-22 mm long, erect spreading.
Recognition: Dense, wiry tufted perennial with round blades having long hairs at base that extrude
from the rolled blade. Hairs may be obscured in plants growing in water. Awns approximately
equal, erect or spreading.
A second densely tufted species occurs in limited areas of Florida: Aristida rhizomophora Swallen,
Florida three-awn grass. It can be recognized by: elongate rhizomes and blades narrow (2.5 mm
wide or less) and flat; old basal sheaths present and shredding into threadlike segments; awns
unequal, lateral awns erect to spreading, central awn bending outward at a right angle.
Habitat: FAC. Wide range wet to dry of habitats, pine flatwoods, also found in open swales and boggy
areas; A. rhizomophora occurs in moist to dry flatwoods, swales, and pond margins.
Distribution: Throughout Florida; A. rhizomophora-. infrequent but can be locally common, Duval to
Palm Beach Counties east of the ridge in peninsular Florida.
Flowering: Spring, summer and fall, but usually found flowering after fires; A. rhizomophora: late
summer to fall. Flowering infrequently.

Arundinaria gigantea (Walt.) Muhl. CANE, GIANT CANE
Description: Tall, stiff perennial grass, with hard, tough rhizomes, often forming dense stands
(canebrakes); stems hard ("woody"), to 8 m (25 ft) tall and 2-20 mm thick; older stems freely
forming clusters of short, flexible branches from nodes; leaves with loose, papery sheaths, these
bearing several bristles at upper edge when young; blades narrowly lance-shaped, 1-3 dm long,
appearing petioled near ends of small branches; flowers reduced, bisexual, rarely seen; spikelets
solitary or in 8-12 flowered clusters on slender stalks; glumes unequal, usually hairy at acute tips.
Recognition: Tall, bamboolike grass from rhizomes, rarely seen in flower, often forming dense stands.
Could be confused with exotic bamboos naturalized in Florida.
Habitat: FACW. In moist to wet woods, along river and stream banks, sloughs, and bogs.
Distribution: West and north Florida, south on the peninsula to Osceola County.
Flowering: Rarely observed; flowering stems dying after spikelets mature.
MONOCOTS 133
Axonopus spp. CARPET GRASSES
Description: Clump forming or spreading perennial grasses; stems flattened, erect, tufted, to 1 m
(3 ft) tall, or spreading as stolons with short internodes; leaves with usually glabrous sheaths; ligules
membranous; blades flat or folded, usually rounded at the tip, occasionally bluntly pointed; flowers
reduced, in 2-4 spikelike racemes, the upper two usually paired; spikelets solitary, 2-flowered,
nearly sessile, alternate in 2 rows on 1 side of 3-angled raceme branch; first glume absent.
Recognition: Tufted, usually stoloniferous grasses with flattened stems and spikelets in spikelike
racemes. In A.furcatus (Flugge) Hitchc., big carpet grass, the leaf blades are long-ciliate with obtuse
to abruptly acute tips, and the spikelets are glabrous. In A. compressus (Swartz) Beauv., tropical
carpet grass, the blades are also long-ciliate, but the spikelets are hairy. In A. affinis Chase, common
carpet grass, the spikelets are also hairy, but the blade margins have only a few long hairs near the
blade base. Paspalum setaceum is very similar to A.furcatus, but has long-tapering leaf tips and
very small and rounded fruits.
Habitat: FAC. Dry to moist to occasionally flooded soils of flatwoods, fields, roadsides, hammocks,
bayheads, and shores.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, A. affinis and A.furcatus common, A. compressus rare.
Flowering: Spring-late fall.
Axonopus affinis Chase COMMON CARPET GRASS
Axonopus furcatus (Flugge) Hitchc. RIG CARPET GRASS

INVASIVE EXOTIC
Brachiaria mutica (Forssk.) Stapf PARA GRASS

synonymy: Urochloa mutica (Forssk.) Nguyen, B. purpurescens (Raddi) Henr.,
Panicum purpurescens Raddi
Description: Perennial grass usually rooting at lower nodes, with prostrate, ascending, or erect habit;
stems with pubescent nodes, erect stems to 1 m (3 ft) tall, creeping ones to 5 m (15 ft) long; leaves
with sheaths densely hairy below to slightly so above; blades flat, to 25 cm long, 15 mm wide,
glabrous but often with small fine hairs at base above and below; flowers reduced, bisexual, in
racemes with 8-20 alternating branches, 2-8 cm long; spikelets 1.2-1.5 mm wide, 2.7-3 mm long,
glabrous, paired; achene with wrinkled surface.
Recognition: Usually creeping perennial grass with stiffly hairy nodes and leaf sheaths; inflorescence
with 8-20 alternate, racemose branches; paired spikelets. Distinct from Panicum hemitomon and
Sacciolepis striata by having pubescent nodes.
Habitat: FACW. Most frequently in disturbed wet habitats such as low fields and ditches, also seen
overtaking native maidencane marshes.
Distribution: Common in central and south Florida; introduced from Africa.
Flowering: Fall.
MONOCOTS 135
Ctenium aromaticum (Walt.) Wood TOOTHACHE GRASS,
synonymy: Campulosus aromaticus [Walt.] Trin. ORANGE-GRASS
Description: Erect, aromatic, perennial, clump-forming grass persisting from fibrous leaf bases;
stems to greater than 1.0 m tall with glabrous nodes and minutely pubescent internodes; leaves
mostly basal, 1-5 mm wide to 40 cm long, two toned (darker green above and paler, glaucous below),
basally flat, involute distally, finely striate, with margins rolled upward and often with a dense tuft
of hairs just above the ligule; leaf sheath microscopically roughened but not scabrous; ligule 0.8 to
2.9 mm long, membranous, lacerate; inflorescence comprised of 2 rows of sessile spikelets ar
ranged on 1 side of a curved axis and being perpendicular to the axis with each spikelet ranging in
size from 5-7 mm and having 2 unequal glumes; first glume 1.0-2.1 mm long, 1 nerved, hyaline;
second glume 4.8-6.1 mm long, apex with 2 unequal teeth, 2 nerved, with an awn arising from the
midpoint of the dorsal keel; lemmas 3 nerved, lateral nerves pubescent; first and second lemmas
sterile with awns; third lemma fertile and awned; fertile palea 2 nerved, thin, terminal floret sterile
without awns.
Recognition: An aromatic, perennial, tuft-forming grass with two toned leaves and with a distinctive
arched, one-sided inflorescence. The leaves are distinctive in having a dark green upper surface and
a paler green to glaucous underside. A second species, C.floridanum (Hitchc.) Hitchc. (Syn:
Campulosus floridanus A. Hitchc.) has been reported to occur in Florida. While there is some
question as to whether this is a distinct species, it differs from C. aromaticum in being rhizomatous
and having no glands on the dorsal side of the second glume.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric and wet mesic pine flatwoods, savannas, and bogs.
Flowering: Summer.

Digitaria serotina (Walt.) Michx. BLANKET CRABGRASS, DWARF CRABGRASS
Description: Annual or perennial grass with spreading and creeping stems that form extensive, dense
mats; stems often rooting at the nodes, giving the appearance of numerous individual plants along
a single stem; sheaths densely pubescent, often light pink or purple; leaves with blades to 5-8 mm
wide and about 5-10 cm long, generally flat, and pubescent on both surfaces with spreading hairs;
ligule membranous and about 1-3 mm long; flowers reduced, arranged in a terminal panicle of 3 to
5 slender spike-like racemes; spikelets 1.5-1.7 mm long, in twos or threes on pedicels of different
lengths, arranged in two rows on one side of a winged rachis; first glume absent; second glume
pubescent, 3-nerved; sterile lemna 7-nerved, pubescent, and 1.5 mm long; fertile lemna as long as
the spikelet.
Recognition: Low, creeping, generally perennial grass, forming extensive, dense mats, and often
growing over adjacent vegetation; the leaf sheaths are conspicuous in the fall being light purple and
accentuated by long spreading hairs; leaves appear bunched at the nodes where rooting often
occurs. Note: D. pauciflora Hitchc., FACW, everglades grass, is only known from the type collection.
Habitat: FAC. Grows extensively in pastures around the perimeter of freshwater marshes; invades
rapidly in wetland mitigation areas and proliferates in wetlands used for wastewater renovation.
Flowering: Summer to fall.
MONOCOTS
Distichlis spicata (L.) Greene SALT GRASS
Description: Dioecious perennial with erect stems to 0.5 m tall from creeping scaly rhizomes:
sheaths usually glabrous; leaves to 6 mm wide and to 16 cm long, two-ranked, flat becoming
involute, scabrous above often with scattered long hairs at base, glabrous below; inflorescence a
narrow dense panicle, 3-8 cm long; spikelets 6.6-14.6 mm long, 6-15-flowered, flattened; glumes
unequal, broad, first glume 2.2-3.6 mm long, second glume 2.4-4.8 mm long.
Recognition: Plants often matted from creeping rhizomes, perennial, erect. Sheaths glabrous; blades
two-ranked, becoming involute. Panicles narrow, dense. Spikelets 7-14 mm long, several-flowered,
flattened. Sporobolus virginicus also has two-ranked leaves, but differs in the structure of its
spikelets.
Habitat: OBL. Salt marshes and flats, brackish habitats and wet marl near the coast.
Distribution: Frequent to common, throughout coastal Florida.
Flowering: Spring through late fall.

Echinochloa spp. BARNYARD GRASSES
Description: Annuals with weak, erect, stems often rooting at the nodes; sheaths compressed; ligule
absent; leaves flat, linear; panicle with few to many densely flowered branches; spikelets in rows or
fascicled, 2-flowered, long scabrous on nerves, short scabrous between nerves; first glume about
half the length of the spikelet, awned or mucronate; second glume the length of the spikelet,
mucronate or awned; fertile lemma hardened, margins inrolled; fertile palea hardened, enclosed by
lemma margins except at tip; spikelets falling as a whole.
Recognition: Annual grasses with weak erect stems, no ligules, flat linear leaves, and panicles of 2-
flowered, awned or mucronate spikelets. The following 3 species are representative of the roughly 7
species in Florida.
Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv., barnyard grass, is 2 to 6 ft tall. Sheaths glabrous. Panicle 3-33 cm
long, nodes on main axis with many long hairs; branches 1-31, 3-9 cm long, longer branches
secondarily branched. Spikelets 2.6-3.5 mm long excluding awns, awnless to long-awned; first
glume 1.3-2.2 mm long including awn.
Echinochloa colonum (L.) Link, jungle rice, is 1 to 3 ft tall. Sheaths glabrous. Panicle 3-12 cm long,
nodes on main axis with no or few hairs; branches 6-25,0.6-4 (majority on each panicle 2.0 cm or
less) cm long. Spikelets 2.3-2.8 mm long, awnless; first glume 1.3-1.6 mm long.
Echinochloa walteri (Pursh) Heller, coast cockspur-grass, is 2 to 6 ft tall. Sheaths pubescent with stiff
hairs. Panicle 8-33 cm long, nodes on main axis with several to many long hairs; branches 6-42,1-10
cm long, longer branches secondarily branched. Spikelets 3.5-4.6 mm long to base of awn, awned;
first glume 1.6-2.1 mm long including awn when present.
Habitat: FACW. Echinochloa crusgalli: Weedy in disturbed open dry and wet habitats, farmlands,
ditches, shores, rights-of-way, flatwoods, and marshes. Echinochloa colonum and Echinochloa
walteri: Wet habitats: margins, disturbed sites, cleared areas, marshes, ditches, rights-of-way,
hammocks, and disturbed soils.
Distribution: Throughout Florida; Echinochloa colonum and Echinochloa walteri common,

Echinochloa crusgalli infrequent, but locally common.
Echinochloa walteri (Pursh) Heller COAST COCKSPUR-GRASS
MONOCOTS 139
Echinochloa spp. (continued) BARNYARD GRASSES
Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv. BARNYARD GRASS
Echinochloa colonum (L.) Link JUNGLE RICE

Eragrostis spp. LOVE GRASSES
Description: Annual or perennial grasses, usually tufted; sheath often pubescent at top; leaf blades
flat or involute; flowers usually arranged in open panicles, or the panicles contracted or spikelike;
spikelets 2-many-flowered, laterally compressed; glumes unequal, 1-nerved or the second 3-nerved,
shorter than first lemma, lemmas 3-nerved, lateral nerves sometimes indistinct, keeled or rounded,
acute or acuminate, not awned; paleas 2-nerved and keeled, shorter than lemmas; "fruit" reddish-
brown; spikelets breaking apart above the glumes, sometimes leaving persistent paleas.
Recognition: Usually tufted grasses with 2- to many-flowered, flattened spikelets in open (or some
times spikelike) panicles. The panicle branches tend to be threadlike and the spikelets tend to be
linear in outline. About 30 species of Eragrostis are recognized in Florida. Several important
species are:
Eragrostis elliottii S. Wats. Elliott lovegrass, is an erect perennial with flat blades. Panicles open with
wide spreading branches, 17-50 cm long and 12-27 cm wide. Spikelets erect on branches, first
glume 0.9-2.1 mm long.
Eragrostis refracta (Muhl.) Scribn., coastal lovegrass, is an erect, tufted perennial with flat blades.
Panicles large, open, branches spreading, 8-47 cm long and 5-29 cm wide. Spikelets appressed to
branches; first glume 1.0-1.7 mm long, purplish.
Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud., purple lovegrass, is an erect, tufted, clump forming, rhizomatous
perennial. Blades flat. Panicles open, branches spreading, 20-45 cm long and 8-31 cm wide.
Spikelets erect on the branches; first glume purplish, 1.0-1.3 mm long.
Eragrostis frankii C. A. Meyer ex Steud., sandbar lovegrass, is a slender tufted annual with flat blades.
Panicles narrow, branches diffuse, 7-12 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. Spikelets erect on branches; first
glume about 1 mm long.
Eragrostis glomerata (Walt.) Dewey, pond lovegrass, is an erect, tufted annual with flat blades. Panicles
narrow and dense, branches erect, 10-22 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide. Spikelets erect on branches,
congested on short stalks; first glume 0.6-1.0 mm long.
Eragrostis hypnoides (Lam.) BSP., teal lovegrass, is a prostrate to ascending annual from stolons.
Blades flat. Panicles open, small, branches spreading, 1.5-3 cm long and 1-2.5 cm wide. Spikelets
erect on branches; first glume 0.5-2.1 mm long.
Eragrostis secundiflora Presl subsp. oxylepis (Torr.) S. D. Koch , synonymy: Eragrostis oxylepis (Torr.)
Torr., red lovegrass, is an erect tufted perennial with flat to involute blades. Panicles congested,
branches stiff, ascending to spreading, 4-25 cm long and 1-9 cm wide. Spikelets large, erect on
branches, congested on short stalks, usually reddish to reddish-purple; first glume 1.1-3 mm long.
Eragrostis reptans (Michx.) Nees,creeping lovegrass, is a dioecious, creeping, mat-forming annual from
stolons. Blades short (1-2 cm long), involute. Female panicles consist of a dense, bushy cluster of
spikelets at tip of stem. Male panicles consist of short branches with clusters of spikelets.
Eragrostis unioloides (Retz.) Nees ex Steud., Chinese lovegrass, is a tufted or solitary, erect annual with
flat blades. Panicles open, branches ascending, 3-10 cm long and 1-6 cm wide. Spikelets large, to 1
cm long, ovate-oblong, often pink or purplish; first glume 1.3-1.9 mm long, purplish.
Eragrostis bahiensis Schrad. ex Schult., Bahia lovegrass, is an erect or ascending, grayish green, tufted
perennial to 1.5 m tall. Sheath glabrous, sometimes with a few hairs at top. Spikelets appressed, 4-
19 mm long, lead gray to purple.
Habitat: FAC. Dry to wet communities: pastures, flatwoods, sandhills, pinelands, rights-of-way, pond
margins, swamps, glades and bog heads, hammocks, prairies, floodplain clearings, glades, dune
hollows, and along waterways.
MONOCOTS 141
Eragrostis spp. (continued) LOVE GRASSES
Distribution: Eragrostis elliottii, Eragrostis refracta, and Eragrostis spectabilis are common throughout
Florida while Eragrostis hypnoides is also found throughout Florida but is rare. Both Eragrostis unioloides
and Eragrostis secundiflora are very infrequent to rare from the panhandle to central Florida. Eragrostis
frankii, Eragrostis glomerata, and Eragrostis reptans are rare plants restricted to the panhandle. Eragrostis
bahiensis is sporadically naturalized throughout.
Eragrostis elliottii S. Wats. ELLIOTT LOVEGRASS
Eragrostis spectabilis (Pursh) Steud. PURPLE LOVEGRASS

Eragrostis refracta (Muhl.) Scribn. COASTAL LOVEGRASS
Eragrostis frankii C. A. Meyer ex Steud. SANDBAR LOVEGRASS
Eragrostis glomerata (Walt.) Dewey POND LOVEGRASS
Eragrostis hypnoides (Lam.) BSP. TEAL LOVEGRASS
i
MONOCOTS 143
Eragrostis secundiflora Presl RED LOVEGRASS

subsp. oxylepis (Torr.) S. D. Koch
Eragrostis reptans (Michx.) Nees CREEPING LOVEGRASS
Eragrostis unioloides (Retz.) Nees ex Steud. CHINESE LOVEGRASS

144
Erianthus spp PLUME GRASSES
Description: Reedlike perennial grasses with stems to 4 m tall, forming basal clumps; nodes glabrous
to pubescent; sheaths glabrous to pubescent; leaf blades to 17 mm wide, pubescent to glabrous
above and below; panicles 13-49 cm long and 3-13.5 cm wide; spikelets 4.7-8 mm long excluding
awns; glumes pubescent, hairs tufted at base 3.3-8 mm long, scabrous to scattered pubescent above;
lemma awn 9-23.3 mm long, terete, straight or curving.
Recognition: Tall reedlike grasses with a single stem and much-branched plume-like panicles. The
plumegrasses differ from other reedlike grasses in Florida in their paired spikelets (like those of
Andropogon, but with both spikelets of the pair well-developed).
Erianthus giganteus (Walt.) Muhl., synonymy: Saccharum giganteum (Walt.) Pers., sugarcane plume
grass, is a tall, reedlike perennial to 4 m tall, forming basal clumps. Panicle branches spreading,
flexible. Spikelets with an evident ring of basal hairs.
Erianthus brevibarbis Michx., synonymy: Saccharum brevibarbe (Michx.) Pers., Erianthus coarctatus
Fern., short-beard plume grass, is a tall, reedlike perennial to 2 m, forming basal clumps. Panicle
branches ascending. Spikelets 4.7-6.8 mm long excluding awns, with an evident ring of basal hairs
3.3-5 mm long.
Erianthus strictus Baldw. ex Ell., synonymy: Saccharum baldwinii Spreng., narrow plume grass, is
similar to E. brevibarbis but has panicle branches stiffly appressed, the spikelets 6.4-9.8 mm long
excluding awns, and lacks a ring of basal hairs on the spikelets or has a very sparse ring of hairs 1.4-
2.6 mm long.
Habitat: OBL. Erianthus giganteus: Wet soils of shores, ponds, rights-of-way ditches, bogs, marshes,
swamps, flatwoods, floating islands, and floodplains. Erianthus strictus: River banks, floodplains,
marshes, and ditches.
FACW. Erianthus brevibarbis: Pastures.
Distribution: Erianthus giganteus: Common, throughout Florida. E. brevibarbis: rare and E. strictus:
infrequent, north and west Florida.
Flowering: Fall-winter.
Erianthus brevibarbis Michx. SHORT-BEARD PLUME GRASS
spikelet pair
MONOCOTS
Erianthus spp. (continued) PLUME GRASSES
Erianthus giganteus (Walt.) Muhl. SUGARCANE PLUME GRASS

Eriochloa spp CUP GRASS
Description: Perennial with erect stems to 1.2 m tall; nodes pubescent; sheaths pubescent at base,
glabrous otherwise; leaf blades to 16 mm wide and to 42 cm long, flat to folded, minutely pubescent'
at base, otherwise glabrous above and below; panicle open, 12-31 cm long and 1-11 cm wide, with
several appressed, erect or ascending raceme-like branches, spikelets 3.3-5.3 mm long, pubescent;
first glume reduced to minute sheath adnate around rachis to form cup; "fruit" 2.2-2.4 or 2.6-3.2 mm
long, mucro or short awn absent or to 0.8-1.2 mm long and pubescent.
Recognition: Perennial grasses with pubescent nodes and sheaths. Blades large and flat. Spikelets
3.3-5.3 mm long, pubescent; first glume reduced to minute sheath that forms a cup around the
rachis. Fruit with pubescent mucro or awn. There are two native species in Florida, Eriochloa
michauxii (Poir.) Hitchc., longleaf cup grass, and Eriochloa contracta Hitchc., prairie cup grass.
Habitat: FACW. Pastures, riverbanks, hammocks, glades, bog heads, low pine lands, roadsides, old
fields, islands, and dunes.
Distribution: E. michauxii: throughout Florida, E. contracta: south Florida
Eriochloa michauxii (Poir.) Hitchc. LONGLEAF CUP GRASS
Eriochloa contracta Hitchc. PRAIRIE CUP GRASS
MONOCOTS 147
Eustachys glauca Chapm. FINGER GRASSES
synonymy: Chloris glauca (Chapm.) Wood
Description: Erect perennial to 1 m tall; stems compressed, thick; sheaths glabrous, keeled; leaf
blades to 11 mm wide and to 26 cm long, strongly keeled, glabrous above and below; panicle with
4-24 branches aggregated at tip of stem, branches 5-12 cm long and 2-2.5 mm wide; spikelets close
together, golden to dark brown, 2-flowered; first glume 1.2-1.4 mm long, scabrous, scabrous-keeled,
acute, not awned; second glume notched at apex, awn 0.4-0.6 mm long; first lemma acute or
mucronate, margins scabrous or glabrous.
Recognition: Erect perennial to 1 m tall; stems compressed, thick. Sheaths glabrous, keeled; blades
strongly keeled, glabrous above and below. Panicle with 4-24 branches, usually 10 or more. First
lemma margins scabrous or glabrous. Eustachyspetraea (Sw.) Desv., syn. Chlorispetraea Swartz,
stiffleaf finger grass, a similar species found in drier habitats, is an erect perennial to 2 ft tall, often
stoloniferous. Panicles with 2-10 branches, usually less than 10. First lemma short pubescent on
upper margins and keel. Goose grass (Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn.) is similar to the Finger Grasses,
but can be distinguished by non-keeled sheaths and blades and one inflorescence branch below the
terminal. Crowfoot Grass (Dactyloctenium aegyptium (L.) Willd.) is also similar, but can be distin
guished by ciliate-margined blades and tips of inflorescence branches extended past the spikelets
into a "claw."
Habitat: FACW. E. glauca - Low moist areas: hammocks, flatwoods, strands, cultivated fields, banks,
and rights-of-way. FAC. E. petraea-. Most frequently in dry communities: flatwoods, sandhills,
hammocks, salt marshes, ditches, dunes, sand flats near ocean, pastures, cleared areas, sandy fields,
prairies, and rights-of-way.
Distribution: E. glauca: frequent and E. petraea: common, throughout Florida.
Flowering: All year.
Eustachys glauca Chapm. SALTMARSH FINGER GRASS
spikelet
panicle

I
Eustachys glauca Chapm. (continued) FINGER GRASSES
MONOCOTS 149
Hydrochloa caroliniensis Beauv. WATER GRASS
synonymy: Luziola fluitans (Michx.) Terrell & H. Robins.
Description: Much-branched monoecious perennial, stems floating or trailing and rooting at nodes,
or erect in mud and up to 20 cm tall; sheaths glabrous with hairs on each end of collar at junction of
sheath and blade; ligules membranous; leaf blades usually floating, flat, often pale green to white at
base, to 7.4 mm wide and 7 cm long, scabrous above, glabrous below; staminate spikelets 3.4-3.8
mm long; pistillate spikelets 2.2-2.4 mm long.
Recognition: Floating in water or erect in mud. Sheaths glabrous with hairs on each end of collar at
junction of sheath and blade; ligules membranous; blades flat, often white at base.
Habitat: OBL. Standing or slow-moving water or in newly emerged muddy soil.
Distribution: Frequent to common, throughout Florida.
Flowering: All year south, warm months north.

Leersia spp. CUT GRASSES
Description: Rhizomatous perennials, stems to 1 m tall; ligules membranous, distinctive; leaf blades
flat, sharply scabrous; panicles open or slightly contracted; spikelets 1-flowered, laterally flattened
and keeled, awnless, hispidulus, glumes absent, lemma papery, oblong to oval, broad, 5-nerved,
margins inrolled, palea 3-nerved, as long as lemma, laterally flattened, margins enclosed by lemma,
disarticulation below lemma.
Recognition: Perennial grasses with flat scabrous leaves and panicles of 1-flowered, flat spikelets
without glumes.
Leersia hexandra Swartz, southern cut grass, clubhead cut grass, has stiffly ascending leaves less than
9 mm wide, narrow panicles with alternate branches, and spikelets more or less oblong, 1.1-1.5 mm
wide and 3.4-5 mm long.
Leersia lenticularis Michx., catchfly grass, has leaves mostly over 10 mm wide, open panicles with
alternate flexuous branches, and spikelets more or less ovate, 2.7-3.4 mm wide and 4-5 mm long.
Leersia oryzoides (L.) Swartz, rice cutgrass, has leaves to 9 mm wide, open panicles with lower
branches whorled or apparently so, flexuous, and spikelets more or less oblong, 1.3-1.7 mm wide
and 3.3-6.1 mm long.
Leersia virginica Willd., white grass, has leaves 9 mm wide, panicles with alternate, very slender and
flexuous branches, and spikelets more or less oblong, 0.7-1 mm wide and 2.4-3.1 mm long.
Habitat: OBL. Very wet communities: deep water and margins of ponds, prairies, lakes, wet
flatwoods, creek margins, canals, marshes, ditches, swamps, and river-bottom hardwood forests.
Distribution:
Leersia hexandra: Common, throughout Florida.

Leersia lenticularis: Very infrequent, west Florida.
Leersia oryzoides: Rare, north and west Florida.
Leersia virginica: Infrequent, north and west Florida.
Flowering: All warm months of the year.
Leersia hexandra Swartz SOUTHERN CUT GRASS, CLUBHEAD CUT GRASS
S
MONOCOTS 151
Leersia spp. (continued) CUT GRASSES
Leersia lenticularis Michx. CATCHFLY GRASS
Leersia oryzoides (L.) Swartz RICE CUTGRASS
Leersia virginica Willd. WHITE GRASS

Leptochloa spp. SPRANGLE-TOP GRASS
Description: Annuals or perennials with tufted, leafy stems, 1 m tall, ligules membranous; leaf
blades flat; inflorescence a panicle of many spikes or racemes; spikelets 2-12-flowered, sessile or
short-pediceled, and closely-spaced on one side of a rachis; first glume thin, 1-nerved, acute, awnless
or mucronate; second glume thin, 1-3-nerved, acute, awnless or mucronate, longer than first glume
usually shorter than first lemma, lemmas 3-nerved, nerves often pubescent, obtuse or acute,
sometimes 2-toothed and mucronate or short-awned from between the teeth; paleas well devel
oped, nerves sometimes pubescent, disarticulation above the glumes and between the florets.
Leptochloa fascicularis (Lam.) Gray BEARDED SPRANGLE-TOP GRASS
Recognition: Tufted, annual with glabrous sheaths. Spikelets 5-12-flowered, pubescent on nerves;
lowest lemma 3.2-5.2 mm long, acute with short awn.
Habitat: FACW. Fresh and brackish water: marshes, ditches, rights-of-way, disturbed soils, swamps,
pastures, prairies, and old fields.
Distribution: Infrequent, throughout south Florida and north along the coasts into north Florida.
Flowering: Summer.
MONOCOTS 153
Leptochloafiliformis (Lam.) Beauv. RED SPRANGLE-TOP GRASS
Recognition: Tufted annual with pubescent sheaths; spikelets 1-2-flowered, pubescent on nerves;
lowest lemma 1.2-1.4 mm long, acute to obtuse with short mucro. Leptochloa virgata (L.) Beauv.,
tropic sprangle-top grass, is recognized and separated by: Tufted, annual, sheaths glabrous on
upper stem; spikelets 2-6-flowered, pubescent on nerves; lowest lemma 1.6-2.1 mm long, acute, with
or without awn.
Habitat: L. filiformis: FACW and L. virgata: FAC. Weedy in moist to wet soils: cultivated fields,
nurseries, waste areas, and turf.
Distribution: L. filiformis: rare, west Florida; and L. virgata: rare, south, central, and north Florida.

Manisuris in Florida = Coelorachis Florida species JOINT-TAIL GRASSES
Description: Tufted, perennials, stems 1-1.5 m tall; leaf blades flat or folded or involute; racemes
cylindric, spike-like, single at apex of stem or branch; spikelets paired, one sessile and fertile, one
pedicelled and neuter, awnless, 1-2-flowered; first glume leathery, covering hollowed portion of
rachis containing spikelet, keels narrowly winged at apex; second glume somewhat leathery, keeled.
Pedicels free from rachis; disarticulation at rachis nodes.
[This genus differs from Manisuris in that it has the first glumes narrowly winged at the apex and the
pedicels are free from the rachis.] Four species are found in Florida:
Coelorachis cylindrica (Michx.) Nash CAROLINA JOINT-TAIL GRASS

[Manisuris cylindrica (Michx.) Kuntze]
Coelorachis rugosa (Nutt.) Nash WRINKLED JOINT-TAIL GRASS
[Manisuris rugosa (Nutt.) Kuntze]
Coelorachis tessellata (Steud.) Nash LATTICE JOINT-TAIL GRASS
[Manisuris tessellata (Steud.) Scribn.]
Coelorachis tuberculosa (Nash) Nash FLORIDA JOINT-TAIL GRASS
[Manisuris tuberculosa Nash]
Recognition:
1 Rhizomes present; sheaths rounded; first glume pitted C. cylindrica

1 Fibrous root system present; sheaths flattened and keeled; first glume pitted or ridged.
2 Spikelets 2.1-2.4 mm wide; first glume with rectangular pits C. tessellata
2 Spikelets 1.3-2 mm wide; first glume with transverse ridges or smooth.
3 Spikelets 1.4-1.8 mm wide; first glume with prominent coarse transverse ridges C. rugosa
3 Spikelets 1.3-2 mm wide; first glume with scattered small or no transverse ridges C. tuberculosa
Habitat: C. rugosa & C. tuberculosa: FAC W. Shallow water, often in depressions: flatwoods, swamps,
savannas, ponds, rights-of-way, and ditches; C. cylindrica, FAC & C. tessellata, FACW. Open, moist
pine flatwoods.
Distribution: C. rugosa: Frequent, throughout Florida; C. cylindrica: Rare, south, central, and north
Florida; C. tessellata:Rare, west Florida; C. tuberculosa: Infrequent, central and central west Florida.
Flowering: C. rugosa: Spring to fall; C. cylindrica & C. tuberculosa: Spring-summer; C. tessellata:

summer.
Manisuris cylindrica (Michx.) Nash FAC CAROLINA JOINT-TAIL GRASS
MONOCOTS 155
Manisuris spp. in Florida (continued) JOINT-TAIL GRASSES
= Coelorachis Florida species
Manisuris rugosa (Nutt.) Nash FACW WRINKLED JOINT-TAIL GRASS
Manisuris tessellata {Steud.)Nash FACW LATTICE JOINT-TAIL GRASS
Manisuris tuberculosa (Nash) Nash FACW FLORIDA JOINT-TAIL GRASS

Monanthochloe littoralis Engelm. SHORE GRASS, KEY GRASS
Description: Perennial stems wiry, creeping or erect to 30 cm tall, stoloniferous or bending and
rooting at lower nodes, forming mats; sheaths pubescent to glabrous; leaf blades short, awl-shaped,
to 2 mm wide and to 1 cm long, scabrous above, glabrous below, margins glabrous or scabrous,
bunched and distichous; dioecious: staminate spikelets 5.1 7 mm long, 3-7-flowered; pistillate
spikelets 6.3-8.7 mm long, 3-flowered, resembling blades.
Recognition: Wiry, creeping, mat-forming, stoloniferous perennial. Blades short, awl-shaped, to

2 mm wide and to 1 cm long, bunched and distichous.
Habitat: OBL. Salty shores, tidal flats and salt marshes.
Distribution: Frequent, coastal south, central, and north Florida.
MONOCOTS 157
Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin. HAIR GRASS,
HAIR-AWN MUHLY GRASS,
GULF MUHLY GRASS
Description: Tufted perennial to 2 m tall; sheaths glabrous or minute soft pubescence above; ligule
an easily observed membrane; blades to 4 mm wide and to 96 cm long, involute, scabrous above,
glabrous below; panicle usually purplish, 23-34 cm long and 11-19 cm wide, open, branches wide
spreading; spikelets 3-5.6 mm long to tip of teeth and excluding awns, first glume 0.7-1.4 mm long,
awn absent or to 2.8 mm long, second glume 0.7-1.5 mm long, awn absent or to 11.5 mm long,
lemma awn 7-20 cm long.
Recognition: Tufted perennial with long, rolled blades and an easily observed membrane. Panicles
diffuse with wide spreading branches and long-awned spikelets on capillary stalks. Muhlenbergia
expansa (DC.) Trin., cutover muhly grass, resembles hair grass, but blades sometimes flat and only
to 30 cm long; panicle straw-colored and not purple; spikelets not awned to more than 1 mm long.
Two varieties are recognized: var. capillaris, hair grass, hair-awn muhly grass, with acute glumes
lacking awns and acute lemma lacking teeth; and var. filipes (M. A. Curtis) Chapm., gulf muhly
grass, with glumes awned and lemma with two long thin teeth.
Habitat: M. capillaris: OBL. Usually sandy or rocky soils of: ridges, flatwoods, cypress, low woods,
swales, saline flats, beaches and dunes; M. expansa: FAC. Moist flatwoods, bogs and longleaf pine
sandhills.
Distribution: M. capillaris: frequent, throughout Florida; M. expansa: infrequent, north and west
Florida.
Flowering: Summer-winter.
Q Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin.OBL HAIR GRASS
Muhlenbergia expansa (DC.) Trin. FAC CUTOVER MUHLY GRASS

Muhlenbergia schreberij. F. Gmel. NIMBLEWILL
Description: Perennial with weak, spreading stems which bend and root at lower nodes; sheaths
glabrous to scabrous; ligules scarcely seen with naked eye; leaf blades to 4 mm wide and to 8 cm
long, flat, glabrous to scabrous above and below; panicles narrow, 4.6-13 cm long and 0.2-0.5 cm
wide; spikelets 2-2.4 mm long excluding awns; first glume 0.1 mm long, awnless; second glume 0.2-
0.3 mm long, awnless; lemma awn 1.7-3.4 mm long.
Recognition: Perennial with weak, spreading stems which bend and root at lower nodes. Sheaths
glabrous; membranous ligules to 0.4 mm long, scarcely seen with naked eye. Panicles narrow, 4.6-13
cm long and 0.2-0.5 cm wide. Lemmas awns 2-3.5 mm long.
Habitat: FACW. Shaded areas: pastures, sinks, floodplains and hammocks.
Distribution: Infrequent, north and central Florida.
Flowering: Fall-spring.
| INVASIVE EXOTIC
Neyraudia reynaudiana (Kunth) Keng ex Hitchc. BURMA REED, SILK REED
Description: Erect, reed-like perennial with stems to 3 m (10 ft) tall, forming clumps from short
rhizomes: sheaths glabrous, collars pubescent from margin to margin; ligules large, membranous,
easily observed; leaf blades to 1.7 cm wide and to 57 cm long, flat to involute, scabrous and with
long hairs at base and occasionally scattered long hairs upwards above, glabrous below; panicles
large, 31-57 cm long, open, dense; spikelets flattened, 5.3-6.7 mm long excluding awns; first glume
1.3-2.7 mm long; second glume 1.6-3 mm long; first lemma sterile; lemmas narrow, long pubescent
on lateral nerves, awns from between two teeth, 1.7-2.3 mm long on lower florets, absent on
uppermost reduced florets.
Recognition: Large, erect, reed-like, clump-forming perennial resembling Phragmites, but lacking
long rhizomes and having sheaths woolly at top. Ligules large, membranous, easily observed.
Panicles, large, open, dense; lacks a ring of hairs just below panicle.
Habitat: FAC. Rocky pine lands, flatwoods, old fields; also cultivated as an ornamental.
Distribution: Common, south Florida.

160
Oplismenus setarius (Lam.) Roem. & Schult. WOODS GRASS, BASKET GRASS
synonymy: Oplismenus hirtellus (L.) Beauv.
Description: Trailing perennial, rooting at the pubescent nodes, flowering stems erect to 30 cm (1 ft)
tall; sheaths pubescent, especially along margins; collars pubescent; leaf blades flat, to 13.4 mm
wide and to 6 cm long, pubescent above and below; raceme rachis 1-sided, 0.1-1.1 cm long, 3-8 per
stem; spikelets distant, nearly sessile, solitary or paired, 2.5-3.2 mm long excluding awns, 3-15 per
rachis; first glume 1.6-3.2 mm long excluding awn, awn 4.7-10.7 mm long.
Recognition: Shade loving, trailing perennial with thin stems, rooting at the nodes. Blades flat,
mostly less than 4 cm long, pubescent above and below, often appearing slightly crinkled. Raceme
rachis 1 -sided. Spikelets distant, nearly sessile, solitary or paired, long awned.
Habitat: FAC. Virtually all moist shaded communities: slopes, sinks, hammocks, banks, hardwood
forests, and floodplains.
Distribution: Common, throughout Florida.
Flowering: All warm months.
MONOCOTS 161
Panicum spp. PANIC GRASSES
Including Dichanthelium
Description: Tufted or sometimes rhizomatous annual or perennial grasses; stems to 1.5 m; ligule
usually a ring of hairs or a short collar; leaves generally lanceolate, hairy or smooth, in basal rosettes
in several species; sheath hairy or smooth; flowers reduced, produced in apparently 1-flowered,
stalked spikelets arranged in a diffuse or appressed panicle; spikelets often obovoid, with two
unequal, green glumes with several nerves (first glume usually very small), a green sterile lemma
similar to the second glume and as long as the fruit, which may cover a thin palea enclosing a
staminate (sterile) floret (floret more often absent), and a hard, often shiny, generally pale tan
lemma and palea (the "fruit") enclosing the true fruit; spikelets falling entire from their stalks.
Recognition: Annuals or perennials of various habit, with panicles of usually long-stalked,

one-flowered spikelets, each enclosing a hard, pale tan fertile lemma and palea (the "fruit"). The
panicles may be open (diffuse) and ovoid or tapering toward the top, or appressed to the main
flowering stem. The vegetative parts of the plants are quite variable, even within species. The
plants may be tufted or rhizomatous; often the rhizome can be used to distinguish species. The
Dichanthelium-type panic grasses have overwintering forms with basal rosettes or clumps of leaves
and condensed, short panicles. In spring these clumps send up erect, unbranched stems with
larger, open panicles. Each spikelet has two green, nerved glumes (the first glume usually too small
to see without magnification, the second as long as the fruit), a green, nerved, sterile lemma as long
as the fruit (generally looks like the second glume), and a hard, shiny, pale tan fertile lemma with
edges that fold over the hard fertile palea. The fertile lemma and palea look like a small nut.
Many species of Panicum are hard to recognize. Use caution when identifying plants in the field with
this book. There are at least 34 species of Panicum (including Dichanthelium) in Florida, and this
publication does not include several ecologically facultative species.
Panicum dichotomum L. FORKED PANICUM, SHINING PANIC GRASS

synonymy: Dichanthelium dichotomum (L.) Gould
Recognition: Plants generally in large colonies,

tufted, 4-10 dm tall from a knotty crown of
roots; sheath glabrous with a few scattered
long hairs along edge; ligule when present a
ring of 1-mm-long hairs; leaves medium green,
to 9 cm long, margins green; inflorescence an
oval panicle, with glabrous spikelets 1.4-2.5
mm long, the first glume ~l/3 spikelet length,
sometimes slightly wrinkled-
Habitat: FACW. Wet prairies, bogs, stream banks

and forested wetlands, seepage areas, open
pine-oak woodlands, wet clearings, ditches.
Distribution: Throughout the state.

Panicum ensifolium Baldw. ex Ell. CYPRESS PANIC GRASS
synonymy: Dichanthelium ensifolium (Baldw. ex Ell.) Gould, Dichanthelium
dichotomum var. ensifolium (Baldw. ex Ell.) C.F. Reed
Recognition: Very similar to P. dichotomum, but shorter (to 0.4 m tall), with smaller leaves (to 4 cm
long and 4 mm wide) and smaller spikelets; stems sometimes diffuse and sprawling, especially in
areas of shallow inundation; sheaths at base of stem pubescent, on upper stem usually glabrous
with long hairs along top edges; leaf margins green to cream-colored; spikelets 1.3-1.7 mm long.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. In shallowly inundated hydric pine flatwoods and bogs, throughout
the state.
MONOCOTS 163
Panicum tenue Muhl. WHITE-EDGE PANICUM
synonymy: Dichanthelium ensifolium (Baldw. ex Ell.) Gould var. unciphyllum
(Trin.) B.F. Hansen & Wunderlin
Recognition: Very similar to P. ensifolium, but a little larger with obvious cream to white cartilaginous
leaf margins; stems 0.2-0.55 m tall, erect or ascending; Distinguished from Amphicarpum
muhlenbergianum, which also has white-edged leaves, by its small, slender leaves and ovoid panicle
with spreading branches bearing tiny spikelets.
Habitat and Distribution: FAC. Hydric pine flatwoods, swamps, hammocks. North to central
Florida.
Flowering: February-October.

Panicum strigosum Muhl. ex Ell. FRINGED PANICUM
synonymy: Panicum ciliatum Elliott, Dichanthelium strigosum (Muhl. ex Ell.)
Freckmann
Recognition: Tightly tufted, forming bright green cushions with numerous basal leaves and obvious
stiff hairs on stems and leaf margins; stems 1-4 dm tall; sheaths densely long pilose to nearly
glabrous, with long hairs along upper margins; ligule a ring of short (1-2.5 mm), dense hairs; leaves
3-8 cm long, 6-10 mm wide, both sides glabrous to lightly puberulent to pilose, the margins with
thin, long, spreading, swollen-based hairs at least at base; inflorescence with hairy branches, bearing
glabrous to pilose spikelets 1.3-2.4 mm long.
Habitat: FAC. Wet sandy and sandy peat

areas, bogs, savannas and mesic pine
flatwoods.
Panicum commutatum Schult. (In Hall, 1978) VARIABLE PANICUM

synonymy: Dichanthelium commutatum (Schultes) Gould
Recognition: Medium, tufted (rarely rhizomatous), dark green, robust panic grass, with clasping leaf
blades and large pubescent fruits; stems erect, thick wiry, ascending; sheaths pubescent at least
along margins; ligule entire, membranous to 0.5 mm; leaf blades to 15 cm long, to 23 mm wide,
almost entirely glaborous, except for short, spaced, stiff hairs at the base; inflorescence a large,
ovoid panicle, 2-14 cm long, branches spreading, spikelets 2.4-3.7 mm long, pubescent.
Habitat & Distribution: FAC. Shady, moist to wet areas. Throughout Florida.
Flowering: All year
MONOCOTS 165
Panicum spretum Schult. EATON'S PANIC GRASS
synonymy: Dichanthelium acuminatum (Sw.) Gould & Clark var. densiflorum
(Rand & Redf.) Gould & Clark; Dichanthelium spretum (Schultes) Freckmann.
Recognition: Medium tall, wiry stemmed, tufted panicum, 30-90 cm, hairs of ligule and top of sheath
long and obvious to the naked eye ; stems wiry, erect; sheaths pubescent; ligule of hairs 1-4 mm
long, without a ring of shorter hairs; leaves 3-8 cm long, 3-9 mm wide, flat, rolled, or involute, edges
finely erose or with long stiff hairs; inflorescence an ovoid panicle, 1-7 cm long, 1 to 5 cm wide,
branches spreading, spikelets 0.9-1.6 mm long, pubescent.
Habitat & Distribution: FACW. Hydric pine areas, wiregrass prairies, pond margins, ditches.
Throughout Florida.
Flowering: April - November.

166
Panicum pinetorum Swallen FT. MYERS PANIC GRASS
synonymy: Dichanthelium aciculare (Desv. ex Poir.) Gould & Clark
Recognition: Short, wiry-stemmed, sometimes densely tufted grass with upper leaves tightly
involute, like light green pine needles; stems erect or ascending; sheaths pubescent at least along
margins and at top; ligules tiny; lower leaves usually flat, with long hairs at base, upper leaves
sometimes scabrous above; panicle open with ascending branches, bearing minutely pubescent
spikelets 2.2-3.1 mm long, first glume glabrous, second glume and sterile lemma slightly twisted.
Habitat: FACW. Partial shade to open sun, moist to shallowly inundated sandy areas.
Distribution: Charlotte, Lee, Hardee and

Collier counties along the west coast in
south Florida. Generally in large
colonies where found.
Flowering: Late spring-summer.
Panicum erectifolium Nash ERECT-LEAF WITCH GRASS,ERECT-LEAF PANICUM

synonymy: Dichanthelium erectifolium (Nash) Gould & Clark
Recognition: Stems erect to ascending, 3-5 dm tall, with stiff, broad, strongly ascending leaves and
small spikelets; sheaths ciliate marginally especially toward base; ligules a ring of very short hairs
0.2-0.5 mm long; basal leaves at least 5-10 mm long, very stiff; stem leaves 4-7 cm long, strongly
ascending, with swollen-based hairs along the margins of the base, otherwise glabrous; spring-
flowering panicle narrow with spreading branches and glabrous to pubescent spikelets 1.1-1.4 mm
long, the second glume and sterile lemma strongly nerved.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Hydric pine flatwoods, savannahs, bogs, exposed margins of ponds,
saturation to shallow inundation. Throughout most of Florida.
MONOCOTS 167
Panicum scabriusculum Ell. WOOLLY PANICUM, TALL SWAMP PANICUM
synonymy: Dichanthelium scabriusculum (Ell.) Gould and Clark
Recognition: Stems erect or ascending, usually taller than 75 cm, with large and broad basal and stem
leaves to 27 cm long and 15 cm wide, the basal rosette not present at flowering time; sheaths ciliate
marginally especially toward top; ligules membranous, finely erose, to 1 mm long; leaves broadest
near base, sometimes involute at tip, with a few long hairs at base; panicle large, ovoid, with
glabrous to pubescent spikelets 2-3.1 mm long, the sterile lemma pointed at tip, with evident
nerves. P. scabriusculum generally has a pubescent, glandular, light green band below each node
and is medium to dark green or sometimes purple-tinged. P. scoparium has a glabrous light green
band below each node and is grayish green and velvety from fine, dense, short hairs.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Shade to full sun, areas that are inundated. North Florida south
through Osceola County.
Flowering: April-August.

Panicum scoparium Lam. VELVET PANICUM
synonymy: Dichanthelium scoparium (Lam.) Gould
Recognition: Medium to tall, dark grayish green, robust, velvety-pubescent, with large clasping leaves
and pubescent spikelets 2.3-2.6 mm long; stems erect to ascending, 8-12 dm tall, with a glabrous
glandular band below each node; sheaths pubescent; ligule fringed with hairs, 1.5-3 mm long;
leaves to 20 cm long and 20 mm wide; panicle large, ovoid, 8-20 cm long.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Shady, moist to wet sands, alluvial areas, ponds and marsh
margins, clearings, wet woodlands, ditches. Central Florida, northward.
MONOCOTS 16
Panicum abscissum Swallen CUTTHROAT GRASS
Recognition: Medium sized, tufted grass, 25-60 cm tall, in flower to 50-90 cm tall, spreading exten
sively from hard rhizomes tightly bound within the soil, producing closely set stems; stems erect at
the base; sheaths persistent after fire and grazing, the top forming truncate auricles; leaves folded,
to 27 cm long, arching toward the ground when not cropped; panicle (seen only after fire) to 45 cm
long and 9 cm wide, bearing glabrous spikelets to 3.1 mm long, the first glume 1.0-1.8 mm long,
second glume keeled, acute. Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) lacks the distinctive auriculate
sheaths. Rhizomatous three-awn (Aristida rhizomophora) has a similar growth habit, but has flat
leaf blades and scaly rhizomes.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Sunny to partially shaded areas on slopes and lake and marsh
edges, primarily on the eastern and western slopes of the Central Florida Ridge. Known only from
Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, and Polk Counties.
Flowering: Spring and fall, especially after fire.
spikelet
truncate auricles
of leaf sheath

Panicum rigidulum, P. longifolium, and P. anceps
Recognition: Stems ascending to erect, generally 60-160 cm tall; leaves strongly keeled, flattened
towards tip; panicle terminal, of rigid, appressed, ascending or spreading branches; spikelets 2-3
mm long, the first glume glabrous, 1/2-2/3 length of spikelet, the second glume keeled and nar
rowed to tip. Bases and inflorescence of plant sometimes tinged with maroon and purple, not as
much so on P. anceps. Panicles of P. rigidulum and P. longifolium often dark reddish.
Panicum rigidulum Bosc ex Nees RED-TOP PANICUM
Recognition: Differs from P. longifolium in its shorter, more robust stature (the stems to 60 cm tall),
lack of obvious hairs at top of sheath, and membranous ligule. Differs from P. anceps in having
slender smooth roots instead of scaly rhizomes, and in having spikelet pedicels with hairs at top.
Habitat and Distribution: FAC W. Wet areas, generally with partial shade. Shallow areas and
floodplains. Throughout the state.
MONOCOTS 171
Panicum longifolium Torr. TALL THIN PANICUM
Recognition: Differs from P. rigidulum in its tall, slender stature (the stems to 160 cm tall or more),
and visible hairs at top of sheaths. Differs from P. anceps in its tall, slender stature, its slender,
smooth roots instead of scaly rhizomes, and its spikelet pedicels with hairs at top.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Areas of shallow water, sinkhole ponds, cut-over shallow wetlands,
depressions in pine flatwoods, shrub bogs, seepage areas, margins of cypress-gum ponds. Central
Florida and northward.
spikelet pedicels
with hairs
Panicum anceps Michx. BEAKED PANICUM, SPREADING PANICUM
Recognition: Like P. rigidulum and P. longifolium but has scaly rhizomes, and the pedicels of spikelets
lack hairs at top.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. River banks, ditches, ponds, mesic pine flatwoods, oak woods and
disturbed areas, swales. Tolerates a wide range of conditions. Central Florida and northward.
spikelet pedicels
without hairs

172
Panicum verrucosum Muhl. WARTY PANICUM
Recognition: Spikelets with small warts on glumes and sterile lemma; a sprawling, wiry-stemmed
annual, soft green in color throughout, to 1 m tall, with fibrous roots, soft, widely spaced leaves, and
diffuse panicles; stems erect when young, later rooting at the nodes; sheaths loose on stem,
glabrous with ciliate margins; ligule fimbriate, 0.2-0.5 mm long; leaves flat, 5-20 cm long, 2-10 mm
wide, the margins finely scabrous; panicle large, with very fine branches bearing a few spikelets
each. This species is not obvious in spring. Look for slender, erect, young shoots growing closely
together.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Often in thick stands along the shores of streams, ponds, lakes,
marshes, and many other wet, often disturbed areas. Indicative of natural and manmade distur
bance such as mechanical soil mixing and fires in moist to wet soils. Also found in savannahs and
flatwoods depressions and ditches. North Florida south through Martin and Highlands Counties
across to Manatee County and possibly a little farther south.
MONOCOTS 173
Panicum repens L. TORPEDO GRASS
Recognition: Medium-sized, rhizomatous grayish-green grass with stiffly held, distichous, ascending
leaves; rhizomes knotty to quite long with sharply pointed tips; stems decumbent at base, to 3-8
dm tall, glabrous to pilose; sheaths bladeless on lower stems, glabrous to pubescent; ligule membra
nous with cilia; leaves linear, flat or folded, usually with thin hairs on upper surface near base;
panicle open, 7-22 cm long, with stiffly ascending branches bearing white turgid spikelets, the first
glume flat-tipped (not acute), surrounding most of the spikelet base; flowers with orange stamens
and purplish-blue stigmas.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Often in dense stands in shallow areas of ponds and lakes, edges
of marshes and ditches. Displaces other species. Throughout the state. Has been seeded for soil
stabilization.

Panicum gymnocarpon Ell. SAVANNAH PANICUM
synonymy: Phanopyrum gymnocarpon (Ell.) Nash
Recognition: Short, pale to medium green, rhizomatous, decumbent annual, with stout, glabrous
stems and large lanceolate leaves; roots fibrous, stout, from stem nodes; stems creeping along
substrate, stout, glabrous; sheath glabrous, septate; ligule membranous, 0.5-1.2 mm; leaves
elongate, green or glaucous, 1-6 dm long, flat, bases subcordate to truncate, margins scabrous,
panicle large, open, somewhat pyramidal, 15-40 cm long, with ascending to spreading, winged or
grooved branches, bearing spikelets 6-7 mm long, with acuminate outer bracts.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Open to densely shaded areas with shallow water, often rooted in
mud, around slow moving steams and oxbows in floodplains and sloughs, marshy shores of lakes
and ponds and ditches. North and north central Florida.
Flowering: August-October.
MONOCOTS
Panicum virgatum L. SWITCHGRASS
Recognition: Tall, erect, single-stemmed grass with long, slender, arching leaves and large diffuse
panicles; rhizomes long, scaly, white to pink or grayish; stems 1-2 m tall, stout and purple, especially
at base, usually glaucous; sheaths occasionally pubescent, margins occasionally ciliate; ligules
lacerate (ciliate), 1-5 mm long; leaves 1-6 dm long, 5-15 mm wide, held out and drooping, holding
form when dried; panicle large, erect, open, 12-50 cm long, with wiry and spreading to ascending
branches, bearing spikelets at most on their distal half; spikelets 3-5 mm long, the first glume 1/2
length of spikelet, mostly surrounding base of spikelet, 3-nerved, central nerve almost keeled,
scabrous at tip, second glume and first lemma apically acuminate. Differs from similar Paspalum
spp. in the lack of numerous stiff hairs at base of plant. Often in small stands.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Fresh and brackish marshes, seasonally wet flatwoods, prairies,
shores of rivers, ponds, and lakes and estuaries. Throughout the state.
Flowering and Fruiting: August-October.
I V)

Panicum hemitomon Schult. MAIDENCANE
Recognition: Forming extensive stands, with tall, generally erect stems with leaves held by loose
sheaths: rhizomes extensive, with Fibrous roots at nodes; stems 5-20+ dm tall, glabrous above, often
stiffly pilose at base when young, nodes generally glabrous: sheaths glabrous or sparsely pilose or
hirsute, loose near top; ligule membranous and ciliate, 0.5-1.0 mm; leaf blades 10-25 cm long, to
15 mm wide; panicle erect, narrow, 10-20 cm long, with appressed-ascending branches, bearing
spikelets 2-3 mm long, the First glume 1/3-1/2 the length of the spikelet, with a slightly keeled
central nerve and 2 obscure outer nerves, the second glume strongly 3-nerved, acute-tipped. On
upland sand, P. hemitomon is much shorter (~6-8 dm) than in hydric soils. P. hemitomon var.
hirsutior has purplish lower stems and short, stiff hairs on the stem bases. Three species often
confused with P. hemitomon are Brachiaria purpurascens (paragrass), with stems decumbent at the
base, somewhat swollen nodes, and hairy sheaths and leaf bases; Sacciolepis striata, which is
decumbent at the base and usually has purple margins at the top of the sheath and the bases of
some blades; and Amphicarpum muhlenbergianum, which is generally much shorter and has stiff
leaves with an almost translucent or purple margin.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Generally in dense stands in shallow water of ponds and lakes and
marshes, sometimes on nearby sandy slopes, ditches, drainage canals. 1hroughout the state.
Flowering: Summer. Mostly reproduce vegetatively.
MONOCOTS 177
Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx. FALL PANICUM, FALL PANIC GRASS
Recognition: A medium-tall, clumped, annual grass with ascending stems and elongate ascending
leaves that droop towards the ends; roots fibrous, at base of plant and from lower stem nodes,
especially in shallow water; stems robust, decumbent, geniculate, ascending; sheaths glabrous,
loose; ligules ciliate, 1.5-2.5 mm; leaves slender, flat, 10-50 cm long, margins scabrous, upper leaf
surface sometimes pubescent; inflorescence terminal, open and diffuse with wiry, ascending
branches, distally bearing acuminate, appressed spikelets 2.5-3 mm long, the first glume nearly
surrounding spikelet, obtuse to rounded apically, with obscure nerves, the second glume and sterile
lemma acute, 7-nerved, sometimes wholly or partially purple. P. dichotomiflorum var. bartowense
has swollen-based, spreading hairs on the sheaths.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Marshy shores during low water periods, alluvial soils of flood-
plain forests, temporary pools, spoil banks, moist to wet clearings, generally indicative of shallow
water. Throughout the state.
Flowering: Late summer-fall.

Paspalidium geminatum (Forssk.) Stapf EGYP TIAN PASPALIDIUM
synonymy: Panicum geminatum Forssk., Panicum paludivagum Hitchc. &
Chase, Paspalidium geminatum (Forssk.) Stapf var. paludivagum (Hitchc. &
Chase) Gould
Description: Semi-aquatic perennial with thick, erect stems to 1 m tall or bending at base and
rooting at nodes, often stoloniferous; sheaths glabrous, longer than internodes; leaf blades flat to
involute to folded, to 1.2 cm wide and to 43 cm long, scabrous to glabrous or with minute hairs-at
base above, glabrous below; racemes spike-like, 6-20,1-3.7 cm long; spikelets 2-3.3 mm long,
glabrous; first glume shorter than spikelet, 0.4-1.1 mm long; second glume as long as spikelet; fertile
lemma rugose.
Recognition: Semi-aquatic perennial with thick, erect stems to 1 m tall or bending at base and
rooting at nodes, often stoloniferous. Sheaths glabrous, longer than internodes. Blades long, flat to
involute to folded. Racemes spike-like, 6-20 on an erect stem. Fertile lemma rugose.
Habitat: OBL. Wet habitats, often in standing or slow flowing water: floating islands, ditches, glades,
canals, spring runs, swamps, marshes, sinks, prairies, and lakes.
Distribution: Frequent and locally common, throughout Florida.
MONOCOTS
179
Paspalum spp.
Description: Medium to large annuals or perennials, often with rhizomes; stems usually flattened at
base; leaf blades usually flat but often folded and becoming involute; ligule a membranous scale;
inflorescence of 1 to many spike-like racemes, sometimes paired at the end of the stem; spikelets
borne in 2 to 4 rows along one side of raceme, solitary on short stalks or in pairs on short forked
stalks, planoconvex (flat on one side and rounded on the other) with the rounded side usually
turned toward the axis of the raceme, usually broadly ellipsoid or orbicular, lacking the first glume
(or the first glume very small, on the flat side of the spikelet), otherwise as in Panicum.
Recognition: The most distinctive features of Paspalum are the spike-like racemes with 2 or 4 rows of
broad (sometimes nearly spherical), short-stalked planoconvex spikelets on one side. The racemes
can be solitary, paired at the end of the stem, or alternate along the stem. The spikelets have the
same structure as those of Panicum, with a "fruit" composed of a single fertile floret surrounded by
a usually light-colored, hard lemma and palea. Axonopus, Brachiaria, Reimarochloa, and Digitaria
have Panicum-like spikelets in one-sided racemes. Axonopus and Brachiaria differ from Paspalum
in that the more rounded side of their spikelets is turned away from the axis of the raceme.
Axonopus also has blunt-tipped leaves; the leaves of Paspalum are usually pointed. Brachiaria also
always has a first glume. Reimarochloa has narrow, sharply pointed spikelets without glumes.
Digitaria differs from Paspalum in its softer, often dark-colored fertile lemma and palea and in its
usually narrower spikelets.
Of the roughly 27 species of Paspalum in Florida, 16 are considered FAC, FACW, or OBL.
Three aquatic or subaquatic species with decumbent or creeping stems have a broad rachis that
folds over like a roof, partially or completely overlapping the spikelets.
Paspalum acuminatum Raddi CANOE GRASS, RROOK PASPALUM
Recognition: Sprawling perennial with spongy stems, these are decumbent, often rooting at the
nodes; ligules to 2.4 mm, white membranous; flexuous, thin, waxy leaves with rough margins; 2-4
ascending racemes, each with a rachis 2-3 mm wide;
solitary, hairless, elliptic spikelets with a sharply
pointed (acuminate) tip; and a "fruit" with a few
minute hairs at the tip.
Habitat: FACW. Often in water; marshes, along ditch

banks and wet agricultural fields.
Distribution: South-central Florida, rare.
Flowering: spring-summer.

P. dissectum (L.) L. MUDBANK PASPALUM
Recognition: Creeping perennial with wiry stems, ligules 1-1.5 mm; leaves not waxy; 2 to 5 racemes,
each with a rachis 1.8 to 3 mm wide; paired hairless spikelets (the lower one often aborted) with a
rounded tip and a smooth "fruit."
Habitat: OBL. Often in water;

marshes, river and ditch banks,
ponds and pond margins, and
wet pastures.
Flowering: winter-summer.
Distribution: Throughout.
P. repens Bergius (syn. P. fluitans (Ell.) Kunth) WATER PASPALUM
Recognition: Annual with decumbent stems; leaf sheaths with erect auricles 1-5 mm long; broad flat,
sandpapery leaves; more than 20 racemes, each with a rachis 0.8 to 1.4 mm wide; solitary, pubescent
spikelets acute at the tip; and a smooth "fruit."
Habitat: OBL. Typically in water or where frequently inundated, often floating on ponds and slow
moving streams, rivers, swamp edges, marshes, and regularly inundated stream banks.
Distribution: Throughout but infrequent.
Flowering: Spring-autumn.
MONOCOTS 181
Three species o/Paspalum have spikelets with long silky hairs.
Paspalum conjugatum Bergius SOUR PASPALUM
Recognition: Perennial with long stolons; stems decumbent, mat forming to erect, to 8 dm (2.5 ft)
tall, nodes pubescent; sheaths often ciliate at upper margin; ligule membranous to 1 mm long;
leaves blade, flexuous, 23 cm long, 1.5-8 mm wide, glabrous except for long hairs at base on upper
surface just above ligule, margins scabrous and ciliate; inflorescence with 2 (rarely 3) racemes
paired at the end of the stem and antennae-like (divergent almost 180 degrees), 3-13 cm long;
rachis 0.5-0.9 mm wide, narrowly winged; spikelets ovate, flattened, 0.8-1.1 mm wide, 1.3-2 mm
long, very pale green, margin with long pubescence; fruit smooth.
Habitat: FAC. Damp or wet areas; weedy in moist cultivated or disturbed areas such as lawns,
pastures, and roadsides, forests along streams, and in cypress strands.
Distribution: Throughout, but more often encountered in central and south Florida; infrequent.

Paspalum urvillei Steud, VASEY GRASS
Recognition: Tufted, leafy perennial from short rhizomes; stem erect to 2.2 m (7.2 ft) tall, nodes
sometimes pubescent; leaves blades 57 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, glabrous above and below except
for long hairs at base above; pubescence usually occurring on sheaths nearest the base, margin
often wavy or crinkled; ligule prominent, pointed, membranous, transparent, off-white to tan, to
7.7 mm long, with hairs behind it; inflorescence with 4-30, usually ascending racemes, 2-12 cm
long; rachis 0.5-0.9 mm wide, winged, minutely scabrous, margins scabrous; spikelets paired,
elliptic, to slightly obovate, tapering to an acute apex, 1.1-1.5 mm wide, 2-2.7 mm long; margins
with long hairs, surfaces with scattered hairs; first glume absent; fruit smooth. P. dilatatum Poir.,
(dallis grass), also has long hairs on spikelet margin, but has 2-7 racemes with spikelets over 1.7 mm
wide.
Habitat: FAC. Moist, open disturbed areas; roadsides, pastures, and fields, also pine woods, marshes,
and floodplains. Introduced from South America. P. dilatatum also FAC. with similar habitat.
Introduced from tropics.
Distribution: Common throughout Florida.
P. dilatatum Poir. DALLIS GRASS
Recognition: Similar to P. urvillei, but has 2-7 racemes, bearing spikelets

over 1.7 mm wide.
Distribution: P. dilatatum, Northwest through central Florida, occasional.
MONOCOTS 183
Two species 0/Paspalum have shiny dark brown "fruit"
unlike the pale tan fruits of other species.
Paspalum boscianum Fluegge BULL PASPALUM
Recognition: Tufted annual grass; stems spreading or erect, to about 1 m (3 ft) tall, often sending out
numerous spreading branches from the base that root at their lower nodes; stems and
sometimesleaf bases purple tinged; sheaths papillose pubescent; ligule membranous to 3.2 mm
long; leaves blade 56 cm long, 3-12 mm wide, glabrous to long pubescent above, glabrous below,
margin minutely scabrous; inflorescence with 1-28 racemes, 1-8 cm long, ascending; rachis 0.7-2.3
mm wide, winged, spikelets paired and crowded on rachis (may appear as 3 rows), broadly pubes
cent, mature spikelets reddish-brown with the tip of the brown fruit often visible at maturity.
Habitat: FACW. Moist to wet soils; ruderal, marshes, pond margins, cypress domes, and ditches.
Distribution: Throughout except extreme southeast area, common.
Flowering: winter-summer.

Paspalum plicatulum Michx. BROWN-SEED PASPALUM
Recognition: Tufted perennial from short knotty rhizomes: stem erect to 1.1 m (3.6 ft) tall; nodes
glabrous or with a few scattered hairs; leaves blades 2-5 mm wide, to 36 cm long, usually folded,
glabrous above and below or with long stiff hairs or short soft hairs or both above near the base;
ligule membranous, to 2.3 mm long; inflorescence with 2-7, ascending racemes, 2-7 cm long;
rachis 0.6-1.1 mm wide, narrowly winged, glabrous; spikelets paired, dark brown with paler green
margins, elliptic to ovate, 1.5-2.2 mm wide, 2.5-3 mm long, pubescent on second glume or occasion
ally glabrous, lower lemma glabrous or occasionally with few scattered hairs, and usually wrinkled
on their flat side inside the raised margin.
Habitat: FAC. Moist to wet disturbed areas; pastures, cultivated fields, roadsides and ditches, also
marshes, bogs, and mesic and occasionally hydric pine woods.
Distribution: Most of Florida southward to the vicinity of Lake Okeechobee, infrequent.
Flowering: Spring-autumn.
185
MONOCOTS
One wetland species of Paspalum has conspicuously winged spikelets.
Paspalum fimbriatum HBK. WINGED PASPALUM (PANAMA PASPALUM)
Recognition: Tufted annual; stem erect to 7 dm (2.3 ft) tall; ligule to 1.9 mm, membranous; leaves
blade 28 cm long, 2-14.5 mm wide, pubescent on both surfaces with a few long hairs, margins ciliate
for nearly the entire length; sheaths pubescent, sometimes sparingly so; inflorescence racemes 2-8,
2-6 cm long, ascending; rachis 0.9-1.6 mm wide, winged, glabrous, margins scabrous, spikelets
paired, suborbicular, ciliate-lacerate winged, including conspicuous broad fimbriate wings; wing
2.4-3 mm wide, 2.5-3.5 mm long, minutely scabrous both front and back; fruit smooth.
Habitat: FAC. Hammocks, roadsides, flower beds, lawns, gardens, and seasonally wet, shallow soil in
limerock pinelands and hammocks. Introduced from tropical America.
Distribution: Southeast Florida, including the Keys (Dade and Monroe Counties), infrequent.
Flowering: Summer.

The remaining wetland species of Paspalum have racemes with fairly narrow wings;
hairless or short-haired spikelets; and pale tan to cream-colored "fruit."
Paspalum distichum L. KNOT GRASS, JOINT PASPALUM,
synonymy: P. paspalodes (Michx.) Scrib. FT. THOMPSON GRASS,
SEASHORE PASPALUM
Recognition: Perennial, extensively creeping by stolons with long internodes; stem erect from a
horizontal base, to 8 dm (2.5 ft) tall; nodes occasionally with a few hairs; sheaths glabrous except
for long hairs at margin near apex, often long hairs at base; ligule to 1.6 mm, white membranous;
leaf blades, often distichous, 2-11.5 mm wide, to 14 cm long, tapering to an involute apex, but flat
on the creeping stems, glabrous except for long hairs on margin at base and occasional long hairs at
base above; inflorescence with 2 (1-3) ascending racemes, when these are terminal, each with a
winged rachis bearing solitary, white, elliptic spikelets, 1-2 mm wide, 2.4-3.2 mm long, first glume
usually present, second glume short pubescent with scattered very small fine hairs, sterile lemma
occasionally with a few fine hairs.
P. vaginatum is recognized as a separate species by most authors. It is a coastal form that has longer,
narrower leaves; longer racemes with a narrow rachis; and larger, hairless spikelets than the typical
form. This form can be mistaken for Reimoarochloa
oligostachya.
Habitat: OBL. Moist to wet areas; wet shores of ponds,

streams, wet prairies, roadsides. Sometimes a pest,
however a good soil stabilizer, in irrigation ditches
and canals. P. vaginatum occurs in saline and
brackish areas near the coast.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, frequent.
Flowering: Spring to late autumn.
MONOCOTS 187
The remaining wetland species of Paspalum have racemes with fairly narrow wings;
hairless or short-haired spikelets; and pale tan to cream-colored "fruit."
Paspalum floridanum Michx. FLORIDA PASPALUM

Synonymy: P. difforme LeConte, P. giganteum Baldw. ex Vasey
Recognition: Perennial with a thick, scaly rhizome covered by overlapping keeled sheaths; stem erect
to 2.1 m (6 ft) tall; ligules membranous to 3.3 mm long, firm, brown with dense tuft of hairs behind
them; leaf blade 52 cm long, 3-18 wide, pubescence (hairs dense above and sparse below, and often
on the edge, with a very dense tuft just above the ligule); inflorescence racemes 1-6, ascending, 3-
18 cm long, glaucous rachis that becomes brown or peels with age, bearing large, paired, elliptic to
suborbicular spikelets. The spikelets are the largest of any Paspalum in Florida, up to 3 mm wide
and 4 mm long; often the lower spikelet of each pair is aborted.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric to mesic savannas and flatwoods, shallow ponds, ditches, hammocks
pastures, old fields, and at times, well drained open woods.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, frequent.
Flowering: Spring-late autumn.
P. pubiflorum Rupr. ex Fourn. HAIRY SEED PASPALUM
(P. pubiflorum var. glabram Vasey ex Scribn.)
Similar to P. floridanum, but has smaller, pubescent spikelets, decumbent stems

with pubescent nodes, and pustular-based hairs on the sheaths and lower portion of the
blades. Found in northwest Florida where it is rare. Flowering from spring to autumn.

Paspalum laeve Michx. FIELD PASPALUM
synonymy: P. circulare Nash in Britt., P. laeve var. circulare (Nash) Fern.,
P. longipilum Nash
Recognition: Tufted perennial with short rhizomes covered with pubescent scales; stem erect to
1.1 m (3.7 ft) tall; leaf blades dull green, sometimes suffused with purple-red, 37 cm long, 2-9 mm
wide, stiff, glabrous to pubescent, usually more frequently and densely pubescent above, margin
minutely scabrous, cilia present or absent at base or extending upwards to near middle of blade;
sheaths glabrous to pubescent; ligules membranous, to 3.8 mm long; inflorescence with 1-6
racemes, 2-11 cm long, ascending; rachis 0.6-1.1 mm wide, narrowly winged; spikelets solitary,
elliptic to obovate to nearly orbicular, 2-2.7 mm wide, 2.3-3.3 mm long, second glume glabrous.
P. laeve can be found with Paspalum setaceum, Paspalum notatum, Panicum longifolium, or Axonopus
spp. P. setaceum and P. notatum have hairless spikelet scales. The leaves of P. setaceum are bright
green, slightly shiny, usually flexuous and with evenly spaced hairs on the margins. P. laeve leaves
are dull green, sometimes suffused with purple-red, stiff, slightly coarse to touch, with scattered
hairs on the margins and upper surface; the base is rounded, not equitant (like Andropogon spp.)
and does not have a depressed area. Panicum longifolium has a small depression on one side of the
stem base, just above the rhizome; light green, dull, stiff, leaves with hairs in a beard-like collar near
the sheath apex, ridges on the upper surface of the blade, and an involute apex. Axonopus spp. have
blunt-tipped leaves, unlike Paspalum or Panicum.
Habitat: FACW. Damp to wet woods, swamps, shallow ponds, fields, wet pastures, moist roadsides,
sandhills, ditches, lawns, fresh and brackish marshes, flatwoods, coastal swales, and pine savanna
depressions.
Distribution: Throughout, occasional.
Flowering: Spring-early winter.
MONOCOTS 189
Paspalum praecox Walt. EARLY PASPALUM
synonymy: P. lentiferum Lam., P. praecox var. curtissianum (Steud.) Vasey
Recognition: Tufted perennial from short rhizomes; stem erect, to 1.6 m (5.2 ft) tall; leaves blades
55 cm long, 2-8 mm wide, scabrous and pubescent with long hairs above, sometimes pubescent
below; ligule membranous, to 2.2 mm long; inflorescence with 2-6, ascending, sometimes curved
racemes, 2-10 cm long; rachis 0.8 -1.4 mm wide, winged with scabrous margins; spikelets paired,
orbicular to suborbicular, flattened, apices broadly rounded, 2-3.1 mm wide, 2.1-3.5 mm long; first
glume occasionally present; fruit smooth.
Habitat: OBL. Forested swamps and wooded ponds, adjacent hydric pine flatwoods, seasonal ponds,
hammocks, and ditches.
Distribution: Throughout except southern peninsula south of Lake Okeechobee, common.
Flowering: Early spring-autumn.

Paspalum setaceum Michx. THIN PASPALUM
Recognition: Tufted perennial, forming circular grouping from short, knotty rhizomes; stem erect or
ascending to 0.9 m (2.8 ft) tall, nodes occasionally pubescent; leaves blades 2-19 mm wide, to 32
cm long, margins with evenly spaced hairs; sheaths sometimes with hairs along margins; ligules
membranous, tiny, to 0.5 mm long; inflorescence with 1-6, ascending or occasionally nodding,
often curved racemes, 2-12 cm long, terminal and axillary racemes often hidden in sheath; rachis
0.2-1.2 mm wide, narrowly winged; spikelets paired, sometimes with the lower aborted, elliptic,
obovate, ovate to orbicular, 0.9-1.7 mm wide, 1.3-2.4 mm long, pubescent to almost glabrous usually
with glandular hairs; first glume when present triangular; sometimes the lower spikelet of pair is
aborted. This low Paspalum can be mistaken vegetatively for Axonopus spp., Paspalum have blunt-
tipped leaves, or for Paspalum laeve, the leaves of which are rought to the touch with scattered
hairs. Eight varieties based on type and placement of hairs are recognized.
Habitat: FAC. Moist areas of sandhills, flatwoods, bay swamps, marshes, coastal hammocks, and
ruderal places.
Distribution: Throughout, common.
Flowering: Late spring-early winter. All year in south Florida.
MONOCOTS 191
One wetland species of Paspalum has conspicuously involute leaves
Paspalum monostachyum Vasey GULFDUNE PASPALUM, GULF PASPALUM
Recognition: Perennial with long rhizomes, covered with glabrous scales; stem erect to 1 m (3 ft) tall;
leaves blades stiff 3-8 mm wide, to 50 cm long, involute or rarely folded, glabrous except for long
hairs at base near ligule above; ligule membranous, to 4.1 mm long; inflorescence with 1-2, erect or
ascending racemes, 6-23 cm long; rachis 0.8-1.2 mm wide, winged, scabrous to glabrous; spikelets
paired, elliptic to slightly obovate, 1.3-1.8 mm wide, 2.4-3.8 mm long, glabrous; first glume when
present, not fully developed.
Habitat: OBL. Wet areas such as low pine flatwoods, marshes, roadsides, wet savanna. Will persist
after drainage of wetlands provided that ground is not otherwise disturbed.
Distribution: South peninsular Florida (Charlotte and Palm Beach Counties southward), infiequent,
but can be locally common.
Flowering: Summer into winter.

192
INVASIVE EXOTIC |
Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. NAPIER GRASS,

ELEPHANT GRASS
Description: Large, robust, clumped, usually erect, perennial to 3 m tall; sheaths glabrous, shorter
than internode of stem; ligules membranous with ciliated rims, easily observed; leaf blades to 3 cm
wide and to 71 cm long, scabrous and often long stiff pubescent above, scabrous to glabrous below;
panicles spike-like, bristly, 9-33 cm long and 2.5-4 cm wide including bristles; spikelets 1-6 per
fascicle, 0.8-1.6 mm wide and 4.3-6 mm long; first glume absent to 1.3 mm long; second glume 3-4.2
mm long; bristles united only at base, sparsely plumose, longest and stoutest in fascicle 0.8-2.2 cm
long.
Recognition: Large, robust, clumped, usually erect, perennial. Sheaths glabrous, shorter than
internode of stem; ligules membranous with ciliated rims, easily observed; blades long. Panicles
spike-like, bristly. Spikelets 1-6 per fascicle. Bristles united only at base, sparsely plumose, longest
and stoutest in fascicle 1-2 cm long.
Habitat: FAC. Disturbed soils: waterway banks, shores, roadsides, weedy and waste areas, ditches, old
fields, prairies, and row crops.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, ranging from common in south Florida to rare in west Florida.
W-U/&
MONOCOTS
Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud. COMMON REED
synonymy: Phragmites communis Trin.
Description: Erect perennial to 4 m tall, with rhizomes and stolons: sheaths glabrous; ligule mem
branous with a ciliate rim, easily observed; leaf blades flat, broad, to 2.8 cm wide and to 63 cm long,
minutely pubescent just above ligule otherwise glabrous above, glabrous below; panicle large, open,
terminal, 27-70 cm long, bending down at tip; rachilla long pubescent; spikelets 9-16.3 mm long, 2-
4-flowered; glumes glabrous, first glume 4.2-5 mm long, second glume 6.1-7.3 mm long; lemmas
glabrous, 10.1-12.8 mm long, long acuminate.
Recognition: Tall, erect perennial with thick, deep rhizomes and stolons. Ligule membranous with a
ciliate rim, easily observed; blades flat, broad, long. Panicle large, open, terminal, 27-70 cm long,
bending down at tip; ring of hairs just below panicle. Rachilla long pubescent. Glumes and lemmas
glabrous.
Habitat: OBL. All wet habitats and adjoining banks.
Distribution: Infrequent, but locally common and more frequent in south Florida, throughout
Florida.

Polypogon spp, RABBIT-FOOT GRASS
Description: Annuals with erect stems 60 cm tall or bending and rooting at lower nodes; sheaths
scabrous to glabrous; ligules membranous, easily observed, to 1 cm long; leaf blades flat, scabrous,
to 1 cm wide and to 20 cm long, scabrous above and below; panicles terminal, dense, 4-12 cm long
and 1-4.5 cm wide; spikelets small, 1-flowered, nearly sessile, 1.2-2.6 mm long; glumes nearly equal,
1-nerved, entire or 2-lobed, awned from apex, keeled, ciliate at apex; lemmas shorter than glumes,
thin, 5-nerved, awnless or awned from apex; paleas 2-keeled. Disarticulation below glumes, falling
entire.
Recognition: Annuals with erect stems 60 cm tall, sometimes bending and rooting at lower nodes.
Ligules membranous, easily observed, to 1 cm long. Panicles terminal, dense, 4-12 cm long and 1-
4.5 cm wide, very soft hairy, resembling a rabbit's-foot. Glumes nearly equal, ciliate at apex. [ Two
species occur in Florida: Polypogon maritimus Willd. (rare), mediterranean rabbit-foot grass and
Polypogon monspeliensis (L.) Desf., rabbit-foot grass (frequent).]
1. Glume lobes absent to 0.15 mm long, lemmas 0.7-1.1 mm long and awned...P monspeliensis
1. Glume lobes 0.3-0.7 mm long, lemmas 0.4-0.7 mm long and awnless P. maritimus
Habitat: FAC. Moist to wet fresh to brackish soils; ditches, banks, margins, rights-of-way, nurseries,
pastures, and clearings.
Distribution: Frequent, central, north, and west Florida.
Flowering: April through June.
Polypogon maritimus Willd. MEDITERRANEAN RABBIT-FOOT GRASS
Polypogon mospeliensis (L.) Desf. RABBIT-FOOT GRASS
MONOCOTS
Reimarochloa oligostachya (Munro) Hitchc. FLORIDA REIMAR GRASS
Description: Perennial to 40 cm tall; stems ascending, bending and rooting at lower nodes; sheaths
pubescent on lower stem to glabrous above; leaf blades flat to folded, to 3.1 mm wide and to 13 cm
long, glabrous, scabrous and/or pubescent above, glabrous or pubescent below; Rachis f lattened,
narrow; racemes 1-4,2.6-6.9 cm long, spikelets only along one side; spikelets 1.1-1.5 mm wide and
3.8-5.2 mm long, glabrous; glumes absent, second sometimes present on terminal spikelet.
Recognition: Stoloniferous perennial with flat to folded blades to 3.1 mm wide and 13 cm long.
Rachis flattened, narrow; racemes 1-4, spikelets only along one side. Spikelets 1.1-1.5 mm wide and
3.8-5.2 mm long, glabrous; glumes absent.
Habitat: FACW. Moist to wet, usually mucky soils: hammocks, shores, ditches, cleared areas,
disturbed grounds, and streams.
Distribution: Very infrequent, south, central, and north Florida.

196
.
Sacciolepis striata (L.) Nash
Description: Annual or weak perennial with stems ascending or erect to 1 m tall, lower nodes
bending and rooting: sheaths usually pubescent at least along margins, rarely glabrous; blades to
1.9 cm wide and to 23 cm long, flat, glabrous or scattered pubescent above and below; panicles
dense, elongate, narrow, 3-24 cm long and 0.6-3 cm wide; spikelets oblique at base, 3.1-4.2 mm long,
glabrous, first glume very short, 0.8-1.3 mm long, acute, second glume broad, somewhat inflated.
Recognition: Annual or weak perennial to 1 m tall, lower nodes bending and rooting. Sheaths usually
pubescent at least along margins, rarely glabrous; blades flat, glabrous or scattered pubescent above
and below. Panicles dense, elongate, narrow. Spikelets oblique at base, 3.1-4.2 mm long; first glume
very short, 0.8-1.3 mm long, acute; second glume broad, somewhat inflated.
Sacciolepis indica (L.) Chase, India cupscale grass, is a second species in Florida. It can be recognized
by: annual to 40 cm tall; sheaths glabrous; blades to 4 mm wide and to 12 cm long, glabrous or with
a few long hairs at base above. Panicles 1-6 cm long and 2.5-6 mm wide. Spikelets oblique at base,
2.4-2.8 mm long; first glume 1.3-1.6 mm long.
Habitat: OBL. Mostly still water or along banks and shores of: canals, marshes, lakes, floating islands,
streams, ditches, rivers, glades, pastures, swamps, wet fields, ponds, low pine lands, and wet
hammocks. S. indica-. FAC. Most frequent in flatwoods.
Distribution: Common throughout Florida.
Flowering: May-December.
Sacciolepis striata (L.) Nash AMERICAN CUPSCALE GRASS
Sacciolepis indica (L.) Chase INDIA CUPSl
MONOCOTS 197
Schizachyrium spp. BLUESTEM
Description: Perennials 1-2 m ft tall, typically tufted but some species with rhizomes; stems simple
to much branched above; sheaths rounded or compressed and keeled; ligules membranous; blades
flat, folded or terete; inflorescence a single raceme, strongly flexuous and divergent at maturity;
rachis joints and pedicels thick, somewhat flattened, the rachis joints with a cup-shaped or
irregularly lobed or toothed appendage at the apex; racemes composed of paired spikelets, sessile
and pedicelled; sessile spikelets narrowly triangular with pubescent callus, upper floret fertile,
lemma with or without a twisted and usually bent awn; pedicelled spikelet neuter or staminate with
or without a straight short awn, disarticulation below the sessile spikelets, the rachis section and
pedicel remaining attached.
Recognition: Perennials with flat, folded or terete leaves. Inflorescence a single raceme, strongly
flexuous and divergent at maturity; rachis joints and pedicels thick, somewhat flattened, the
rachis joints with a cup-shaped or irregularly lobed or toothed appendage at the apex. Racemes
composed of paired spikelets, sessile and pedicelled.
Habitat: FAC. Pine woods, flatwoods, coastal sands, sandhills, and most open habitats on various
soils.
Distribution: Usually common to occasionally rare, throughout Florida, some species extremely
localized.
Flowering: Late summer until first frost.
Schizachyrium maritimum (Chapm.) Nash GULF BLUESTEM

synonymy: Andropogon maritimum Chapm.
Recognition: Plants decumbent; stems of this species often covered with sand, rooting at the nodes,
and superficially resembling rhizomes; flowering stems to 1 m long, glabrous with glaucous nodes.
Collar constricted and elongated allowing blade to pivot in response to breezes; leaf blades folded.
Racemes not fully exerted, 2.5-6.3 cm long, flexuous at maturity, rachis and pedicels reflexing;
rachis densely villous its entire length. Pedicelled
spikelet staminate, 4.5-8.5 mm long. Base of fertile
lemma membranous not indurate; lemma split
only up to 1/2 of its length; callus pubescence to
0.5 mm long.
Habitat: FAC. Coastal dunes and disturbed coastal

sands.
Distribution: Restricted to the Gulf Coast of

northwest Florida, from Piney Island in Wakulla
County westward.

Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash var. rhizomatum (Swallen) Bruner
SOUTH FLORIDA BLUESTEM
synonymy: Schizachyrium rhizomatum (Swallen) Gould, Andropogon
rhizomatus Swallen
Recognition: Plants erect to 2 m tall, with short scaly rhizomes and usually glabrous flowering stems
to 2 m tall; collar not constricted; leaf blades flat; racemes fully exerted, 2-8 cm long, flexuous at
maturity, rachis and pedicels reflexing; rachis sparsely villous for up to 2/3 its length; pedicelled
spikelet sterile, 1-4.5 mm long; base of fertile lemma membranous not indurate; lemma split only
up to 1/2 of its length; callus pubescence to 0.5 mm long.
Habitat: FAC. Found in open glades, wet prairies and along the margins and open areas of pine
rocklands on limestone.
Distribution: Restricted to south Florida; throughout the Everglades Keys from Miami southward
into the Florida Keys to Big Pine Key.
MONOCOTS 199
Setaria spp BRISTLY FOXTAILS
Description: Annual or perennial grasses having a cylindric, bristlelike inflorescence; stems erect or
decumbent originating from the bases; leaves flat to 80 cm long; inflorescence terminal, dense,
cylindric spikelike panicle; spikelets 2-flowered, awnless, falling entire from the pedicels, subtended
by 1 to several bristles that are modified branchlets, flattened to slightly depressed in front and
convex in back; glumes unequal, 3-5 nerved, fertile; lemma hard, smooth with very fine pits or
transversely rugose.
Recognition: Two of the several Setaria species which commonly occur in Florida are found in
wetlands. Setaria magna Griesb., giant foxtail, is a very large, coarse annual, 3-4 m tall. The
inflorescence can be as large as 50.0 cm long with the axis being densely hairy. Each spikelet is
subtended by either 1 or 2 bristles. Setaria geniculata (Lam.) Beauv., knotroot bristlegrass, is a
slender, often decumbent, perennial that has slender, short, knotty rhizomes. Plants are generally
40-80 cm tall with a dense, compact, short-cylindric inflorescence, 1-10 cm long, comprised of
numerous spikelets each subtended by 5-10 bristles. This species is now more properly identified as
Setaria gracilis HBK.
Habitat: OBL. S. magna: brackish or freshwater marshes, ditches and along shores, typically in
standing water or ruderal in moist fields. FAC. S. geniculata: fresh, or brackish marshes, ditches,
disturbed areas, hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods, margins of swamps, lakes, and ponds, and
ruderal in fields.
Distribution: S. magna occurs throughout the peninsula and westward along the coast to Franklin
county; S. geniculata is found throughout Florida.
Setaria magna Griesb. GIANT FOXTAIL
Setaria geniculata (Lam.) Beauv. KNOTROOF BRISTLEGRASS

Spartina alterniflora Loisel SALTMARSH CORD GRASS,
var. glabra (Muhl.) Fern. SMOOTH CORD GRASS
Recognition: Erect perennial to 2 m tall; stems fairly thin to stout, rhizomatous; sheaths glabrous;
leaf blades to 1.6 cm wide and to 59 cm long, flat at base becoming involute at tip, glabrous above
and below; racemes 15-39 cm long; spikes 3-20,6-13 cm long, appressed; spikelets 1.3-1.8 mm wide
and 9.6-14 mm long, glabrous; first glume 5.9-8.5 mm long.
Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth, big cord grass, is similar and can be recognized by: large, stout,
rhizomatous perennial to 3 m tall. Blades to 2.3 cm wide and to 97 cm long, flat. Spikes 18-40, 7-13
cm long, erect. Spikelets 1.9-2.3 mm wide and 8.8-15.2 mm long, scabrous. Spartina spartinae
(Trin.) Merr. ex Hitchc., Gulf cord grass, is also similar and is separated by: stout, tufted perennial
to 1 m tall, lacking rhizomes. Blades to 4 mm wide and to 73 cm long, involute. Spikes 13-51,1-6
cm long, tightly appressed. Spikelets 1.3-2.3 mm wide and 5.6-10.1 mm long, scabrous.
Habitat: OBL. Salty shores, dunes, flats, oyster bars and marshes.
Distribution: S. alterniflora-. frequent, coastal counties from approximately Lake Okeechobee in

south Florida north through coastal Florida; S. cynosuroides: rare, but locally common, north and
west Florida; S. spartinae: infrequent, throughout coastal Florida.
Flowering: S. alterniflora: late summer to winter; S. cynosuroides: summer; S. spartinae: summer.
Spartina alterniflora Loisel. SALTMARSH CORD GRASS

var. glabra (Muhl.) Fern.
MONOCOTS 201
Spartina spp. (continued)
Spartina cynosuroides (L.) Roth BIG CORD GRASS

Spartina bakeri Merr. SAND CORD GRASS
Recognition: Erect perennial to 2 m tall; stems thin to fairly stout, densely tufted, lacking rhizomes,
bases knotty. Sheaths glabrous: blades to 7 mm wide and to 79 cm long, involute or becoming
somewhat flattened, scabrous above, glabrous below. Racemes 7-21 cm long; spikes 3-14, 3-7 cm
long, appressed. Spikelets 1.4 - 2.1 mm wide and 6.7-11.1 mm long, scabrous; first glume 2.8-5.8 mm
long.
Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl., marsh-hay cord grass or saltmeadow cord grass, looks similar, but is only
found in salty situations. It can be separated by: plants no more than 1 m tall; stems usually
rhizomatous.
Habitat: FACW. S. bakeri - Margins and shallow areas in fresh and salt water often in disturbed soils:
marshes, ditches, dunes, prairies, shores, flats, and lakes; S. patens - Salty and brackish water of
shores, farmlands, marshes, and dunes.
Distribution: Frequent and locally common: S. bakeri - throughout Florida; S. patens - thioughout
coastal Florida.
Spartina bakeri Merr. SAND CORD GRASS
Spartina patens (Ait.) Muhl. MARSH-HAY CORD GRASS
MONOCOTS
Sporobolus floridanus Chapm. FLORIDA DROPSEED GRASS
Description: Densely tufted, erect, perennial to 1 m tall; sheaths glabrous: leaf blades flat to rolled, to
4.3 mm wide and to 52 cm long, glabrous above and below, margins occasionally with long soft hairs
at base: panicles 26-39 cm long and 5-12 cm wide, branches ascending to wide spreading: spikelets
4-5.3 mm long; first glumes 2.3-4.3 mm long; second glumes 3.4-5 mm long; lemmas 3.5-3.8 mm
long, glabrous; paleas 3.5-3.8 mm long.
Recognition: Densely tufted, erect perennial. Sheaths glabrous; blades flat to rolled. Panicles 26-39
cm long and 5-12 cm wide, branches ascending to wide spreading. Spikelets 4-5.3 mm long; first
glumes 2.3-4.3 mm long; second glumes 3.4-5 mm long; lemmas 3.5-3.8 mm long, glabrous.
Habitat: FACW. Pine woods, flatwoods, and sandhills, often in seasonally wet areas.
Distribution: Infrequent, north and west Florida.
204
Sporobolus virginicus (L.) Kunth SEASHORE DROPSEED GRASS
Description: Rhizomatous, erect perennial to 30 cm tall; sheaths glabrous or long pubescent along
upper margins; leaf blades to 5.4 mm wide and to 14 cm long, flat and becoming involute, scabrous
and with scattered long hairs near base above, glabrous below; panicles narrow, 3-11 cm long and
0.3-1.2 cm wide, branches appressed; spikelets 2.1-3.3 mm long; first glumes 1.4-2.8 mm long;
second glumes 2.1-3.3 mm long; lemmas 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous; paleas 2-2.5 mm long.
Recognition: Rhizomatous, erect perennial. Sheaths glabrous or long pubescent along upper mar
gins; blades flat and becoming involute. Panicles narrow, 3-11 cm long and 0.3-1.2 cm wide,
branches appressed. Spikelets 2.1-3.3 mm long; first glumes 1.4-2.8 mm long; second glumes 2.1-3.3
mm long; lemmas 2-2.5 mm long, glabrous. [Can be separated vegetatively from similar looking
rhizomatous coastal grasses by involute blades and long, soft hairs on the upper sheath margins.]
Habitat: OBL. Salty and brackish soils of: dunes, roadsides, river banks, shores, flats, keys, beaches,
and marshes.
Distribution: Common, throughout coastal Florida.
i W- «.
205
MONOCOTS
Tridens ambiguus (Ell.) Schult. PINE BARREN TRIDENS, SAVANNAH TRIDENS
Description: Tufted, clump forming, erect perennial to 3 ft tall; sheaths glabrous: blades Hat to
folded, to 8.8 mm wide and to 54 cm long, scabrous above, glabrous below; panicles open, 7-19 and
3-7 cm wide, branches ascending; spikelets several-flowered, 1.8-4.8 mm wide and 3.2-6.6 mm long,
appressed to branches on pedicels 0.5-1.8 mm long; first glume 2.1-4 mm long; second glume 2.3-4.2
mm long; lemma mid-nerve and rarely lateral nerves extending as small mucros, nerves pubescent
below for two-thirds of length.
Recognition: Tufted, clump forming, erect perennial. Panicles open. Spikelets several-flowered,
appressed to branches on short pedicels; lemma mid-nerve and rarely lateral nerves extending as
small mucros, nerves pubescent below for two-thirds of length. [ Tridens strictus (Nutt.) Nash,
longspike tridens, can be separated from T. ambiguus and is recognized by: panicles contracted,
10-35 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. First glume 4.4-6.1 mm long.]
Habitat: FACW (both species). Sinks, shores, wet flatwoods, open bogs, longleaf pine-wire grass
savannas, and swales.
Distribution: T. ambiguus: infrequent, north and west Florida; T. strictus: rare, west Florida.
Tridens ambiguus (Ell.) Schult. PINE BARREN TRIDENS,

SAVANNAH TRIDENS
Tridens strictus (Nutt.) Nash LONGSPIKE TRIDENS

206
Tripsacum dactyloides (L.) L. EASTERN GAMA GRASS, FAKAHATCHEE GRASS
Description: Robust, tufted perennial usually 2 m or more tall, from thick, distinctive rhizomes;
sheaths glabrous or occasionally with pubescence along margins; ligules membranous; leaf blades
to 2.3 cm wide and to 80 cm long, flat, glabrous above and below; racemes monoecious, terminal
and axillary, 1-5, usually 2-3,10-26 cm long, pistillate lower portion 2-10 cm long; staminate
spikelets 5.1-7.8 mm long; pistillate spikelets solitary, on opposite sides at each joint of hardened
rachis, contained in hollows, 4.9-8.6 mm long; first glume fitting into and closing hollow on rachis,
hardened, nearly infolding spikelet.
Recognition: Robust, tufted perennial, from thick, distinctive rhizomes forming circle. Leaves with
evident membranous ligules and large flat blades. Racemes on stems as long as leaves, usually 1-3,
monoecious, thick, rounded.
Habitat: FAC. Wet bogs, roadsides, ditches, wet hammocks, riverbanks, low thickets, pine woods,
open swamps, open habitats, flatwoods, and cultivated.
Distribution: Infrequent, but locally common, throughout Florida.
MONOCOTS
Zizania aquatica L. WILDRICE
Description: Robust, monoecious, annual or perennial to 3 m tall, often rooting at the nodes; sheaths
glabrous; ligules membranous, easily observed; leaf blades flat, to 5.4 cm wide and to 107 cm long,
glabrous above and below; margins sharply scabrous; panicles terminal, large, 44-69 cm long and 16-
38 cm wide; staminate spikelets on lower spreading or ascending branches, pendulous; pistillate
spikelets on upper erect or ascending branches, appressed; pistillate spikelets tardily deciduous,
0.85-2.5 cm long excluding awns, awns 2.7-9.6 cm long; staminate spikelets early deciduous, 0.5-1.2
cm long excluding awns, awns absent or 0.8-3.8 mm long.
Recognition: Robust, monoecious, annual or perennial, rooting at the nodes. Ligules membranous,
easily observed. Blades large, flat, margins sharply scabrous. Panicles terminal, large; staminate
spikelets on lower spreading or ascending branches, pendulous; pistillate spikelets on upper erect or
ascending branches, appressed.
Habitat: OBL. Shallow fresh or brackish, usually standing water of: rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds,
swamps and spring runs.
Distribution: Infrequent, but locally common, central, north, and west Florida.

Zizaniopsis miliacea (Michx.) Doell & Aschers. SOUTHERN WILDRICE
Description: Robust, stout, rhizomatous, monoecious perennials to 10 ft tall, sometimes also rooting
at the nodes. Sheaths glabrous; ligules membranous, easily observed; blades flat, to 3.5 cm wide and
to 73 cm long, glabrous above and below, margins sharply scabrous. Panicles large, open, 59-79 cm
long and 10-14 cm wide, branches spreading erect, with staminate spikelets toward base and
pistillate spikelets toward tip. Spikelets unisexual; staminate spikelets 4-8.1 mm long excluding
short awn, awn to 1.2 mm long; pistillate spikelets 4.8-7.1 mm long excluding awns, awns 1-6.2 mm
long. Fruit 2.5-3.8 mm long excluding mucro, mucro to 1.2 mm long.
Recognition: Robust, stout, monoecious, perennial, sometimes rooting at the nodes. Ligules
membranous, easily observed. Blades large, flat, margins sharply scabrous. Panicles terminal, large,
open; branches spreading erect, with staminate spikelets toward base and pistillate spikelets toward
tip.
Habitat: OBL. Marshy shores and alluvial banks, sometimes brackish.
Distribution: Infrequent, throughout Florida.
Pontederia cordata L. PICKERELWEED
synonymy: P. cordata var. lancifolia (Muhl.) Torr.
Description: Perennial, from rhizomes, often forming extensive colonies: stems unbranched, hidden
by leaves except when flowering: leaves basal, long petioled, with sheathing petiole bases; blades
erect, heart- or lance-shaped, to 1 m tall (3 ft), with obtuse tips; flowers bisexual, showy in spikes at
end of elongated stem; petals blue with yellow markings; floral tube 2-lipped; stamens 6 (3 short, 3
long); pistil 1 with 1-2 stigmas; fruit one-seeded, blackish, ridged and crested by enveloping,
contracted floral tube.
Recognition: Tall, colonial herb with basal, long-petioled leaves and erect heart- or lance-shaped
blades. Flowers in showy spikes, each blue flower is 2-lipped. Rarely spikes may be all white. Fruit
is one-seeded and ridged.
Habitat: OBL. Marshes, streams, ditches, and shallow water of lakes and ponds. Seeds considered
important as food for ducks and small mammals.
Distribution: Frequent; throughout the state.

Sparganium americanum Nutt. BUR-REED
Description: Herbaceous, straplike, perennial, growing emergent or submersed from slender rhi
zomes; stems erect to 1.0 m tall, with a leafy base, terminating in a somewhat zigzag; leaves
alternate, elongate, linear, appearing ribbonlike or straplike, 2 cm wide, thick and spongy, generally
in 2 ranks, lower leaves typically longer than the stem, margins entire; inflorescence terminal on a
somewhat zigzag stem; flowers unisexual on the same plant, in globose or spherical "bur-like",
compact heads from bract axils along the inflorescence stalk; the female flowers occurring in the
lower heads and the male flowers in head towards the top of the inflorescence; fruit a bur-like
cluster of achenes, narrowed at the base with a beak being present at the apex, 6-10 mm overall.
Recognition: Herbaceous, perennial with long, straplike or ribbonlike leaves when submersed or
shorter, thicker leaves on an erect stem that bears bur-like clusters of flowers in a terminal inflores
cence.
Habitat: OBL. Streams, hardwood swamps, ponds, often in relatively deep, tannic water.
Distribution: Northwest Florida, east to Duval County and southward to Highlands County.
MONOCOTS 21
Typha spp. CATTAIL
Description: Robust perennial herbs to 3 m (10 ft) tall, from rhizomes, often forming large colonies:
stems reduced, hidden by leaves (except flowering stem); leaves erect, thick, basal (with overlap
ping sheaths), long-linear, 5-24 mm wide (6-15 mm wide in T. domingensis), flat (T. latifolia) or
slightly convex on back (T. domingensis)-, glabrous; flowers reduced, unisexual on same plant,
densely crowded in cylindrical terminal spikes; male spike above, female spike below; fruit a tiny,
one-seeded, stalked achene, surrounded by long bristles.
Recognition: Tall, rhizomatous herbs with long strap-like leaves whose sheaths overlap at the base.
Flowers are densely packed in a conspicuous, brown, cylindrical spike (cattail), with female flowers
below the narrower spike of male flowers. Two species recognized in Florida, both native: T.
domingensis has narrower leaves with a convex back, and usually a gap between male and female
flower spikes; the leaves of T. latifolia are flat, wider, and the male and female flower spikes are
contiguous.
Habitat: OBL. Marshes, ponds, lakes, ditches, and stream banks, usually in shallow water. Rhizomes
and stalks are eaten by birds and mammals while the leaves provide nesting or foraging space for
birds, invertebrates, and fish. Because of their dense growth habit, Typha spp. can become a
nuisance species.
Distribution: Throughout the state; T. domingensis more common in central and south Florida, T.
latifolia more common in north Florida.
Flowering: Spring-summer, often with fruiting spikes persisting throughout the year.
Typha latifolia L.
SOUTHERN CATTAIL
Typha domingensis Pers.

COMMON CATTAIL
212
Xyris spp. YELLOW-EYED GRASSES
Description: Small to relatively large grasslike herbs from fibrous roots, annual or perennial, growing
singly or in small to large clumps, bases green to pink, brown, or purplish, sometimes bulbous;
leaves basal, often iris-like (equitant), as short as 1 cm in smaller species, to 70 cm long in larger
species, linear to round-filiform in shape; flowers bisexual, arising (1 or 2 at a time) from a spiraled
series of overlapping hard bracts that form a conelike spike at the tip of a sheathed scape; sepals 3,
two of them persistent as keeled, boat-shaped membranes (lateral sepals) hidden wholly or in part
by the hard bracts; petals 3, yellow (or sometimes white in X. caroliniana and X. platylepis)-, stamens
3, often with 3 staminodes (sterile stamen-like structures) also present; fruit an oval, 1-celled,
membranous capsule with numerous oval to oblong seeds, 0.3-1 mm long, that often have a ridged
or lined surface.
Recognition: Tufted grasslike herbs (small, 4 cm tall, or larger, to 15 dm tall) with basal overlapping
leaves and flowering scapes ending in conelike spikes of hard or leathery overlapping bracts, from
which yellow (sometimes white), 3-parted flowers arise, opening 1 or 2 at a time and lasting a day or
less. Plants without scapes may be confused with Iris spp., which have conspicuous rhizomes, or
with Lachnanthes caroliana, which has red-orange roots and rhizomes.
Habitat: OBL (except X. caroliniana and X.jupicai, FACW). Wet sandy, sandy peat, sandy clay, or
mucky soils of wet savannas, wet pine flatwoods, pond and lake margins, wet depressions, and
ditches. (X. caroliniana also in sandhill and scrub, X. jupicai also on moist roadsides.)
Distribution: About 20 species in Florida, about half of them found throughout the state.
Flowering: Generally spring-summer or summer-fall, year-round for some in south Florida.
Xyris fimbriata Ell. OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: One of our largest Xyris species, perennial, leaves to 70 cm long; scape twisted, rough to
touch, multi-ridged below; flowers opening in the morning. Distinguished in particular by lateral
sepals exserted from the spike bracts, their keels long fringed, giving the mature spike an obviously
hairy appearance.
DARST
MONOCOTS 213
Xyris ambigua Beyr. ex Kunth OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Relatively large perennial; inner leaf bases usually pale with distinct black vertical lines
and generously covered with a clear mucus. Scapes twisted, multi-ridged below, becoming flat
tened near the spike. Flowers opening in the morning, lateral sepals not exserted from the bracts,
their keels ciliate.
Xyris caroliniana Walt. OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Large perennial with narrow linear, clearly twisted, leaves; tuft bases shiny dark brown,
bulbous, usually with dark, scalelike outer leaves; bases usually set deep in soil. Scape twisted,
smooth, round; most flowers opening in the afternoon (petals often white in central and south
Florida). Lateral sepals exserted from the spike bracts, their keels long fringed above, entire below.
Plants often associated with wire grass.

Xyris jupicai L. C. Rich. FACW TROPICAL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Relatively large annual (may have bulbous lateral buds); leaf bases straw-colored,
sometimes pinkish in late summer. Scapes round and ridged below, flattened near spike. Flowers
opening in the morning, lateral sepals not exserted, their keels irregularly torn (lacerate). Our only
Xyris with dried petals commonly turning black and persisting on the spike. Naturalized from
tropical America, often seen in disturbed wetlands.
Xyris platylepis Chapm. OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Relatively large perennial with bases pink to purplish, bulbous, and bearing short black
outer scales. Leaves narrow linear, clearly twisted; scapes twisted. Flowers opening in the after
noon, petals yellow or white. Lateral sepals not exserted from the bracts, their keels irregularly torn
(lacerate).
KRAL
MONOCOTS 215
Xyris smalliana Nash OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Large tufted perennial, leaves lustrous green above, pale green to light pink near base,
flat or slightly twisted; scapes smooth, flattened near the spike. Flowers opening at midday. Lateral
sepals exserted from the bracts, their keels irregularly torn (lacerate).
Xyris elliottii Chapm. OBL ELLIOT'S YELLOW-

EYED GRASS
Recognition: Medium-sized, clump-forming perennial with narrow, shiny brown bases; leaves narrow
linear (sometimes filiform), flat to slightly twisted, green or variously reddish-brown, clumps often
appearing reddish brown after flowering. Scape with 1 to several ridges, flowers opening in the
morning. Lateral sepals not exserted or only slightly so, their keels increasingly ragged or fringed
toward tip.

216
Xyris baldwiniana Schultes OBL ST. MARY'S GRASS
Recognition: Medium-sized perennial with leaves filiform to linear-filiform, round to oval, green,
expanding into shiny brown bases. Scapes round and 1-ridged; flowers opening in the early
morning. Lateral sepals not exserted from the bracts, their keels ragged (lacerate) toward the tip.
Our only Xyris with staminodes present and these smooth, not bearded (hairy); may be confused
with X. elliottii, which has bearded staminodes.
KRAL
Xyris brevifolia Michx. OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Small perennial, often forming large colonies on disturbed sandy soils. Leaves linear,
often pink or purplish. Scapes filiform, twisted; spikes globe-shaped, with bracts loosely overlapping
and their tips purple-tinged. Flowers opening in the morning. Lateral sepals not exserted from the
bracts, their keels entire to short ciliate.
BNC
MONOCOTS 217
Xyrisflabelliformis Chapm. OBL YELLOW-EYED GRASS
Recognition: Small tufted perennial, often with leaves nearly horizontal, fanned out on the soil; leal
bases pink to maroon. Scapes round, somewhat twisted, their sheath tips bladelike: flowers
opening in the morning. Lateral sepals not exserted, their keels short ciliate.
Cyris drummondii Malme OBL DRUMMONDS

YELLOW-EYED GRASS
lecognition: Small perennial, usually in small clumps, bases often buried. Leaves broadly linear,
bases straw-colored with dark reddish-brown patches. Scapes round, somewhat twisted, spike base
with two prominent green-keeled bracts; flowers opening in the morning. Lateral sepals not
exserted, their keels deep brown, mostly ciliate, strongly curved near tip.

218
DICOTS
(ANGIOSPERMS)
stems herbaceous or woody (trees often called "hardwoods")

leaves usually with netted (branched) veins
seeds and pollen produced in flowers, seeds held in fruits
flower parts in multiples of four or five
two seed leaves (cotyledons) at germination
DICOTS 219
ACAJVTHACJ
(Pursh) Spreng. MUDWORT
Description: Herbaceous perennial with widely spreading, opposite, angled stems; leaves opposite,
ovate to lanceolate ovate, smooth above and smooth to pubescent along the major veins below,
margins entire; flowers bisexual, calyx with 5 hairy lobes, the pink corolla is lunnellorm with 2 lips,
2 stamens, borne in axillary clusters or stalked spikes; fruit a flattened, obovate to oval, brown
capsule containing 2-4 flattened seeds that have short hairs and a bumpy surface.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with opposite leaves, angled stems, and pink funnelform 2 lipped
flowers.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains and low wet woods.
Distribution: Found in north

west Florida along the
drainages of the Apalachicola
and Ochlockonee Rivers
(Jackson, Calhoun, Liberty,
and Gadsden Counties) and
in the southern big bend area
along the Withlacoochee
River (Citrus, Levy, Hernando,
and Sumter Counties).
220
Dyschoriste humistrata (Michx.) Kuntze SWAMP DYSCHORISTE
Description: Herbaceous perennial usually with a single stem or a few short branches from the base:
leaves opposite, ovate, elliptic or obovate, to 4 cm long and 1 cm wide; Dowers bisexual, with a
calyx of 5 needle-like segments, a blue, funnelform, somewhat 2 lipped corolla, and 4 stamens,
borne solitary in axils; fruit a pointed, linear-oblong capsule to 10 mm long, that splits along two
sutures to disperse the 1 or 2 dark brown seeds.
Recognition: Perennial herb from a single weak stem, usually growing up through other plants. 1 he
opposite leaves are generally elliptic and reach 4 cm in length. 1 he axillary flowers have five fused,
blue petals and a calyx of 5 needle-like segments. 1 he fruit is an elongated capsule splitting along
two sutures to release 1 or 2 dark brown seeds. Dyschoriste humistrata can be confused with Ruellia
species, but may be distinguished by its diminutive size, the leaves and flowers being only 1/3 to 1 /4
the size of Ruellia spp. Further, this species has pale blue flowers, while those of the native Ruellia
species have purple, lavender-blue or white corollas.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains, wet pine flatwoods, and mesic forests.
Distribution: North Florida from the Apalachicola River drainage to central peninsular Florida (just
north of Lake Okeechobee).
Flowering: Spring-early summer.
capsule
flower
DICOTS
Elytraria carolinensis (J.F. Gmelin) Steudel CAROLINA SCALY-ST EM
Description: A low-growing herbaceous perennial of wet to moist soils that have abundant calcium
or where limerock is close to the surface; leaves are sparsely short-pubescent and entirely confined
to a basal rosette; blades oval, oblanceolate, ovate or narrowly oblanceolate to linear spatulate in
shape, to 20 cm long, 8 cm wide (usually smaller), typically widest just above the middle, apex
obtuse to rounded, margins entire or shallowly wavy; flowers with a white to bluish corolla, to 1 cm
across, and a calyx with four slightly unequal lobes, produced one at a time on a conical to oblong
spike which terminates a single erect scape (stem) 15-30 cm (6-12 inches) tall bearing numerous
overlapping scalelike bracts; fruit is a sharp pointed capsule, 3-4 mm long.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with a prostrate basal rosette of leaves, whitish flowers, and a
single, erect flowering spike atop a flowering stem or scape that is covered with overlapping scales.
Vegetatively, the broad leaved forms of this species resemble Elephantopus carolinianus
(Asteraceae) which however has uniformly pubescent leaves. The flower and inflorescence are also
different. A form with narrowly oblanceolate to linear spatulate leaves (Elytraria carolinensis var.
angustifolia (Fern.) Blake) is found only in south Florida.
Habitat: FAC. Found in damp soils

containing abundant calcium, generally
where limerock is close to the surface. In
both wetland and non-wetland situations;
floodplain forests, wet woodlands, wet
lake shores, hydric and mesic slopes and
limestone bluffs.
Distribution: Statewide.
222
Hygrophila lacustris (Schlecht. & Cham.) Nees. LAKE HYGROPHILA
Description: Herbaceous perennials with creeping stems, rooting at the nodes; leaves opposite,
lanceolate, 3-7 cm long, petioles short or winged; small crystalline inclusions or cristoliths are found
in the leaves and sepals; flowers in axillary clusters, these are subtended by longer triangular bracts,
individual flowers have five sepals and a 2-lipped, bluish white corolla with lobes being about equal,
the four stamens are in two pairs of unequal length; fruit a linear-oblong capsule; seeds round.
Recognition: There are two species of Hygrophila in Florida, the larger of the two species, H. lacustris
has lanceolate leaves 3-7 cm long, a square stem, a bluish-white corolla. This is also our only native
species. The introduced H. polysperma is usually a submerged aquatic or emergent aquatic found in
moving water, it has smaller leaves that are hairy and is in general a smaller plant than H. lacustris.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, floodplains, edges of lakes and ponds, canals and ditches.
DICOTS 223
Hygrophilapolysperma (Roxb.) T. Anderson EAST INDIAN HYGROPHILA
Description: Herbaceous perennial with square stems, often rooting at the nodes; leaves opposite,
sessile, hairy, elliptic or obovate-elliptic when emergent, elliptic to oblong when submeised.
tapering to short stalks, submersed leaves usually larger and thinner than emergent, 1-4 cm long, 15
mm wide; flowers bisexual, hairy, small, to 10 mm long, corolla 2-lipped with blue or white united
petals, calyx lobes elongate triangular, produced in axils of upper leaves; fruit a narrow capsule to
10 mm long, tapered at the apex.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with square stems and short-stalked, elliptic to oblong or ovate,
opposite leaves 1-4 cm long (may be longer in submerged plants). The small, blue or white flowers
and the narrow capsular fruit are borne in dense clusters at the bases of the upper leaves. Plants are
usually floating or emergent. A more delicate plant than H. lacustris, with thin leaves that are
reddish in bright light.
Habitat: OBL. Stream banks, shallow streams, and slowly moving water.
Distribution: Native to the East Indies, naturalized in Leon, Alachua, Levy, Pasco, Pinellas,
Hillsborough, Sarasota, Broward, and Lee Counties.

Justicia spp. JUSTICIA, WATER WILLOW
Description: Rhizomatous perennials often forming extensive colonies: leaves opposite, lanceolate to
linear lanceolate, elliptic to ovate, 10-20 cm long, petioles short or not distinct: small crystalline
inclusions (cristoliths) are found in the leaves, stems and sepals; flowers produced in axillary spikes
or panicles; individual flowers with 5 sepals, a white, purple or reddish-purpled, sometimes spotted,
2-lipped corolla and two stamens; fruit a club shaped capsule, slightly constricted around the 4
disclike seeds.
Recognition: Perennial herbs with opposite leaves that appear sessile or nearly so and somewhat
squared stems. The flowers are often showy; white to purple, generally with two lips and two
stamens, the lowermost lip with a contrasting pattern of white and brownish to darker purple. The
inflorescence is a spike except in/. cooleyi ( a panicle). Fruit is a capsule, constricted around the
seeds, splitting along two sutures. Seeds disclike held in the capsule by small, curved projections.
Five native species are recognized in Florida:
Justicia americana (L.) Vahl., syn. Dianthera americana L., is the largest leaved native Justicia, leaves
sessile, lanceolate to linear elliptic, to 20 cm long; flowers in stalked inflorescences, corolla violet to
white with purplish brown spots on the lower lip.
Justicia angusta (Chapm.) Small, is a narrow leaved species, leaves linear to narrow lanceolate, 5-10 cm
long; habit like that of J. crassifolia; the large purple flowers have a white herringbone pattern on the
lower lip.
Justicia cooleyi Monachino and Leonard, is our rarest species and the only species with a paniculate
inflorescence; leaves lanceolate to lance-ovate, 3-8 cm long; corolla reddish-purple with a white
herringbone pattern on the lower lip.
Justicia ovata (Walt.) Lindau in Urban, is a variable species, leaves mostly sessile, linear to lance ovate,
to 10 cm long; corolla purple to almost white with white to purple spotting on the lower lip. A
narrow-leaved variety of this species with flowers borne singly and mostly on the same side of the
spike occurs in northwest Florida and is sometimes recognized as var. lanceolata (Chapm.) R. W. Long.
Justicia crassifolia (Chapm.) Small, is found in wiregrass savannas, leaves linear and sessile, 5-10 cm
long; corolla reddish purple to purple with a raised herringbone pattern outlined in white on the
lower lip; showy.
Several exotic, ornamental Justicia are also present in Florida and may be naturalized locally.
Habitat: OBL.
Justicia americana: Floodplains of large rivers in northwest Florida.

Justicia angusta: Wet pine flatwoods, marshes, floodplains, lake and pond margins.
Justicia cooleyi: Swamps and mesic forest.
Justicia crassifolia: Wiregrass savannas and adjacent ditches.
Justicia ovata: Swamps, cypress-gum ponds, cypress prairies, ditches.
Distribution:
Justicia americana: Northwest Florida.

Justicia angusta: Throughout Florida, less common in northwest Florida.
Justicia cooleyi: Endemic to Florida, found in Hernando County.
Justicia crassifolia: Endemic to Florida, found in Gulf and Franklin Counties.
Justicia ovata: Throughout north and central Florida.
Flowering: Late spring-fall.
DICOTS 225
Justicia spp. (continued)
Justicia americana
WATER-WILLOW
capsules
Justicia angusta Justicia cooleyi

COOLEY'S WATER-WILLOW
habit

Justicia spp. (continued)
Justicia crassifolia
THICK-LEAVED WATER-WILLOW
habit
flower
Justicia ovata
WATER-WILLOW
capsule habit
DICOTS
c RRITTON'S WILD PETUNIA
Ruellia brittoniana Leonard ex Fern.
synonymy: Ruellia macrosperma Greenm.
Description: Erect to decumbent herbaceous perennial to 1 m tall; stems smooth, stout with
conspicuous swollen nodes; leaves opposite, linear to linear-elliptic, 10-30 cm long, 1 cm wi e
narrowed at the base to a short petiole, apex acute; flowers bisexual, calyx to 8 mm long wit i ive
lobes, corolla to 5 cm across with five fused, violet to purple petals, borne solitary or in few flowered
cymes from leaf axils; fruit an elongated capsule to 2.5 cm long with brown seeds, 2 mm wid e.
Recognition: Introduced herbaceous perennial to 1 m tall with showy purple( rarely white) five lobed
flowers; often becomes decumbent and roots at the nodes. On older stems the nodes are conspicu
ously swollen. The long strap-like opposite leaves can be up to 30 cm long and to 1 cm wide and
Ruellia brittoniana is a larger plant than any of the native Ruellia.
Habitat: FAC. Ditches, margins of lakes and ponds. Native to eastern Mexico and naturalized
throughout Florida.
Distribution: Naturalized throughout Florida.

Ruellia caroliniensis (Walter) Steudel WILD PETUNIA
Description: Herbaceous perennial to 1 m (3 ft.) tall, usually shorter; stem pubescent or glabrous;
leaves opposite, petioles up to 1.2 cm long, leaf blade ovate, lanceolate or elliptic, to 10 cm long, 4.5
cm wide, pubescent or glabrous, margin entire; flowers bisexual, calyx lobes linear-setaceous,
corolla is a short tube expanding into 5 equal, mauve to purple petals, 2 cm across, 4 stamens, and 2
stigmas, borne solitary in leaf axils; fruit a capsule containing brown seeds.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial to 1 meter tall with opposite, often pubescent leaves and live
lobed, purple, funnel form, axillary flowers. R. caroliniensis is one of the most commonly encoun
tered Ruellia in Florida wetlands. This species might be confused with R. noctiflora (Nees) Gray,
which has white flowers that open at night.
Habitat: FAC. In both wetland and non-wetland sites; floodplains and mesic woods, usually under
canopy on saturated but not inundated soil.
Flowering: Spring-late summer.
229
DICOTS
Ruellia noctiflora (Nees) Gray NIGHT FLOWERING WILD PETUNIA
Description: Short, erect perennial herb to 4 dm (16 in.) tall; stems slender, short pubescent and
often purplish; leaves opposite, petioles very short if present, leaf blade lance-ovate, elliptic, to
oblong-elliptic, gradually narrowing at the base, 5 to 7 cm long to 3 cm wide, apex blunt, lower
leaves may be cuneate and pubescent, especially along the mid-vein; flowers bisexual, with a white
corolla, 7 to 8 cm across, the axillary flowers open at dusk and fall off the following morning; fruit a
capsule with brown seeds.
Recognition: Short perennial herb with purplish stems, opposite, pubescent, lanceolate to ovate
leaves, and white petunia-like flowers which open at night. This is our only native night blooming
Ruellia and the only Ruellia that is normally white flowering.
Habitat: FACW. Bogs and wet pine flatwoods and savannas.
Distribution: North Florida, especially associated with the Apalachicola River drainage basin and
local in northeast Florida.
Flowering: Late spring-early summer.

<

Acer negundo L. BOX ELDER, ASH-LEAVED MAPLE
Description: Medium size deciduous tree to about 20 m (65 feet) tall, a member of the canopy and
often a pioneer species in floodplains; bark smooth and tan becoming furrowed; stems are green to
reddish-green, rather stiff with opposite branching; wintering buds with overlapping bud scales;
leaves pinnately compound with 5-9, ovate to elliptic, leaflets, margins toothed, upper surface
smooth, lower surface smooth or hairy; plants dioecious; flowering in early spring just prior or with
the emerging leaves, flowers unisexual, greenish-yellow with a whorl of sepals, no petals; female
flowers in loose racemes, each with a single pistil with two locules, each portion bears a wing, this
matures into paired samaras; male flowers in dangling fascicles, each with 3-12 stamens; fruit a
slender samara in a loose raceme, wing is papery and broadest above the middle.
Recognition: Medium size to large tree with opposite, pinnately compound leaves; flowering in late
winter; male flowers are conspicuous in hanging fascicles; fruit a winged samara, generally persist
ing on trees after the leaves have fallen.
Habitat: FACW. Swamps, floodplains, stream banks, pond and lake margins, mesic hammocks,
colonizes disturbed lands. Generally found in upland sites where limestone is near the surface.
Distribution: In north Florida, primarily

associated with large river drainage
systems, ranging south into central
peninsular Florida, to Osceola County,
generally in mesic sites where lime
stone is close to the surface.
Flowering: February-March.
DICOTS 231
Acer rubrum L. RED MAPLE
Description: Potentially large deciduous tree to 35 m (115 ft) tall, of the canopy, usually smaller and a
member of the subcanopy; bark smooth and reddish-green, at first, becoming grayish-brown to tan
and shallowly furrowed; stems are reddish brown, thin and flexible with opposite branching;
wintering buds with overlapping bud scales, wintering flower buds globose and clustered in leaf axils;
leaves palmate with 3-5 main lobes (rarely unlobed), margins toothed, upper surface smooth and
dark green, lower surface smooth or pubescent and paler green to almost silvery-green, leaf base U-
shaped to cordate, petioles as long or longer than the leaf blade, overall leaf shape and size ex
tremely variable in this species, generally to 11 cm long; plants dioecious; flowering in early spring
before the leaves unfurl, flowers generally unisexual, red to greenish-red with two whorls of 5 sepals
and petals; female flowers with a single pistil with two locules, each portion bears a wing, this
matures into paired samaras; male flowers with 3-12 stamens; fruit a samara, wing is papery and
broadest above the middle.
Recognition: Medium size to large deciduous tree with opposite, palmate leaves; flowering in late
winter, these trees are conspicuously covered in red flowers or fruit; fruit a winged samara, matur
ing and falling from the trees in late spring
Habitat: FACW. Swamps, floodplains, river and stream banks, lake and pond margins, disturbed wet
soils and mesic uplands.
Distribution: Throughout Florida except the Florida Keys.
Flowering: December-March.
on stem
DARST
samaras

Acer saccharinum L. SILVER MAPLE
Description: A small deciduous tree to 12 m (40 feet) tall; bark smooth and reddish-brown at first,
becoming grayish-brown to tan and exfoliating to reveal reddish-brown bark beneath; stems are
reddish brown, thin and flexible with opposite branching; wintering buds with overlapping bud
scales, wintering flower buds globose and clustered in leaf axils; leaves palmate with five main lobes,
margins toothed, upper surface smooth, lower surface glaucous and pubescent, leaf base subcordate;
plants dioecious; flowering in early spring before the leaves unfurl, flowers generally unisexual,
greenish-red to greenish-yellow with two whorls of 5 sepals and petals; female flowers with a single
pistil with two locules, each portion bears a wing, this matures into paired samaras; male flowers
with 3-12 stamens; fruit a large, yellowish-green samara to 8 cm long, wing is papery and broadest
above the middle.
Recognition: In Florida, a small tree with opposite, deeply lobed, palmate leaves; flowering in late
winter; fruit a winged samara, maturing and falling from the trees in late spring. This species
produces the largest fruit of all Florida maples, to 8 cm long.
Habitat: OBL. Floodplains and swamps.
Distribution: Chiefly along the floodplains of the Perdido and Apalachicola Rivers and disjunct to the
Withlacoochee River in Citrus county.
Flowering: February-March.
DICOTS
Sesuvium spp. SEA-PURSLANES
Description: Annual or perennial mat forming herbs, of coastal, brackish wetlands; leaves evergreen,
opposite, usually equal or nearly so, leaf blade fleshy, narrowest at base, linear or oblanceolate to
spatulate, 1-2.5 cm long, margin entire, apices rounded; flowers bisexual, solitary, appearing
axillary, stalked or sessile, petals lacking, 5 sepals with pink to lavender interior and green exterior, 5
to many stamens; fruit a few- seeded capsule.
Recognition: Two species are found in Florida. S. maritima (Walt.) BSP., an annual erect herb,
sometimes with prostrate branches, to 3-4 dm tall and with sessile, axillary, pink to lavender flowers
with 5 stamens. S. portulacastrum L., a prostrate perennial herb, rooting at the nodes, and with
short stalked, axillary, pink to lavender flowers with many stamens.
Habitat: FACW. Beaches, dunes, marshes and marsh banks, salt flats and meadows, mangrove
fringes, and other wet open places.
Distribution: Throughout coastal regions of Florida.
Sesuvium maritimum (Walt.) BSP.
flowering stem
Sesuvium portulacastrum L.
flower
234
Alternanthera maritima (Mart.) Standi. BEACH ALTERNAN1HERA,
BEACH CHAFF-FLOWER
Description: Creeping herb; stems prostrate, much branched, 0.3-2.1 m (1-7 ft) long, glabrous except
hairs at nodes; leaves opposite, fleshy, glabrous, oval (wider near tips), to 6 cm long; leaf bases
joined at the nodes; flowers reduced, bisexual, clustered in small white heads at leaf axils (heads not
stalked); each flower consisting of 4-5 thin, papery bracts with rigid tips, 5 stamens; and one pistil,
fruit tiny, one-seeded, brownish, heart shaped, about 1 mm long.
Recognition: Creeping, branched herb, with opposite, fleshy, glabrous leaves joined at the base; white
flower heads at leaf axils; papery flower bracts with rigid tips. (Related A. paronychioides St. Hil.,
smooth chaff flower, similar but stems and leaves hairy, leaves to 2 cm long, and tips of flower
bracts not rigid.)
Habitat: FACW-Keys only. Sand dunes and coastal hammocks, usually found in moist soils in the
Keys. (A. paronychioides: disturbed areas near coastal waters, FAC-Keys only.)
Distribution: South Florida and the Keys. (A. paronychioides from Escambia to Monroe Counties; an
introduced species from tropical America.)
235
DICOTS
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Alternantheraphiloxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. ALLIGATOR WEED
Description: Sprawling herbaceous perennial, rooting at lower nodes; stems round, often hollow and
pinkish, to 1 m (3 ft) long, hairs at nodes; leaves opposite, linear-elliptic, to 9 cm long, sparsely hairy
when young, bases joined at the nodes; flowers reduced, bisexual, clustered in roundish white
heads on stalks from upper leaf axils; each flower with 4-5 thin, papery bracts, usually 5 stamens,
and one (or more) pistils; fruit tiny, one-seeded, mature ones not seen in Florida.
Recognition: Sprawling herb, with opposite leaves joined at the base. Stems are hollow, often pinkish
and round. Flowers in round, stalked heads from leaf axils. Flowers with papery flower bracts. The
related A. sessilis (L.) R.Br, ex DC., sessile alligator weed is similar but with smaller short-cylindric
heads produced in leaf axils, not stalked.
Habitat: OBL. Ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, ditches often in standing water; may have a more tightly
clumped, "terrestrial" habit in dried out depressions. (A sessilis also OBL.)
Distribution: Found throughout Florida, cultivation prohibited by Florida law. (A. sessilis also
introduced, a federal noxious weed, scattered in more urbanized counties.)
Flowering: Spring-summer, all year in south Florida.
236
Amaranthus australis (Gray) Sauer SOUTHERN WA1ER-HEMP
synonymy: Acnida alabamensis Standi., Acnida cuspidata Bert, ex Spreng.
Description: Robust annual, to 3 m (10 ft) or more tall: stems coarse, often to 15 cm wide at base in
large plants, unarmed (no axillary spines), green to straw-color to reddish: leaves alternate, long
stalked (stalks often reddish), blades to 30 cm long, oval or lance shaped; flowers reduced, uni
sexual on separate plants (i.e., a dioecious species), crowded on long, leafy spikes; each 1 lower
consisting of 3-8 thin floral bracts, most with pointed tips, and either 5 stamens or one pistil; fruit
small, straw-colored, holding a dark, flattened seed about 1 mm long.
Recognition: Potentially a giant herb, with alternate, long-stalked leaves and small I lowers crowded
on numerous long spikes, (all male or all female on a given plant). Related A.floridanus (Wats.)
Sauer, Florida amaranth, similar but leaves smaller, usually linear; and in A. cannabinus (L.) Sauei,
water hemp, leaves narrow lance shaped.
Habitat: OBL (all 3 species mentioned above). Fresh and brackish marshes and swamps, ditches,
canals, and lakeshores (including floating islands). Important food for wild ducks.
Distribution: Found throughout state, mainly in coastal

counties. (A.floridanus endemic to peninsular
Florida; A. cannabinus known in Florida only from
Duval County.)
1
/VI
\
JDT
habit
DICOTS 237
Philoxerus vermicularis (L.) J.E. Smith SILVERHEAD, SALTWEED,
synonymy: Blutaparon vermiculare (L.) Mears SAMPHIRE
Description: Perennial, somewhat succulent, creeping herb, often forming mats; stems prostrate
except for usually ascending tips, much branched, to 2 m (6 ft) long; leaves opposite, fleshy, linear
to oblong, to 5 cm long, glabrous except for tufts of hair in axils, leaf bases joined at the nodes;
flowers reduced, bisexual, clustered in small, white, cylindric heads on short stalks (usually with 2
small leaves just below head), each flower consisting of 5 papery bracts, 5 stamens and 1 pistil; fruit
tiny, flattened, with one shiny, dark brown seed.
Recognition: Much-branched, creeping, succulent herb, with ascending branch tips, and fleshy,
narrow, opposite leaves which are joined at the base. Flowers produced in stalked papery white
heads.
Habitat: FACW. In wet, saline sands and marls of coastal dunes and sand bars.
Distribution: Central and southern Florida.
flower with bract flower
238
Metopium toxiferum (L.) Krug. & Urb. POISON-TREE, POISONWOOD
Description: A shrub or small tree to 14 m (46 ft.) tall, often exuding a sticky, poisonous sap;
branches widely spreading; bark thin and scaly reddish-brown to light gray and mottled with
yellow to reddish-brown spots; leaves alternate, evergreen, odd-pinnately compound, to 35 cm long
including petiole, 3-7 leaflets in opposite pairs and terminally single, leaflets leathery, stalked,
glabrous, ovate or oblong-ovate, 3-10 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, margins entire, upper surface dark
green and glossy, lower surface dull, sometimes notched at tip; flowers unisexual on separate
plants, small, with 5 yellowish-green petals; borne on stout, branched, many flowered panicles from
leaf axils; fruit a fleshy, single-seeded, elliptic to oblong drupe about 10-15 mm long, becoming
brownish orange at maturity.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub or small tree with alternate, odd-pinnately compound leaves that
bear 3-7 long-stalked, glossy, dark green leaflets, which are somewhat triangular in shape with
broadly rounded, lopsided bases. The bark is frequently mottled. Sap from all parts of the plant are
poisonous; sensitivity of humans varies in the same manner as with Poison Ivy.
Habitat: FAC. Primarily pinelands on lime rock and subtropical forests, also in marl prairies and
marshy glades.
Distribution: Southeast Florida, Martin to Monroe Counties; most common in the Keys.
Flowering: Spring.
239
DICOTS
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi BRAZILIAN-PEPPER, PEPPER-1 REE
Description: A large shrub, occasionally of the stature of a small tree, to 7.5 m (25 ft) tall; branches
numerous, arching and crossing to form a dense tangle; bark typically gray and smooth; leaves
alternate, evergreen, aromatic, odd-pinnately compound, to 20 cm long including petiole; leaflets
3-11, (typically 7-9), in opposite pairs and terminally single, leaflets thin, sessile, oblong-elliptic to
lanceolate, 2-5 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, glabrous, margins entire, crenate or prominently toothed,
upper surface dark green, lower surface paler, tips and bases usually blunt or rounded; flowers
unisexual on the same plant, small, with 5 white petals; in branched clusters from leaf axils of
current season growth, usually shorter than leaves; fruit bright red, spherical drupes, about 6 mm
in diameter.
Recognition: A dense, tangled, evergreen shrub with alternate, odd-pinnately compound, dark green
leaves which give off a peppery odor when crushed. Flowers are small and white but extremely
numerous on branched, axillary clusters. The fruits are bright red, fleshy, and berry-like. An
introduced weedy exotic of South American origin that has proven immensely destructive to
Florida's native flora and fauna. At times incorrectly referred to as "Florida Holly."
Habitat: FAC. Often in disturbed habitats but also invading native communities, including saturated
and shallowly inundated wetlands.
Distribution: Central and South Florida, north along coasts to St. Johns and Levy Counties.
Flowering: Early fall, also sporadically throughout the year.
fruiting s t e m
flower

Toxicodendron vernix (L.) Kuntze POISON SUMAC, THUNDERWOOD
synonymy: Rhus vernix L.
Description: An erect shrub or slender small tree, to 7 m (22 ft) tall, with poisonous sap; branches
few, young twigs often reddish; bark gray, smooth, often with blackish patches of dried sap; leaves
deciduous, alternate, odd-pinnately compound, to 35 cm long including petiole, 7-15 leaflets in
opposite or sub-opposite pairs and with a single terminal leaf, (main rib not winged, often reddish);
leaflets very short stalked, stalks reddish, elliptic, 5-12 cm long, 2 -5 cm wide, margins entire, upper
surface glabrous and shiny green, lower surface paler and pubescent on veins; leaflet bases often
reddish; flowers bisexual or unisexual (sometimes on separate plants), small, 5 creamy white petals
with purple venation; in clusters on slender branched inflorescence from leaf axils; fruit a small,
white, one-seeded, faintly ridged, round drupe, 5-6 mm dia.
Recognition: An erect, deciduous shrub or slender small tree with smooth, gray bark mottled with a
few black patches, and odd-pinnately compound, alternate leaves. The leaves bear 7-15 smooth,
shiny green, elliptic leaflets which are reddish at the base and often so are the leaf axis and petiole.
Both the leaf axis and petiole are without winged edges; a character which helps distinguish
Toxicodendron vernix from the somewhat similar Rhus copallina (winged sumac).
Habitat: FACW. Bogs, shrub bays, seepage slopes, swamps, woodland depressions. All parts TOXIC
to humans (contact irritant like poison-ivy), but an important wildlife food.
Distribution: Uncommon, but in places locally abundant, in northwest Florida southerly to the
central peninsula (Highlands County). Typically not near the coast in the peninsula.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS
Annona glabra L. POND APPLE, CUSTARD-APPLE
Description: Densely branched, small to medium-sized evergreen tree or shrub of freshwater ponds,
stream banks, and swamps to about 6 m (20 ft) tall, often having a buttressed trunk; branches
stout to thin, spreading and contorted; bark thin, dark reddish-brown, on older trunks divided by
fissures into flat, scaly ridges; leaves evergreen, alternate, simple, entire, two-ranked, short-stalked;
blade oblong-elliptic or ovate, shiny green, leathery, 7.5-15 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, apices pointed;
blade often reflexed upward in the shape of a V from the central axis; flowers with six cream-white
to pale-yellow petals in two sizes, outermost petals 1.6-2 cm long, opening from a distinctive
triangular bud; fruit fleshy, egg or heart shaped, 7-13 cm long, pale yellow with brown spots at
maturity, containing many small, flat seeds.
Recognition: A shrub or small tree with upwardly reflexed evergreen leaves, cream-white to pale
yellow flowers with thick petals, and large, distinctive fleshy fruit. Might be confused with Ficus
(Moraceae) species which also have alternate, shiny, leathery, evergreen leaves and may have
buttressed trunks. Ficus trees are usually epiphytic in wetlands and when injured exude a milky
sap.
Habitat: OBL. An understory species of stream and river banks, canal banks, freshwater ponds,
strands and deep slough swamps.
Distribution: From about Brevard County southward; sparsely distributed in the Keys, local on Big
Pine and Lignum Vitae Keys.
>53!

Centella asiatica (L.) Urban COINWORT, ASIATIC PEN1VYWORT
synonymy: C. erecta (L.F.) Fern.
Description: Perennial herb with spreading runners; stems very short; leaves simple, ovate to oblong,
margins dentate or weakly sinuate, palmately veined, to about 5 cm long, alternate, clustered at
joints, bases cordate to truncate, petioles up to 30 cm long; flowers produced in 1 to 5 simple, loose
umbels per node, umbel stalks usually shorter than the petioles, 1-4 flowers in each umbel; petals
small, white, greenish or pinkish; fruit a pair of small, broad, pumpkin-shaped nutlets.
Recognition: Creeping herb with runners. Leaves alternate, shovel-shaped, more or less deeply
notched at the base, margins with teeth. Flower cluster dense and shorter than the leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Margins of lakes, ponds, streams and ditches, wet forests, bogs.
Distribution: Throughout Florida. Recent genetic studies have shown that the New World plants are
native and in the future this species will be known as Centella erecta (L.F.) Fernald.
Flowering: Spring-late summer.
DICOTS 243
Cicuta mexicana Coult. & Rose WATER-HEMLOCK
Description: Perennial herb to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall; roots finger-like, forming large, fleshy tubers late in the
season; stem erect, up to 5 cm in diameter, hollow, glabrous, usually with alternating green and
purple stripes; leaves alternate, lower leaves usually 3-pinnately compound, to 40 cm long, 60-70 cm
wide at the base; leaflets ovate to lanceolate, asymmetrical, unequal in size, with prominent veins,
margins with coarse teeth; flowers produced in a flat-topped, terminal or axillary, compound
umbel; each flower is white, with 5 petals and 5 stamens; fruit a ribbed nutlet. NOTE: All parts of
this plant are poisonous. Care should be taken to wash the hands after handling.
Recognition: Stout, coarse herb; stem striped with purple. Leaves alternate, 2- or 3-pinnately
compound, leaflets coarsely toothed, the lowest divisions of the leaf are the largest. The small,
white flowers are produced in compound umbels. Strongly resembles elderberry or Sambucus spp.
(Caprifoliaceae), which has opposite leaves and woody stems with prominent lenticels.
Distribution: Throughout Florida. This is the only species of Cicuta in Florida.
Habitat: OBL. In water along marshy shores, in floating mats of vegetation, swamps, spring runs,
streams and ditches.

Eryngium aquaticum L. CORN SNAKEROOT,
RLUE FLOWERED SNAKEROOT
Description: Erect herbaceous perennials, often glaucous: stems erect, smooth; leaves basal, linear to
oblanceolate to 4 dm long and to 8 cm wide, entire or finely toothed, with petioles that sheath the
single stem; stem leaves finely toothed, sessile and reduced: flowers bisexual, with lance-ovate
sepals and blue petals, borne in cymes consisting of numerous globose to subglobose heads with
associated toothed bracts, these commonly blue and reflexed; fruit is angled, short oblong to 3 mm
long with conspicuous flat, translucent scales on the angles.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with a single stem bearing heads of bluish flowers. The
heads are surrounded by a whorl of bluish reflexed bracts. Could be confused with E. yuccifolium
Michaux a plant of pine flatwoods and wiregrass savannas. This species can be distinguished by its
globose, white to greenish heads which are stiff and prickly to the touch. E. yuccifolium also lacks
the glaucousness and the leafy blue bracts associated with the flowering heads of E. aquaticum.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, wet pine flatwoods, fresh to brackish marshes, bogs and ditches.
Distribution: Central and north Florida, mostly in coastal counties, especially in areas where lime
stone is close to the surface.
Flowering: Summer.
DICOTS
Eryngium baldwinii L, BALDWIN'S COYOTE THISTLE
Description: Low creeping, aromatic, perennating plants, rooting at the nodes, and often growing in
tangled mats; leaves variable in size and shape to 7 cm long and to 2.5 cm wide, the largest leaves
associated with the basal rosette are ovate, oblong, lanceolate, entire, dentate, cleft or pinnatifid,
generally produced during the cooler months; stem elongate and threadlike, produced in spring
and bearing reduced leaves; flowers bisexual, produced in dark to light blue oblong, cylindrical
heads, to 8 mm long, 4 mm wide with involucre bracts shorter than, or barely extending beyond, the
base of the head.
Recognition: Low creeping, aromatic plant with globose blue flower heads, variable leaves and long
arching stolons, that root at the nodes. This species resembles E. prostratum Nutt. a FACVV listed
species that can be distinguished from E. baldwinii by having involucral bracts longer than the base
of the flowering head.
Habitat: FAC. Swamps, wet pine flatwoods, fresh to brackish marshes, bogs and ditches.

Eryngium integrifolium L. BLUE-FLOWER COYOTE THISTLE
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial to 8 dm tall; leaves at base variable in size and shape,
petiolate, lanceolate, ovate, elliptic to deltoid, to 10 cm long and 5 cm wide, margins crenate to
serrate; leaf base cordate, oblique to cuneate; stem leaves reduced, mostly sessile, short ovate to
linear lanceolate with crenate to laciniate margins; flowers bisexual, with lance ovate sepals and
blue, purplish-blue to green petals, produced in heads, subtended by 8-12 whitish-green, tricuspi-
date bracts; fruit is angled and flattened to 2 mm long, with flat scales along the angles.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with toothed leaves, flowers in globose blue, purplish-blue
to green heads with 8-12 subtending tricuspidate, whitish-green bracts. Can be confused with E.
yuccifolium Michx. and E. aquaticum L. E. yuccifolium is a larger plant with prickly heads and short
ovate bracts associated with the flowers. E. aquaticum is also a larger plant with bluish heads and
narrow, blue bracts.
Habitat: FACW. Wet wiregrass savannas, hydric pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida.
DICOTS 247
Eryngium prostratum Nutt. CREEPING COYOTE-THISTLE
Description: Low creeping, aromatic perennating plants, rooting at the nodes, and often plants grow
in tangled mats; leaves variable in size and shape, ovate, oblong, lanceolate, entire, dentate, cleft or
pinnatifid, 7 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, the largest leaves are associated with the basal rosette produced
during the cooler months; stem threadlike, bearing reduced leaves; flowers bisexual, produced in
dark to light blue, oblong cylindrical heads, 8 mm long, 4 mm wide, with involucre bracts extending
beyond the base of the head.
Recognition: Low creeping, aromatic plant with globose blue flower heads, variable leaves and long
arching stolons, that root at the nodes. This species resembles Eryngium baldwinii a FAC listed
species that can be distinguished from E. prostratum by having involucral bracts shorter or barely
exceeding the base of the flowering head.
Habitat: FACW. Swamps, wet pine flatwoods, fresh to brackish marshes, bogs and ditches.

Eryngium yuccifolium Michaux RATTLESNAKE MASTER,
RUTTON SNAKEROOT
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial to 18 dm tall; stem rigid and erect; leaves coriaceous, linear,
with parallel veins and spinose margins, in a basal rosette, stem leaves reduced; inflorescence
cymose, flowers bisexual, whitish to green in heads with stiff ovate to broad lanceolate bracts
around the base of the heads, borne in terminal cymes.
Recognition: A coarse herbaceous perennial from a basal rosette of linear leaves that bear thin spines
along the margin. The conspicuous whitish to greenish flower heads are prickly to the touch. The
similar E. aquaticum L. has blue heads and associated blue to green bracts, lacks thin spines on the
leaf margins, and typically grows in wetter sites.
Habitat: FAC. Hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida.
DICOTS
249
Hydrocotyle spp. WATER PENNYWORT
Description: Perennial herbs, the stems spreading horizontally on or in soil and rooting at the nodes,
varying in the size of its parts with environmental conditions, often in dense mats, or floating:
stems consisting of rhizomes: leaves alternate, long-petiolate, for the most part peltate, leaf blade
margin irregularly crenate to shallowly lobed; flowers small, 5-petaled, white to greenish, or yellow,
in simple or compound umbels on a central stalk; fruit consists of paired nutlets.
Recognition: Low growing perennial herbs with spreading stems, rounded to slightly oval, leathery,
bright green, leaves on long petioles attached at the center (or apparent center), and clusters of tiny
flowers on long stalks. Four species (all native) are recognized in Florida:
Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lamark: leaves rounded to slightly oval, peltate, to 15 cm broad but usually
smaller, leathery, shiny bright green; flowers in a compound umbel.
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides von Linne: leaves rounded, not peltate, notched almost to the base of the
petiole and irregularly 3- to 5-lobed, shiny, bright green, leathery, often in floating mats; flowers are
few in a simple umbel.
Hydrocotyle umbellata L.: leaves peltate, orbicular, shiny green, leathery, margins crenate; flowers in
simple, many flowered, subglobose umbels which equal or exceed the height of the leaves.
Hydrocotyle verticillata Thunb.: leaves orbicular, to 6 cm broad, peltate, shiny green, thin, margins
crenate; flowers sessile in few-flowered clusters forming interrupted spikes or flowers stalked in 1
or more separated verticels (clusters along a vertical axis), central stalk shorter to longer than
length of leaf petioles. Strongly resembles H. umbellata and often growing in the same habitat.
Habitat: OBL. Hydrocotyle ranunculoides. Mucky shores, ditches, sloughs, usually in floating mats.
All others FACW. Hydrocotyle bonariensis. Wet sands, coastal dunes, upper beach strand, wet alluvial
sands, wet depressions, ditches, in shallow water, shallow marshes and prairies.
Hydrocotyle umbellata. In small streams, on and near shores of ponds and lakes, sometimes in floating
mats, edges of swamps, ditches, spring runs and seepage areas, moist soils.
Hydrocotyle verticillata. Floodplains, wet woodlands, swamps, ditches, spring runs and seepage areas,
moist soils.
Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lamark

FACW
WATER PENNYWORT

Lilaeopsis spp, LILAEOPSIS, FALSE-LILY
Description: Herbaceous perennials with rhizomatous, horizontal stems; leaves alternate, one to
several from each joint, linear to spatulate in shape and usually widest near the tip, 1-30 cm long,
with transverse partitions in the leaf; flowers are small, produced on a short-stalked umbel borne
near the leaf base; sepals minute or absent, five white petals; fruit a pair of nutlets.
Recognition: Two species in Florida:

L. carolinensis Coult. & Rose, with leaves 10-30 cm tall and inflorescences much shorter than the
leaves; leaves with obvious transverse partitions.
L. chinensis (L.) Kuntze., with leaves 1-5 cm long and inflorescence stalks equal to or slightly longer
than the leaves; leaves with both transverse and longitudinal partitions.
These plants resemble smaller species of Saglttaria (Alismataceae), especially S. subulata (L.) Buch.
which may be found growing with Lilaeopsis in tidal marshes. Lilaeopsis spp. can be distinguished
from Sagittaria spp. by their regular transverse partitions, Sagittaria spp. also have transverse lines
on their leaves but these are irregular and generally do not completely traverse the leaf.
Habitat: OBL. Brackish marshes, swamps, ditches and muddy shores.
Distribution: North and central Florida, coastal, south to Citrus and Duval Counties.
Lilaeopsis carolinensis Coult. & Rose
251
DICOTS
Oxypolis spp, WATER DROPWORT, HOG-FENNEL
Description: Erect, perennial herbs with slender to stout, glabrous, striated to ridged stems to about
2 m (6 ft) tall; leaves hollow and cylindrical with or without distinctive septations, or ternately to
pinnately compound; flowers bisexual, individually small with white or maroon petals and minute
sepals, borne in conspicuous, long-stalked, terminal or axillary umbels, subtended by several bracts,
that rise above the leaves; fruit elliptic, oval, to narrowly obovate, typically with corky wings, to
about 1 cm long.
Recognition: Erect herbs, most readily recognized while flowering by the conspicuous umbels of
white to maroon flowers, and typically having striated to ridged stems. Often difficult to find or
identify when not flowering. Four species in Florida, all native; O.filiformis, 0. rigidior, 0. greenmanii,
and 0. ternata.
Habitat: OBL. Typically found in marshes, ditches, wet prairies, cypress ponds, Hypericum ponds,
bogs, swamps, hydric pine flatwoods, and savannas.
Oxypolisfiliformis (Walt.) Britt.
Recognition: An erect herb to about 1.8 m (5.5 ft) tall, with a slender, sparsely-branched, heavily
striated stem and hollow, inconspicuously septate, rounded leaves. The flowers are white and borne
in conspicuous umbels, each umbel expanding to about 12 cm across as the fruit matures. Most
similar to 0. greenmanii which differs by having maroon flowers and leaves which are conspicu
ously septate-jointed and brittle (easily separated at the joints).
Distribution: Throughout Florida. The most commonly encountered Oxypolis spp. in Florida wetlands.

252
Oxypolis spp. (continued)
Oxypolis greenmanii Math. & Const.
Recognition: An erect herb to about 2 m (6 ft) tall, with a stout, sparsely-branched, heavily striated
stem, hollow, rounded, conspicuously septate-jointed leaves that are brittle and easily disattached.
The leaves and stems are suffused with a purplish pigment while the flowers are maroon and borne
in conspicuous umbels. Regarded by some authors as a variety (var. greenmanii) of O.filiformis but
readily distinguished from that species by the conspicuously septate-jointed leaves, maroon
flowers, and purplish pigment on the stems and leaves.
Distribution: Apparently restricted to several counties of the central panhandle, including Bay,
Calhoun, and Gulf Counties.
Oxypolis rigidior (L.) Raf.
Recognition: An erect herb with a slender, moderately striated stem to about 1.5 m (4.5 ft) tall, large
(to about 30 cm long), odd pinnately compound leaves with 5-7 leaflets that usually exhibit a few
large teeth. The flowers, which are white with minute sepals, are borne in conspicuous umbels
similar to those of other species of Oxypolis. Distinguished from all other Oxypolis by the leaves. A
difficult plant to find when not flowering.
Distribution: The panhandle from about Walton to Liberty Counties: an uncommon plant.
DICOTS 253
Oxypolis spp. (continued)
Oxypolis ternata (Nutt.) A. Heller
Recognition: An erect herb with a slender, sparsely-branched stem that is only very slightly striated,
rounded, slender leaves (filiform), divided at the tips into 1-3 (mostly 3), narrow, linear leaflets (i.e.,
ternately compound) and often spreading or reclining from the base of the plant. Distinguished
from the other three species of Oxypolis that occur in Florida by the leaves.
Distribution: The central panhandle; Jackson and Gulf Counties eastward to Jefferson County.
A*
254
Ptilimnium capillaceum (Michx.) Raf. MOCK BISHOP'S WEED
Description: Annual herb, 1-8 dm (4-32 in) tall: leaves multi-pinnately compound-dissected, hairlike,
usually 3 at a node on the leaf stem; stem erect, few-branched; flowers produced in a compound
umbel, several per plant; flowers tiny, white, 5 petaled, 5-20 per umbel; fruit broadly ovoid, 1.5-3
mm long, with conspicuous ribs.
Recognition: Erect herb with alternate, filamentous, finely-dissected, compound leaves. Flowers very
small, white, in compound umbels. Fruit with prominent ribs.
Habitat: FACW. Growing in brackish and fresh water marshes, wet woodlands, swamps, ditches,
shores of ponds and lakes, depressions in pine savannas and flatwoods.
DICOTS 255
Sium suave Walt. WATER-PARSNIP
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial herb, 1-1.5 m tall; stems cylindrical and hollow below,
angled above, branching above the middle; leaves alternate, odd pinnately compound, lower leaves
are largest to 30 cm long and with 7-15 leaflets, leaflets ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate, tips pointed
or long-pointed, margins toothed, upper leaves have fewer leaflets, submersed leaves may be finely
dissected into many linear segment; flowers in flat compound umbels, 5-8 cm across; each flower
has 5 sepals and 5 white petals; fruit is a schizocarp made up of paired nutlets, somewhat com
pressed with corky wings.
Recognition: Large erect herbaceous perennial. Leaves in early spring are frequently submerged and
finely dissected. The largest leaves at the base of the stem are odd pinnately compound becoming
smallei with fewer leaflets on the flowering stems. Fruit is a flattened schizocarp with bands of low
corky ridges.
Habitat: OBL. Streams, swamps, bogs, floodplain forests.
Distribution: North Florida.

Amsonia rigida Shuttlw. ex Small SLIMPOD
Amsonia tabernaemontana Walt.
Description: Perennial shrub-like herbs with erect firm stems and having a woody-like basal stem;
stems solitary to numerous from the woody caudex to 2 m tall; leaves alternate, petiolate bioadly
elliptic to lanceolate, to 15 cm long, lower leaves very small becoming larger upwardly, glabrous to
tomentose; flowers in a terminal panicle; corolla blue, funnelform to salverlorm, with spreading
lobes; calyx glabrous with acute triangular lobes; fruit an elongate follicle, cylindrical, glabrous, 8-10
cm long.
Recognition: Shrub-like perennial herbs with very elongate, somewhat sickle shaped follicles (fruit).
Two species occur in Florida wetlands. A rigida Shuttlw. ex Small, stiff slimpod, in which the
exterior surface of the corolla (flower) is glabrous, and A. tabernaemontana Walt., eastern slimpod,
in which the exterior surface of the corolla (flower) is covered with hairs.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplain wetlands, transition zones between floodplains and mesic uplands.
Distribution: North peninsular Florida westward through the panhandle.
Flowering: Spring-early summer.
Amsonia rigida Shuttlw. ex Small STIFF SLIMPOD
257
DICOTS
Ilex amelanchier M. A. Curtis SARVIS HOLLY
Description: A multi-trunked large shrub, rarely tree size, to 5 m (16.5 ft) tall, of the subcanopy in
swamps: branches thin, long, and often "umbrella" like in overall appearance on larger individuals;
bark gray to brown and generally smooth, with numerous enlarged lenticels (tend to be horizon
tally oriented although vertical orientation may also be present): leaves alternate, deciduous; leaf
blade thin, oblong to elliptical, 5-9 cm in length and 3-4 cm in width, margins entire or minutely
serrate, upper surface glabrous, green, lower surface whitish-green with a conspicuous soft pubes
cence; flowers unisexual (male and female on separate plants), white to yellowish, very small with 4
petals; male flowers several to numerous in axillary fascicles, female flowers typically solitary or in a
cluster of a few in leaf axils; produced after leaves have emerged in spring; fruit a subglobose, 5-10
mm dia., dull red drupe borne on conspicuous petioles and containing four nutlets.
Recognition: A deciduous, multi-trunked, large shrub; trunks usually arising individually or clustered.
Leaves alternate with pubescence on the lower surface. Leaf margins entire or minutely serrate.
Fruit on female plants, a subglobose, 5-10 mm dia., dull red drupe borne on conspicuous petioles
and containing four nutlets. Generally an inconspicuous shrub except when in fruit. Not likely to
be confused with any other species of holly once noticed.
Habitat: OBL. An understory species of inundated wetlands; stream swamps and hardwood or
cypress ponds.
Distribution: Restricted in Florida to the panhandle from Liberty County westward. A rare species
throughout its range in the coastal southeastern U.S.

258
Ilex cassine L, DAHOON HOLLY
Description: A large shrub or medium sized tree to 12 m (39 ft) tall, scattered individuals much larger,
typically subcanopy or canopy in bayheads, swamps, cypress domes, and pond margins: branches
stout, mostly ascending; bark gray, smooth and thin, often with lichen; leaves alternate, evergreen;
petioles mostly pubescent, 5-15 mm long; leaf blade leathery, highly variable in shape between
individuals, oblanceolate, oblong, oval, elliptic, or subovate, 2-14 cm long, 0.8-4.5 cm wide, margins
entire, often with a few short spines, usually with a small spine at the tip, upper surface, dark green,
essentially glabrous, lower surface, paler, variously pubescent to essentially glabrous; flowers
unisexual (male and female on separate plants) white, small with 4 petals; male flowers in clusters
on axillary cymes, female flowers solitary or in clusters of 2-4 on axillary cymes; produced during or
after new shoot development in spring; fruit a globose, 5-8 mm dia., bright red to orange-red,
occasionally yellow, drupe borne close to the stem and containing four nutlets.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub or tree with smooth, gray bark, alternate, leathery leaves of variable
shape, (oblanceolate, oblong, oval, elliptic, or subovate) and entire margins, often with a few short
spines. Fruit a drupe on female plants, is bright red to orange-red, occasionally yellow. Individuals
with leaves at the smaller extreme of the size range similar to Ilex myrtifolia (myrtle-leaved holly)
from which it may be distinguished by the bark; smooth on I. cassine, while that of Ilex myrtifolia
has corky thickenings, especially on lower trunk, and by growth form of branches; mostly ascending
on I. cassine, mostly perpendicular or nearly so, on Ilex myrtifolia.
Habitat: OBL. Inhabiting a wide variety of wetland communities; stream banks, swamps, cypress
domes, seepage slopes, pond and marsh margins, and wet pine flatwoods.
DICOTS
259
Ilex coriacea (Pursh) Chapm. SWEET GALLBERRY,
LARGE-LEAF GALLBERRY
Description: A medium to large shrub, uncommonly a small tree, to 7 m (23 ft) tall, ground cover and
subcanopy in wet flatwoods (usually but not exclusively wetland), swamp margins, and bogs;
branches upright and dense; bark dark gray to brown, smooth, circular lenticels on older stems,
often hypertrophied on plants in wetlands; leaves alternate, evergreen; petioles pubescent, 5-10
mm long; leaf blade leathery, elliptic to oval, 3.5-9 cm long, 1.5-4 cm wide, upper surface green, lower
surface paler with scattered punctate glands, margins with a few scattered bristle-like teeth that
frequently diverge away from the leaf margin, often occurring below the middle of the leaf; flowers
unisexual (male and female on separate plants) white, small with 5-9 petals; male flowers in clusters
from axils of leaves or leaf scars of year old wood, female flowers from leaf axils of lower (older)
leaves on current years growth; produced during or after new shoot development in spring; fruit a
globose to oblate, 6-10 mm dia., shiny, black (mature) drupe containing 5-9 nutlets, fruit drops soon
after ripening.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub with alternate, leathery, elliptic to oval leaves, the lower surface of
which have scattered punctate glands. Leaf margins with a few scattered, bristle-like teeth (often
occurring below the middle of the leaf) that frequently diverge away from the margin. The fruit is a
black and shiny, berry-like drupe. Distinguished from Ilex glabra (gallberry), with which it is often
associated, by bristle-like marginal teeth, and typically larger fruit that does not persist into winter.
Habitat: FACW. Wet flatwoods (usually but not exclusively wetland), swamp margins, bogs, hydric
seepage slopes, bayheads.
Distribution: Western and northern Florida, southward to the central peninsula.
Flowering: Spring.
Q
<
260
Ilex decidua Walt. POSSUM-HAW
synonymy: I. cuthbertii Small
Description: A large deciduous shrub, or frequently a small understory tree to 10 m (33 ft) tall, of the
ground cover or subcanopy in along streams and low woodlands; branches stiff, often tangled and
crossing; bark gray and smooth, becoming somewhat roughened on older specimens; leaves alter
nate, may appear opposite or even whorled when closely spaced on the terminus of short shoots,
deciduous; petiole pubescent, 2-15 mm long; leaf blade spatulate to obovate, 1-8 cm long by 0.8-4.5 cm
wide, variable in size on individual branches, typically widest beyond the middle, (plants with particu
larly small leaves are designated by some authors as variety curtissii), upper surface green, lower
surface paler, pubescent only along veins or less frequently pubescent also on leaf surface, margins
crenate with each tooth bearing a minute gland; flowers unisexual (male and female on separate
plants) white to yellowish green, very small with 5 petals; male flowers in fascicles from axil of short
shoots or singly from leaf axils, female flowers typically solitary or in a cluster of 2-3 from leaf axils;
produced after leaves have emerged in spring; fruit a globose or subglobose, 6-8 mm dia., red to
orange-red (very rarely yellow) drupe containing 4-5 nutlets; borne close to the stem or in variety
longipes on pedicels to 20 mm long, often persist on the plant well after leaf fall.
Recognition: A large deciduous, shrub or small understory tree with alternate leaves that have crenate
margins with each tooth bearing a minute gland, lower surface with pubescence along veins, and leaf
bases that taper to the petiole. The fruit, which is produced on female plants and often persist on the
plant well after leaf fall, is a globose or subglobose, red to orange-red (very rarely yellow) drupe borne
close to the stem or in variety longipes on pedicels to 20 mm long. Similar in shape and form to Ilex
vomitoria (yaupon holly), which is evergreen and has thicker, stiffer leaves and to Viburnum obovatum
(Walter viburnum), which has opposite leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains and stream side wetlands, and mesic uplands.
Distribution: Northwest Florida eastward to north-central Florida, southward primarily down the
western side of the peninsula to DeSoto County.
DICOTS
261
Ilex glabra (L.) A. Gray GALLBERRY
Description: A small to medium sized shrub, to 3 m (10 ft) tall, of the ground cover, primarily in
flatwoods, some of which are wetlands, often forming extensive clonal thickets from underground
runners: branches thin, flexible; bark gray to brown, circular lenticels on older stems, often
hypertrophied on plants in wetlands; leaves alternate, evergreen; petioles with powdery pubes
cence, 3-8 mm long; leaf blade somewhat leathery, elliptic to oblanceolate, 2-5 cm long, upper
surface bright green, lower surface dull green with scattered punctate glands (usually reddish in
color), margins with usually 2-3 crenate teeth per-side apically; flowers unisexual (male and female
on separate plants) white, small with 5-8 petals; male flowers in clusters on axillary cymes, female
flowers solitary or 2-3 from leaf axils; produced during or after new shoot development in spring;
fruit a globose, 5-7 mm dia., black (mature) drupe containing 5-8 nutlets.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub with alternate, leathery, elliptic to oblanceolate leaves that have 2-3
crenate teeth along the leaf margin towards the tip of the leaf (always above middle of the leaf).
The lower leaf surface has scattered reddish, punctate glands. Female plants produce the usually
dull black berrylike fruit, which persists on the plants well into winter. Distinguished from Ilex
coriacea (sweet gallberry), with which it is often associated, by crenate, not bristle-like, marginal
teeth and fruit which is persistent into winter.
Habitat: UPL. Primarily in both mesic and hydric flatwoods, also pond and swamp margins, bogs and
seepage slopes; equally common in wetland or upland plant communities.
Flowering: Spring.

Ilex myrtifolia Walt. MYRTLE-LEAVED HOLLY
synonymy: I. cassine var. myrtifolia (Walt.) Sarg.
Description: A large shrub or small tree to 8 m (26 ft) tall, often with several stems from the base,
typically subcanopy in swamps, cypress domes, and pond margins; branches stout, stiff, most
spreading perpendicular or nearly so; bark gray with conspicuous, corky thickenings and normally
with hypertrophied lenticels; leaves alternate, evergreen; petioles 1-3 mm long; leaf blade rigid, stiff
and leathery, narrowly lanceolate, oblong or elliptic, small, 0.5-3 cm long, 3-8 mm wide, margins
entire, tip with a small spine, upper surface, dark green, shiny, essentially glabrous, lower surface,
paler, essentially glabrous; flowers unisexual (male and female on separate plants) white, small with
4 petals; male flowers in clusters on cymes or rarely solitary, axillary to leaves on growth branches,
female flowers solitary, axillary to leaves; produced during or after new shoot development in
spring; fruit a globose, 5-8 mm dia., bright red (rarely orange-red or yellow) drupe borne close to the
stem and containing four nutlets.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub or small tree with alternate, small, typically very narrow spine
tipped, stiff and leathery leaves and red globose fruit borne close to the stem. Individuals of /.
cassine (dahoon) with leaves at the smaller extreme of the size range are similar to Ilex myrtifolia.
Distinguished from each other by the bark; smooth on I. cassine, while that of Ilex myrtifolia has
corky thickenings of the bark, especially on lower trunk, and by growth form of branches; mostly
ascending on I. cassine, most perpendicular or nearly so, on Ilex myrtifolia.
Habitat: OBL. Cypress domes, mixed hardwood depressions, pond margins, titi sloughs, wet
flatwoods (usually wetlands), and stream banks.
Distribution: Northwest and northern peninsula Florida, rare into north-central Florida (Orange
County).
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS
263
Ilex opaca Ait. AMERICAN HOLLY
Description: A medium sized tree to 15 m (49 ft) tall, subcanopy or canopy in floodplains and fertile
woods; branches rigid, frequently at right angles to the trunk or main stem; bark light gray, smooth to
somewhat roughened with age, often with lichens; leaves alternate, evergreen; petioles 5-12 cm long,
sparsely short pubescent; leaf blade thick, stiff and leathery, variable in general shape, oblong to oval to
elliptic, 3-12 cm long, 2-5.5 cm wide, upper surface dark green, lower surface dull and paler, margins
typically with sharp, rigid, spiny teeth, variable in number (up to 7 or 8 per side) but infrequently with
only a terminal spine at the tip; flowers unisexual (male and female on separate plants) white to
cream, small with 4 petals; male and female flowers in cymes originating from leafless portions of
developing shoots or from leaf axils, males 3-12 in a cluster, females solitary or up to 3; produced
during or after new shoot development in spring; fruit a globose or oval, 7-12 mm dia., dull red to
orange-red (very rarely yellow) drupe borne close to the stem and containing four nutlets.
Recognition: A medium sized evergreen tree with leathery, glossy green leaves typically bearing a few to
several conspicuous marginal spine tipped teeth and a terminal spine tip. Not included in this
designation is I. opaca var. arenicola (Ashe) Ashe (scrub holly), a plant of well drained, deep sands in
the central and north-central peninsula, distinguished from variety opaca by the typically smaller,
duller, yellow-green, rolled leaves.
Habitat: FAC. Upper floodplains, bottom land ridges with limited inundation, stream banks, fertile
mesic woodlands; equally common in wetland or upland communities.
Distribution: Northwest and north Florida southward to the central peninsula.

Ilex verticillata (L.) A. Gray WINTER BERRY
Description: A medium to large, deciduous, multi-stemmed (trunked) shrub, very rarely of tree stature to 8
m (26 ft) tall, of the ground cover or subcanopy in inundated or seepage wetlands: branches numerous,
often tangled: bark dark gray to brownish, smooth, older stems with numerous lenticels (tend to be
circular or nearly so); leaves alternate, deciduous; petiole pubescent, 5-20 mm long; leaf blade elliptic to
oval, with an acuminate tip, 2-10 cm long, 1-5.5 cm wide, variable in size on individual branches, upper
surface green, "quilted" in appearance as most prominent vein are distinctly sunken below the leaf
surface, lower surface variable, glabrous, pubescent or pubescent only along veins, margins serrate or
crenate-serrate, serrations close to and aligned with the leaf margin; flowers unisexual (male and female
on separate plants) white, very small with 5-7 petals; male flowers in axillary verticels. female flowers
typically solitary or in a cluster of 2-4 in axillary verticels; produced after leaves have emerged in spring;
fruit a globose, 5-7 mm dia., bright red (very rarely yellow) drupe borne close to the stem and containing
five or ten nutlets.
Recognition: A medium, to large multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub with alternate leaves that exhibit a
"quilted" appearance on the upper surface, an acuminate tip, and serrate margins. The fruit, which is
produced on female plants, is a globose, bright red drupe borne close to the stem and containing five or
ten nutlets. Potentially difficult to separate from Ilex ambigua var. monticola, (A. Gray) Wunderlin &
Poppleton, however, this taxa is very rare in Florida (if it occurs at all) and is not typical of the wetland
habitats of Ilex verticillata.
Habitat: OBL. Bogs and seepage slopes with long term saturation and inundated wetlands along streams.
Distribution: Northwestern Florida eastward to Wakulla County; limited and local within this range.
Much more common north of Florida.
Flowering: Spring.
265
DICOTS
Ilex vomitoria Ait. YAUPON
Description: A medium to large shrub or occasionally a small tree to 8 m (26 ft) tall, often clonal and
forming dense thickets, ground cover and subcanopy in a wide variety of both wetland and upland
communities; branches stiff, tangled; bark gray, smooth, occasionally slightly plated on older individu
als; leaves alternate, evergreen; petioles pubescent, 2-3 mm long; leaf blade stiff and leathery, elliptic to
oval, 0.5-3 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm wide, upper surface shiny dark green, lower surface paler, dull green,
glabrous, margins completely crenate, teeth near the base at times obscure; flowers unisexual (male and
female on separate plants) occasionally bisexual flowers are also present, white to yellowish, small with 4
petals; male and female flowers in fascicles clusters from axils of leaves; produced during or after new
shoot development in spring; fruit a globose, 4-8 mm dia., shiny, lustrous, bright red drupe borne close to
the stem and containing 4 nutlets.
Recognition: A large evergreen shrub with alternate leaves that are stiff and leathery, elliptic to oval in
shape and have completely crenate leaf margins. The fruit is a bright red, shiny, lustrous, globose, drupe
typically, but not exclusively produced on female plants. Similar in general appearance to both Ilex
decidua (possum-haw), which differs in being deciduous and in exhibiting pubescence along veins on
the lower surface of the leaf, and Viburnum obovatum (Walter viburnum), which differs in having
opposite leaves.
Habitat: FAC. An understory or exposed shrub inhabiting a wide range of predominately upland commu
nities; fertile hardwood forests, dunes, coastal maritime forests and mixed pine-hardwood forests. Also
as a significant component of near coastal wetlands; hydric pine flatwoods and hydric hammocks.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, extending southward in the peninsula with less
frequency to Sarasota, Highlands, and Brevard Counties.

Asclepias connivens Baldw. ex Ell. LARGE FLOWERED MILKWEED
synonymy: Antherix connivens (Baldw. ex Ell.) Feay ex Wood
Description: Herbaceous perennial, generally with a single stem from a thick rootstock; stem stout to
70 cm tall; leaves opposite, sessile, lowermost leaves reduced and bract-like, leaf shape is variable
from oblong, oblanceolate, narrowly obovate, to oval, 5-7 cm long with blunt apex and a rounded or
cuneate leaf base, undersides of leaves with prominent veination; flowers 3-6 per umbel, calyx lobes
lanceolate to long triangular, to 7 mm long, corolla lobes greenish-yellow, oblong, to 15 mm long,
yellow-green rolled inward, this rolled portion is called the "hood" and it is incurved to give a
constricted appearance to the flowers; inflorescence an umbel produced from the leaf axils or
leafless nodes; fruit a short pubescent, narrow, fusiform capsule, to 15 cm long; seeds brown,
flattened and with a tuft of whitish, silky hairs at one end.
Recognition: An erect herbaceous perennial from a thickened rootstock, with opposite leaves. The
flower petals are greenish-yellow and the flowers are produced in umbels. All parts of the plant
exude a white latex. Unlike many species of Asclepias, this species does not have "horns" associ
ated with the flowers. In addition, it has the largest corolla lobes of any Florida species of Asclepias.
Fruit is a capsule containing many winged seeds.
Habitat: OBL. Wet wiregrass savannas, wet pine flatwoods, bogs.
Distribution: Throughout north and central Florida. V ]

DICOTS 267
Asclepias incarnata L. SWAMP MILKWEED
Description: Herbaceous perennial, from a large knotty rootstock; stem stout to 15 dm tall, smooth to
pubescent: leaves opposite, linear-lanceolate, lanceolate to oblong, 5-15 cm long and 1-3 cm wide,
narrowing to a pointed apex and with a rounded to truncate base, both surfaces smooth to short
pubescent: flowers in several terminal umbels with many flowers per umbel; the 5 calyx lobes are oblong,
to 2 mm long; the 5 corolla lobes are bright rose-purple or rarely white, elliptic-oblong, slightly reflexed
and arching outward, to 4 mm long; base of corolla is rolled into a "hood", this is erect and forms a 5-
lobed structure that surrounds the anther/stigma column or gynostegium, in addition there is a
projection at the base of each corolla lobe called a "horn" and these are positioned between the hood and
the gynostegium and in this species exerted beyond the hood and curved over the gynostegium; fruit is
a smooth, fusiform capsule, 6-10 cm long; seeds brown, flattened with a tuft of whitish silky hairs at one
end.
Recognition: Robust, erect herbaceous perennial from a knotty rootstock, with linear-lanceolate to
lanceolate, opposite leaves. Flowers are bright rose-purple and produced in several terminal umbels. The
fruit a fusiform capsule containing winged seeds. All parts of the plant exude a white latex. This is our
only species of Asclepias with bright rose-purple flowers.
Habitat: OBL. Marshes, stream banks, swamps, wet ditches.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, except not extending west of Alachua County into northwest Florida.

Asclepias lanceolata Walt, FEN-FLOWER MILKWEED
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with one stem from a short, knotty rootstock; stem thin, smooth,
purplish toward the base, to 12 dm tall; leaves opposite, linear to lanceolate, 10-20 cm long and
narrow to 0.5-1.5 cm wide, smooth on both sides; flowers in 2 to 4 terminal, many flowered umbels;
calyx lobes triangular acute to 2 mm long; corolla lobes bright orange red, lance-elliptic, reflexed
and arching outward, to 10 mm long, part of the corolla is rolled into a "hood", this is erect and
forms a 5-lobed column that surrounds the anther/stigma column or gynostegium; in addition
there is a projection at the base of each corolla lobe called a horn and these are positioned
between the hood and the gynostegium; fruit is a smooth, fusiform capsule, 8-10 cm long; seeds
brown, flattened and with a tuft of whitish silky hairs at one end.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a knotty rootstock. Leaves are linear to narrowly
lanceolate and opposite. Flowers are bright orange-red and produced in several terminal umbels.
Fruit is a fusiform capsule containing winged seeds. All parts of the plant exude a white latex. 1 his
species could be confused with Asclepias rubra, however, the latter species generally has wider
leaves, up to 6 cm wide, and purplish red to lavender flowers. Asclepias lanceolata is much mote
common in Florida wetlands than Asclepias rubra, which is a species of more northern distribution
reaching Florida in the northwesternmost counties.
Habitat: OBL. Wet pine flatwoods, savannas, sloughs, bogs, cypress depressions, both fresh and
brackish marsh, and wet ditches.
Flowering: Summer.
269
DICOTS
Asclepias longifolia Michx. LONG-LEAF MILKWEED
synonymy: Acerates floridana (Lam.) A. Hitchc., Acerates delticola Small
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with one to several stems from a thickened rootstock; stem thin,
purplish and pubescent, to 7 dm tall; leaves alternate or subopposite, linear subulate, to 15 cm long
and 2-10 mm wide, gradually narrowing to a pointed apex and short tapered to the leaf base,
pubescent along the veins underneath, scattered pubescence above; flowers many per umbel; calyx
lobes lanceolate to ovate, to 2 mm long; corolla lobes whitish toward the base, suffused with purple
distally, strongly reflexed; base of corolla is rolled into a "hood", which is scoop-like, appressed
against the base of the anther/stigma column or gynostegium and whitish suffused with purple
toward the base; inflorescence an umbel produced from the leaf axils of mostly opposite leaves on
the upper portion of the stem; fruit a pubescent capsule, lanceolate in outline, to 10 cm long; seeds
brown, flattened and with a tuft of whitish, silky hairs at one end.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a thickened rootstock. The narrow (linear subulate)
leaves are alternate to subopposite, to 15 cm long. Flowers are produced from umbels from the
uppermost portion of the stem. The corolla is whitish, gradually becoming purple distally. There
are no projections or "horns" associated with the hood of the corolla. The fruit is a capsule,
lanceolate in outline, containing the winged seeds. All parts of the plant exude a white latex.
Habitat: FACW. Wet flatwoods, bogs, edges of sloughs, wet savannas.

Asclepias pedicellata Walt. SAVANNA MILKWEED
synonymy: Podostigmapedicellata (Walt.) Vail ex Small
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with one stem from a thickened, knobby rootstock; stem thin,
pubescent and purplish toward the base, to 4 dm tall; leaves opposite, reduced at the base, upper
leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear-oblong, 3-5 cm long, both surfaces densely pubescent, leaf base
short tapered; flowers 2-8 per umbel; calyx lobes lanceolate, 3 mm long; corolla lobes, greenish-
yellow, erect, oblong, with flaring triangular tips; base of corolla is rolled into a "hood", which is
erect and forms a greenish-yellow, five lobed structure that surrounds the anther/stigma column or
gynostegium, that is about 1/4 as long as the corolla lobes and inserted at the base of the
gynostegium; fruit a capsule; seeds brown, flattened and with a tuft of whitish silky hairs at one
end.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a thickened rootstock. The leaves are narrowly
lanceolate to linear-oblong and 3-5 cm long. Flowers are yellow-green, with no projections or
"horns" associated with the corolla, and are produced in few flowered umbels. Fruit is a capsule
containing winged seeds. All parts of the plant exude a white latex.
Habitat: FACW. Wet pine flatwoods and savannas, sandhill and scrub.
DICOTS 271
Asclepias perennis Walt. SWAMP MILKWEED, FLOODPLAIN MILKWEED
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with a single to several stems from a tuberous rootstock; stem
thin, green to 6 dm tall; leaves opposite, smooth, lanceolate to long elliptic, acuminate at both ends,
6-12 cm long, 1-3 cm wide; flowers produced in several many flowered umbels; the 5 calyx lobes are
oblong, to 2 mm long; the 5 corolla lobes white to pinkish-white, elliptic and strongly reflexed, to 4
mm long; part of the corolla is rolled into a "hood", that is erect and forms a 5-lobed column that
surrounds the anther/stigma column or gynostegium; in addition there is a projection at the base
of each corolla lobe called a "horn" and these are positioned between the "hood" and the
gynostegium; in this species the five horns arch over the gynostegium; fruit a smooth fusilorm
capsule, to 7 cm long; seeds brown, flattened without a tuft of hairs.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a thickened rootstock. 1 he opposite lanceolate leaves
have a short petiole and the flowers are white. This species has wingless seeds, i.e. seeds without a
tuft of hairs. All parts of the plant exude a white latex. This is the only commonly encountered
white flowered Asclepias in the deep shade of swamp and floodplain forests.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, floodplains, marshes, margins of lakes and ponds, low fields and pastures,
wet ditches.
Distribution: Throughout north and central Florida, south to Hardee County.

272
Asclepias rubra L. RED-FLOWER MILKWEED
synonymy: Asclepias laurifolia Michx.
Description: Herbaceous perennial with a single stem from a tuberous rootstock; stems thin to 10
dm tall; leaves opposite, sessile, ovate to lanceolate, 6-13 cm long and 1-6 cm wide, gradually
narrowing to a pointed apex and with a rounded or subcordate leaf base, undersides of leaves are
smooth and glaucous: flowers three to many per umbel; calyx lobes narrowly triangular, to 2.5 mm
long; corolla lobes dull purplish red to lavender, oblong-acute, to 9 mm long; the base of corolla is
rolled into a "hood", which is erect and forms a five lobed structure that surrounds the anther/
stigma column or gynostegium; in addition, there is a projection at the base of each corolla lobe
called a "horn" and these are positioned between the hood and the gynostegium; the horns are
exerted beyond the hood and curved over the gynostegium; inflorescence an umbel produced from
the leaf axils or leafless nodes; fruit a pubescent, narrow, fusiform capsule to 10 cm long; seeds
brown, flattened and with a tuft of whitish silky hairs at one end.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a thickened rootstock. Leaves are opposite and
sessile, ovate to lanceolate leaves. Flowers are dull purplish red to lavender and produced in
umbels. All parts of the plant exude a white latex. This species can be confused with Asclepias
lanceolata, a more widespread species with bright orange-red flowers that has a similar leaf shape
and is common in wet pinelands and savannas.
Habitat: OBL. Seepage bogs in pinelands.
Distribution: Throughout northwesternmost Florida, Bay County to Escambia County.
Flowering: Summer.
DICOTS 273
Asclepias viridula Chapm. SOUTHERN MILKWEED
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with a single stem from a thickened rootstock; stems thin,
purplish at the base; leaves opposite, smooth, narrowly linear, 4-10 cm long; flowers produced in 6-
10 flowered umbels; the 5 calyx lobes are lance-ovate, to 2 mm long; the 5 corolla lobes are greenish
suffused with purple-brown at the base, to 5 mm long, reflexed; part of the corolla is rolled into a
"hood", this is erect and flared and forms a five lobed column that surrounds the anther/stigma
column or gynostegium; in addition there is a projection at the base of each corolla lobe called a
"horn" and these are positioned between the "hood" and the gynostegium; in this species the five
horns arch over the gynostegium; fruit a smooth fusiform capsule to 10 cm long; seeds brown,
flattened and with a tuft of whitish, silky hairs at one end.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a thickened rootstock. Leaves are narrowly linear,
opposite and have a short petiole. Flowers are green, grading into purple-brown. Fruit is a capsule
containing winged seeds. All parts of the plant exude a white latex.
Habitat: FACW. Wet pine flatwoods, borders of sloughs and bogs.
Distribution: North Florida, in the northeast area from Baker County south to Flagler County and in
northwest Florida from Jefferson County west to Okaloosa County.

Arnoglossum spp INDIAN-PLANTAINS
Description: Glabrous perennial herbs from a short caudex (thick root crown); stems green, some
times ridged, usually unbranched below inflorescence, 0.7-1.5 m (2.3-5 ft) tall (or more in A.
ovatum); leaves alternate, lower ones stalked, 15-30 cm long; upper leaves progressively smaller and
becoming sessile (unstalked); blades often with wavy or irregularly toothed margins, lateral veins
prominent, more or less parallel to midvein; flowers small, in heads arranged in a flat-topped
inflorescence; heads cylindrical, with 5 disk flowers and no ray flowers, surrounded by a single row
of pale, often winged, bracts; flowers with creamy white corollas often tinged with green, tan, or
lavender; fruit an achene, usually ribbed, topped with many capillary bristles (the pappus).
Recognition: Tall, single-stem herbs with large alternate leaves, lower ones stalked; leaves with wavy
or toothed margins and prominent lateral veins paralleling the midvein; flat-topped inflorescences
of cylindrical rayless heads with bracts often winged; achenes with a pappus of bristles.
Habitat: OBL (A. sulcatum) and FACW (A. diversifolium, A. ovatum). A. sulcatum in peaty soils on
borders of swamps and bogs; A. diversifolium on wooded stream banks and in river floodplains; A.
ovatum in wet flatwoods and savannas.
Distribution: Five species recognized in Florida, all native: the three shown here plus A.floridanum of
dry sites (sandhills and scrub) and A. atriplicifolium, an uncommon species of the Apalachicola
River floodplain.
Flowering: Summer - early fall.
Arnoglossum sulcatum (Fern.) H. Robins. OBL GEORGIA

INDIAN-PLANTAINS
DICOTS 275
Arnoglossum spp. (continued)
Arnoglossum diversifolium VARIABLE-LEAF

(T.&G.) H. Robins. INDIAN-PLANTAINS
Arnoglossum ovatum (Walt.) H. Robins. FACW EGG-LEAF

INDIAN-PLANTAINS

Aster spp. ASTERS
Description: Annuals or perennial herbs or much-branched woody, vine-like shrubs; stems leafy;
leaves alternate, simple, often small and numerous, sometimes in basal rosettes; flowers in heads,
these are usually on a diffuse arrangement of branches, less commonly of only 1-4 heads; heads
small to large, with both ray and disk flowers, surrounded by several rows of overlapping bracts, the
bracts usually green at the tip; ray flowers often numerous, the corollas usually long and slender,
white to blue or violet; disk flowers with corollas 5-lobed at tip, red or purple to yellow or cream-
colored, without bracts (chaff) at base, inserted on a flat disk; fruit a flattened achene, topped by a
pappus of numerous fine bristles.
Recognition: Herbs (except A. carolinianus) with leafy stems, usually branched, the leaves alternate
and often numerous; heads with slender, white to violet rays and a purple to yellow or cream-
colored disk, surrounded by several rows of overlapping bracts with green tips; pappus of numerous
fine bristles. Asters are similar to species of Erigeron and Conyza (an upland genus). The heads of
Aster differ from those of Erigeron in their several rows of overlapping green-tipped bracts (the
bracts of Erigeron hardly overlap and are not green-tipped). Conyza has tiny heads with very short
and slender white rays. Of the roughly thirty species of Aster in Florida, the 11 listed below are
considered FAC, FACW or OBL plants. Many species of Aster are hard to recognize; the first three
species are particularly confusing.
Aster dumosus L., Aster lateriflorus (L.) Brit., Aster vimineus Lam.: usually much-branched perennial
herbs up to 1.5 m tall; leaves numerous, elliptic or lanceolate, stalkless but not clasping the stem;
heads numerous, small, with white to pale blue rays and yellow disks. Aster dumosus usually has
rhizomes and has the largest heads in this group, with the involucre 4-8 mm high, the ray flowers
usually pale lavender, the corolla lobes of the disk flowers erect and less than 1/3 the length of the
broader portion of the corolla tube, and the bracts slightly widened toward their obtuse tips. Aster
vimineus (now correctly called A.fragilis Willd.) has long rhizomes and small heads with the
involucre only 2.5-3.5 mm high, the rays usually white, the corolla lobes of the disk flowers erect and
about 1/3 the length of the broader portion of the corolla tube, and the bracts linear, with acute or
obtuse tips. Aster lateriflorus has no rhizomes, small heads with the involucre 4-5 mm high, the
corolla lobes of the disk flowers spreading and more than 1/3 the length of the broader portion of
the corolla tube, and bracts with obtuse tips. Some specialists recognize other species in this group
in Florida, such as A.fontinalis Alexander and A. simmondsii Small.
Aster eryngiifolius Torrey & Gray: perennial herb producing usually a single stout unbranched stem
with large, spreading, grass-like basal leaves and small stem leaves; leaves with spiny teeth; heads 1-
5 (or sometimes up to 15 along the stem), large, hard, with numerous white rays to 2 cm long, a pale
yellow disk, and involucre bracts curved back at the sharp-pointed tips.
Aster spinulosus Chapman: like A. eryngiifolius but the leaves usually without spiny teeth, the heads
smaller, with fewer, white or often blue-violet rays, a smaller disk with fewer disk flowers, and
involucre bracts not curved back at the tip.
Aster chapmanii Torrey & Gray (synonym: Heleastrum chapmanii (Torrey & Gray) Shinners): perennial
herb to 1.5 m tall producing a single slender stem with long curving branches, long narrow grass
like basal leaves, and very narrow erect stem leaves; heads large, with violet rays to 1.5 cm long and
yellow disks. The stems are so slender that at a distance only the flower heads are visible.
Aster umbellatus P. Miller (synonyms: A. umbellatus var. latifolius Gray, Aster sericocarpoides (Small) K.
Schumann, Doellingeria sericocarpoides Small), white-topped aster: perennial herbs with numerous,
elliptic, usually stalkless leaves on stem; inflorescence flat-topped, of numerous heads with few
broad white rays and a pale yellow disk; pappus of 2 rows of bristles, the outer 1mm long and hard
to see, the inner 6 mm long. Aster reticulatus Pursh, a widespread upland species, is similar but has
Aster spp. (continued)
raised veins on the underside of the thick leaves.

Aster carolinianus Walter, climbing aster: much-branched shrub (woody at the base), forming tangles
on other vegetation or with itself; leaves numerous, elliptic or lanceolate; rays numerous, lavender.
Aster elliottii Torrey & Gray (synonymy: A. puniceus var. elliottii (Torrey & Gray) A. G. Jones, A. p.
subsp. elliottii (Torrey 8c Gray) A. G.Jones), Elliotts aster: medium to large branched perennial herb
with slender rhizomes, to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall; leaves fairly large, obovate, toothed, slightly rough to the
touch above, smooth below, their bases wrapping around stem but without "ears;" heads numerous,
fairly large, with very narrow bracts and lavender-pink rays.
Aster subulatus Michaux (including A. exilis Elliott), saltmarsh aster: small to medium-sized hairless
annual herb without thickened base or rhizomes, usually much-branched; leaves usually all linear;
heads with short (to 6 mm long), white, rose-purple, or bluish rays, a yellow disk, and slender bracts
with clear edges.
Aster tenuifolius L. (including A. bracei Britton ex Small, A. tenuifolius var. aphyllus R. W. Long),
saltmarsh aster: like A. subulatus but perennial with thickened bases and often with rhizomes;
stems and leaves somewhat fleshy; stems zigzagging, branches spreading; leaves few, all linear;
heads with rays 5-10 mm long, and bracts with more green than those of A. subulatus. The smooth,
zigzag stems are distinctive. Aster subulatus and this species might be mistaken for Boltonia.
Habitat:
FAC. Aster dumosus: Mesic to wet flatwoods, sandhills, upland hardwood forests, floodplain forests,
edges of dome swamps, ditches and clearings. Aster umbellatus: Edges of swamps at bases of
seepage slopes.
FACW. Aster chapmanii, A. eryngiifolius, A. spinulosus: Wet prairies, wet flatwoods, seepage slopes,
edges of titi or cypress swamps. Aster lateriflorus, Aster vimineus: Slope forests, floodplain forests,
swamps along small drainages.
OBL. Aster carolinianus: Stream banks, marshes, freshwater swamps, mangrove swamps, hydric
hammocks. Aster elliottii: Swamps, freshwater or brackish marshes, ditches. Aster subulatus: Salt
marshes, freshwater marshes, and wet pine flatwoods. Aster tenuifolius: Salt or brackish marshes.
Distribution:
Aster carolinianus: Throughout most of Florida; in north Florida west to Leon, Wakulla, and Franklin Counties.
Aster chapmanii: Northwest Florida from Wakulla County west. Reported in Alachua and St. Lucie Counties.
Aster dumosus: Throughout.
Aster elliottii: Nearly throughout peninsular and northeast Florida, in northwest Florida to Bay County
along the coast.
Aster eryngiifolius: North Florida, from Leon and Wakulla Counties to Walton County.
Aster lateriflorus: North Florida to Lake and Seminole Counties.
Aster spinulosus: Endemic to coastal North Florida from Franklin to Washington Counties.
Aster subulatus: Throughout, except for inland portions of north Florida.
Aster tenuifolius: Throughout coastal areas of Florida.
Aster umbellatus: Northwest Florida from Holmes and Walton Counties west Also reported from Duval County.
Aster vimineus: Sporadic in North Florida from Nassau and Alachua Counties to Okaloosa County.
Flowering: Summer and fall, except for Aster eryngiifolius and A. spinulosus, which flower from late
spring-summer.

Aster dumosus L. FAC BUSHY ASTER
Aster chapmanii Torrey & Gray FACW SAVANNAH ASTER
DICOTS 279
Aster eryngiifolius Torrey & Gray FACW COYOTE-THISTLE ASTER
Aster spinulosus Chapman FACW BOG ASTER
&
" " m
Aster lateriflorus (L.) Brit. FACW CALICO ASTER

Aster vimineus Lam. FACW SMALL WHITE ASTER
Aster carolinianus Walter OBL CLIMBING ASTER
Aster elliottii Torrey & Gray OBL ELLIOTT'S ASTER
DICOTS 281
Aster subulatus Michaux OBL SALTMARSH ASTER
Aster tenuifolius Linnaeus OBL SALTMARSH ASTER
282
Baccharis angustifolia Michaux FALSE-WILLOW
Description: Much-branched woody shrub to 4 m tall; bark brown to grayish-brown; leaves alternate,
smooth on both surfaces, leathery, shiny green, very narrow, nearly needlelike, 2-5 cm long, 1-5 mm
wide; flowers in heads, up to 4 mm long and bell-shaped, on short stalks up to 15 mm long;
individual flowers unisexual, plants are either male or female; fruit a minute, cylindrical achene
with 10 pale ribs, topped by a pappus of white bristles which makes the fruiting heads appear
feathery or cottony.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub with alternate, often needlelike leaves. Flowers in heads, these are
small, bell-shaped and greenish-yellow heads. Plants are conspicuous in fall when the flower heads
mature and the mature achenes become cottony. This species can be distinguished from all other
Baccharis by its linear leaves.
Habitat: OBL. Borders and banks of salt, brackish and freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps and
sloughs.
Distribution: Throughout coastal Florida.
Flowering: Fall.
DARST
DICOTS 283
Baccharis halimifolia L. EASTERN FALSE-WILLOW, SALTBUSH
includes var. angustior DC.
Description: Woody, evergreen shrub to 1-4 m tall with strongly ascending branches; bark gray;
leaves alternate, oblanceolate or spatulate, entire or with toothed margins, dull grayish green, 3-4
cm long, 1-2 cm wide; flowers in heads, numerous, small, disc flowers in dense, greenish-yellow
involucres (heads), bell shaped, 5-6 mm long, on short stalks, these are produced on the distal
branches in such a way as to resemble a large panicle; individual flowers are unisexual, plants are
either male or female; fruit a minute, to 1 mm long, cylindrical achene with 10 pale ribs, apex of
achene with a pappus of bristles, fruiting heads appear feathery or cottony.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub with alternate leaves, having irregularly toothed margins. The flowers
are in small, oblong and greenish-yellow heads. Plants are conspicuous in fall when the flower
heads mature, becoming cottony. The similar B. glomerulifolia Persoon, FAC, can be distinguished
by having flower heads that tend to be short stalked or sessile and appear clustered around the leaf
axil. This species is found in the same habitats as B. halimifolia throughout Florida.
Habitat: FAC. Edges of salt and freshwater marshes, sloughs, old fields and various disturbed places,
both wet and dry.
Distribution: Statewide along both Atlantic and Gulf coast.
Flowering: Fall.
B. glomerulifolia
B. halimifolia
DARST

Balduina uniflora Nutt. HONEYCOMB-HEAD
synonymy: Endorima uniflora (Nutt.) Barnh.
Description: Herbaceous perennials; stems erect and smooth; leaves smooth; rosette leaves large,
oblanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, stem leaves small, alternate, linear-oblanceolate; flowers in
globose heads with yellow ray flowers and yellowish disk flowers, the disk flowers are in cup-like,
toothed pits, collectively creating a honeycomb pattern, most easily seen after the corollas have
fallen; fruit an achene 2-3 mm long; deeply set in; pappus an irregular ring of scales to 1 mm long
with jagged edges and tapered to a point.
Recognition: Most easily identified by its unusual fruiting head, which resembles a spherical honey
comb, hence the common name. Plants in late winter through early summer have a basal rosette of
smooth, oblanceolate leaves. Flowering plants produce long stems that are terminated by a few
flowering heads. The ray flowers are strap-like and yellow, the disk flowers are yellowish and have a
scaly pappus that is firm to the touch. The achenes are deeply seated in pits in the disk and have a
ring of scales that produce the honeycomb.
Balduina atropurpurea (Harper) Small (purple honeycomb-head) is a closely related species that differs
from B. uniflora chiefly in its floral characteristics, having purple disk flowers instead of yellow disk
flowers. Its distribution is limited to northeast Florida form Nassau County south to Putnam
County. It is a FACW species growing in wet pine flatwoods and seepage bogs. Flowering July-
November.
Habitat: FACW. Pine flatwoods, wiregrass savannas, bogs, interdunal swales, margins of sloughs and
wet ditches.
Distribution: North Florida south to Alachua County.
DICOTS
285
Bidens spp. BEGGAR-TICKS
Description: Annuals or short-lived perennials with or without taproots: stems erect or decumbent,
generally no more than 1 m tall; leaves opposite with petioles or sessile, variable in length and
number of divisions, blades simple to pinnately compound, margins toothed and often incised,
leaves smooth or pubescent; flowers in heads; ray flowers 5-6, with a yellow corolla, or absent; disk
flowers many with yellow corollas; involucre of two rows of leafy or colored bracts; fruit an achene
with or without 2 awns.
Recognition: Annual or perennial herbs with opposite leaves, these usually have toothed margins.
Flowers with white (see B. pilosa L„ FAC), or yellow ray flowers, or ray flowers absent (see Bidens
bipinnata L., UPL). Achene often with two barbed awns or awns absent and achene is hairy. Four
species of Bidens belong under the OBL wetland category.
Bidens discoidea (T. & G.) Britton: with ternately compound leaves and flowers in small, rayless heads
with 3-5 leafy involucre bracts; achene with two awns.
Bidens frondosa L.: with pinnately compound leaves, 3-5 leaflets, commonly with 3 leaflets, flowers in
rayless heads with 5-20 leafy involucre bracts with conspicuously ciliate margins; achene with two
awns.
Bidens laevis (L.) BSP: with simple, unlobed, sessile leaves and large flowers with bright yellow ray and
disk flowers; plants are frequently aquatic, rooting at the nodes and forming mats along the water's
edge; achene with two awns. This is the bur-marigold.
Bidens mitis (Michx.) Sherff.: with variable leaves, principal leaves unlobed and lanceolate with
entire or toothed margins; flowers with bright yellow ray and disk flowers; achene broad and
wedge-shaped, without awns.
aitat: OBL. Bidens discoidea (T. & G.) Britton

ins discoidea and Bidens frondosa:
Floodplains, swamps, lake and pond
margins, marshes, along streams and
disturbed wet ground.
Bidens laevis: Marshes, streams banks,
margins of ponds and lakes.
Bidens mitis: Fresh and brackish marshes,
floodplains, swamps, lake and pond
margins, along streams, ditches and
disturbed wet ground.
Distribution:
Bidens discoidea: North Florida.
Bidens frondosa: North and central Florida.
Bidens laevis: Throughout Florida.
Bidens mitis: Throughout Florida.

Bidens spp. (continued)
Bidens frondosa L.
Bidens laevis (L.) BSP BUR-MARIGOLD
Bidens mitis (Michx.) Sherff. MARSH BEGGAR-TICKS
DICOTS 287
Bidens pilosa L WHITE BEGGAR-TICKS
synonymy: Bidens alba (L.) DC., Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata Sch.-Bip., Bidens
alba (L.) DC. var. radiata (Sch.-Bip.) R. E. Ballard ex Melchert
Description: Annual or short-lived perennial with taproot; stems may be prostrate or erect and
spreading, up to 1 m tall; leaves opposite with slender petioles, variable in length and number of
divisions, blades simple or with 3-5 divisions, each segment ovate to lanceolate, margins dentate
and incised, 2-8 cm long, leaves smooth or pubescent; flowers in heads; 5-6 ray flowers with a white
corolla; disc flowers many, with yellow corollas; fruit a narrowly oblong achene with 2 to 4 retrorsely
barbed awns 2-3 mm long.
Recognition: Herbaceous annual or perennial with a taproot. The stems are generally erect or may be
prostrate where frequently mowed. Leaves are variable, all opposite with 3-5 divisions and dentate
margins. Flowers in heads with white ray flowers and yellow disc flowers. Fruit an elongate achene
with 2-4 barbs that stick onto clothing, animal fur, etc., hence the name, "beggar-ticks".
Habitat: FAC. Disturbed ground in mesic to dry sites.
Flowering: All year in South Florida, summer-fall in North Florida.

Bidens bipinnata L. SPANISH NEEDLES
Description: Annual with a taproot: stems erect and spreading, up to 1 m tall; leaves opposite and
highly dissected into many ovate to lanceolate segments; flowers in heads, usually the ray flowers
are absent or if present they are usually short to 5 mm long; disk flowers are greenish; fruit a
narrowly oblong achene with 3 or 4 retrorsely barbed awns 2-5 mm long.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous annual with a taproot. The stems and leaves are smooth and the
leaves are opposite and highly dissected. The flowers are in heads, ray flowers absent or small and
not conspicuous. The fruit is a barbed achene with 3-4 awns that stick to clothing, animal fur, etc.
Habitat: UPL. Disturbed ground in mesic to dry sites, especially gardens, agricultural fields and
pastures.
Distribution: North and central Florida south to Polk County.
DICOTS 289
Bigelowia nudata (Michaux) de Candolle RAYLESS GOLDENROD
synonymy: Chondrophora nudata (Michaux) Britton
Description: Herbaceous perennial without rhizomes and with a basal rosette, and one to several
hairless, slightly sticky stems up to 0.8 m tall; leaves in a basal rosette, nearly linear to broadly
oblanceolate, tapering to the narrow base, to 14 cm long and 1.4 cm broad; stems erect with
alternate leaves, much smaller than rosette leaves, 6 to 15 per stem, ascending, the upper narrowly
linear; flowers produced in heads, these arranged in a flat-topped inflorescence; heads small,
without ray flowers, with an involucre of overlapping, sticky, yellow bracts with dark tips; disk
flowers 2 to 6 per head, yellow, with 5 corolla lobes; fruit is an achene that is wider at the top or
nearly cylindrical, with a few hairs, to 2 mm long, topped by a pappus of bristles around 3 mm long.
Recognition: Non-rhizomatous herb less than 1 m tall with a basal rosette of rather narrow leaves
and very narrow alternate stem leaves. The flowers are in small yellow heads without ray flowers in
a flat-topped inflorescence. The obovoid achenes have a pappus of bristles. There are two subspe
cies of Bigelowia nudata in Florida. Subspecies nudata, in northern Florida, has shorter, wider
rosette leaves (10 cm long and over 4 mm broad) and smaller heads (to 6 mm long); subsp. australis
L. C. Anderson, in peninsular Florida, has longer, narrow rosette leaves (over 10 cm long and less
than 4 mm broad) and larger heads (6-7.5 mm tall). The other species of Bigelowia in Florida, B.
nuttallii L. C. Anderson (syn. Bigelowia nudata (Nuttall) de Candolle, Chondrophora virgata
(Nuttall) Greene, with rhizomes and very narrow leaves less than 2 mm broad, is known only from
Washington and Pinellas Counties. Euthamia and Flaveria also have flat-topped inflorescences of
small yellow heads. Euthamia differs from Bigelowia in having ray flowers in its heads; Flaveria
differs in having opposite stem leaves, in having some heads with one ray flower, and in having
achenes without a pappus.
Habitat: FACW. Open mesic to wet flatwoods, wet prairies, seepage slopes, dome swamps.
Distribution: Throughout Florida. Subspecies nudata extends south to Pinellas, Alachua, and
Volusia Counties; subsp. australis extends north to Levy, Bradford, and Flagler Counties.
Flowering: Late summer and fall or all year southward.
DARST

Boltonia spp FALSE ASTER, DOLL'S DAISY
Description: Perennial herbs, often with stolons or rhizomes, with hairless branched leafy stems to
about 1 or 2 m tall; leaves alternate, linear to elliptic or oblanceolate, the edges smooth or with a
few teeth; flowers in heads, these loosely arranged on spreading branches; heads around 1.5 to 4 cm
wide, with both ray and disk flowers, surrounded by a hemispheric involucre of slender, overlapping
bracts; ray flowers numerous, with slender white to pale pink or blue corollas; disk flowers numer
ous, yellow or greenish, short, with 5 corolla lobes; fruit a flattened achene, with a narrow to wide
wing around the edge, hairless or with a few hairs, usually topped by a pappus of two or three stiff
bristles (awns) as well as small scales, sometimes the scales or awns lacking.
Recognition: Herbs to about 2 m tall with hairless leafy stems, usually narrow alternate leaves, and
open inflorescences of numerous heads with many slender white rays and a yellow disk, producing
flat, winged achenes with a pappus of usually 2 stiff bristles. The species of Boltonia are hard to tell
apart, but there may be three in Florida, of which only B. diffusa is widespread.
Boltonia diffusa Elliott-Diffusely branched with narrow leaves, less than 5 mm broad. Leaves in the
inflorescence usually less than 1 cm long. Flowers with rays 5-8 mm long.
Boltonia apalachicolensis L. C. Anderson-Like B. diffusa but some leaves over 1 cm broad and some
leaves in the inflorescence more than 1 cm long.
Boltonia asteroides (Linnaeus) L'Heritier de Brutelle-Inflorescence narrower, the branches not as
spreading. Flower heads larger, with rays 8-15 mm long.
Boltonia can be mistaken for Aster or Erigeron, but those genera have achenes with a pappus of
numerous bristles.
Habitat: FACW. Generally in open wet areas, such as marshes or wet disturbed areas; B.
apalachicolensis in shady floodplain forests.
Distribution:
Boltonia apalachicolensis, B. asteroides—Lower Apalachicola River area, Liberty, Calhoun, Gulf and
Franklin Counties; also Washington County (5. apalachicolensis) and Santa Rosa County (B.
asteroides).
Boltonia diffusa—throughout Florida.
Flowering: Fall.
Boltonia asteroides (L.) L'Heritier de Brutelle
291
DICOTS
Borrichia spp SEA OXEYES
Description: Perennial herbs or shrubs of salt marshes and mangrove swamps with rhizomes and
with leafy stems to 1.2 m tall, becoming woody at the base, and producing few to many branches;
leaves opposite, succulent, oblanceolate, with a rounded tip and narrow tapering base, often gray-
green from dense hairs, each pair after falling leaving two narrowly triangular scales or prickles on
stem; inflorescence a loose arrangement of long-stalked heads at ends of branches; heads firm,
with both ray and disk flowers, surrounded by an involucre of numerous overlapping bracts; ray
flowers with yellow, rather short and broad corollas; disk flowers brownish yellow, with five erect
corolla lobes, each flower with a firm bract (chaff) at its base; achene angled, somewhat cone-
shaped and widest at top, topped by a thin crown-like ring of tissue.
Recognition: Branched herbs or shrubs of marshy coasts, with woody bases; opposite, often gray-
green, succulent leaves that leave pairs of scales on the stem; and tough heads with yellow rays,
brownish-yellow disks, and firm bracts on the disk, producing achenes with a crown-like pappus of
thin tissue. The only member of the Asteraceae with yellow ray flowers likely to be seen in coastal
marshes and swamps is Wedelia trilobata, creeping oxeye. This is a creeping herb without woody
stems and with scabrous trilobed leaves.
There are two species of Borrichia in Florida, of which only B.frutescens is widespread.
Borrichia frutescens (Linnaeus) de Candolle: Forming large colonies, each stem few-branched; leaves
grayish-green, covered with short hairs; flowers with some involucral bracts spine-tipped; chaff with
painful spiny tips 1-3 mm long.
Borrichia arborescens (Linnaeus) de Candolle: Not forming large colonies, bushy-branched; leaves light
green, smooth; flower heads without spine-tipped chaff and bracts.
Supposed hybrids between these two species have been called Borrichia x cubana Britton & S. F. Blake.
Habitat: OBL. Salt marshes, mangrove swamps, beaches, sometimes weedy in disturbed coastal sites.
Distribution:
B.frutescens: Throughout Florida along the coasts.
B. arborescens: Dade County and the Keys.
Flowering: Spring and summer.

292
Borrichia spp. (continued)
Borrichia frutescens (L.) de CandoIIe
Borrichia arborescens (Linnaeus) de Candolle
DICOTS
Carphephorus spp. CHAFFHEAD
Description: Medium to large perennial herbs usually with a single erect, hairless, hairy, or glandular,
leafy stem to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall from a thickened base or rhizome: leaves usually in basal rosettes,
stem leaves alternate, sessile, much smaller than basal leaves; flowers in heads, arranged in a flat-
topped, or broadly cylindrical inflorescence, heads consist only of disk flowers, surrounded by 2 to 6
rows of bracts, flowers with pink or purple corollas and with a bract (chaff) at the base; fruit a
cone-shaped, 10-angled, achene, broadest at tip and topped by a pappus of numerous fine bristles.
Recognition: Herbs with a single, erect, leafy stem from a basal rosette of large leaves. The stem
leaves are alternate, and much smaller than those of the basal rosette. Flower heads of pink to
purple disk flowers form the flat-topped or broadly cylindrical inflorescences. Liatris is similar but
the inflorescences are long spikes or narrow cylinders. Four of the five species of Carphephorus in
Florida are at least partly associated with wetlands. Carphephorus corymbosus (Nutt.) Torr. & Gray,
the single strictly upland species, has larger heads (involucre 7-10 mm high) than any of the
wetland species.
Carphephorus carnosus (Small) C. W. James (synonym: Litrisa carnosa Small): Basal rosette leaves
short, to 7 cm long, flat on the ground, somewhat leathery, linear to oblanceolate; inflorescence
dense, flat-topped.
Carphephorus odoratissimus (J. F. Gmelin) Herbert (synonym: Trilisa odoratissima (J. F. Gmelin)
Cassini), deer-tongue, vanilla plant: Stem to 1.5-2 m (5-7 ft) tall, hairless; basal rosette leaves large,
to 30-40 cm long and 6-12 cm wide, oblanceolate; inflorescence open, much-branched, flat-topped,
with numerous small heads. The crushed leaves often have a pleasant vanilla- or tobacco-like odor,
especially when dried.
Carphephorus paniculatus (J. F. Gmelin) Herbert (synonym: Trilisa paniculata (J. F. Gmelin) Cassini):
Like C. odoratissimus but stem to only about 1 m (3 ft) tall, hairy; basal rosette leaves not as large, to
20-30 cm long and 2-3 cm wide; inflorescence broadly cylindrical.
Carphephorus pseudoliatris Cassini: Basal leaves ascending, needle-like, inrolled, to 40 cm long and
only 1-2 mm wide; inflorescence dense, flat-topped, with usually 7-12 large heads.
I Iabitat: FAC. Carphephorus odoratissimus and C. paniculatus: Hydric to mesic pine flatwoods,
savannas, seepage slopes, sometimes (C. odoratissimus) sandhills; FACW. Carphephorus carnosus
and C. pseudoliatris: Hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods, savannas, seepage slopes.
Distribution: Carphephorus carnosus: Endemic to central peninsular Florida from Brevard and
Martin Counties west to Charlotte and Lee Counties; Carphephorus odoratissimus and C.
paniculatus: Throughout Florida except the southernmost counties (Broward, Dade, Monroe);
Carphephorus pseudoliatris: Northwest Florida from Wakulla and Liberty Counties west to
Escambia County.
Flowering: Late summer-fall (especially September to November), or during the winter months
southward. Sometimes flowering in mass after summer burns in flatwoods.

Carphephorus spp. (continued)
Carphephorus carnosus (Small) C. W.James
Carphephorus odoratissimus (J. F. Gmelin) Herbert
Carphephorus paniculatus (J. F. Gmelin) Herbert
Carphephorus pseudoliatris Cassini
DICOTS
Description: Herbaceous perennials with leaves in a basal rosette; leaves oblanceolate to elliptic with
a rounded tip, to 10 cm long and 3 cm broad, dark green above, densely covered with white felt
below; flower stalks arising from the rosette, leafless, to 30 cm tall, purplish, with white cottony
hairs; flowers in solitary heads at ends of stalks, nodding before flowering and at night, erect during
the day, with an involucre of numerous overlapping bracts with cottony hairs, and with both ray
and disk flowers, ray flowers numerous, their corollas slender, white above, pink below, disk flowers
cream-colored, with a two-lipped corolla, the lips rolled back, one lip deeply two-parted, the other
with three teeth at the tip; fruit an elliptic achene, ribbed, topped by a pappus of tawny bristles.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennials with a basal rosette of distinctly two-toned leaves that are dark
green above and bright white below. Flowers in nodding single heads on leafless stalks from a leafy
rosette. The ray flowers are white and the disc flowers are cream-colored with two-lipped corollas.
The disk flowers are unique among eastern North American species of the aster family. This
species can be confused with Gnaphalium spp. which have heads in clusters on an erect leafy stem;
and Pterocaulon pycnostachym (Michx.) Klatt., black-root, a perennial herb from a large black root
with heads in a dense terminal spike.
Habitat: FACW. Open mesic to wet flatwoods, savannahs, seepage slopes, wet prairies, wet mowed
roadsides. Also found on moist to wet marly soils.
Flowering: Late winter-spring.

Cirsium spp, THISTLES
Description: Biennial or perennial herbs to 3 m tall; stems thick, erect, unbranched or branched, leafy
and often covered with cobwebby hairs; leaves largest at base of stem and becoming smaller
upward, alternate, unlobed or pinnately lobed, nearly always with spines on the margins and at the
tip; inflorescence of one to few heads at end of main stem and branches; flowers in large heads (as
much as 3 cm wide and high), with many disk flowers and no ray flowers, surrounded by a broad
egg-shaped to cylindrical or bell-shaped involucre of many overlapping bracts, with or without
spiny tips; disk flowers inserted among long, soft bristles or hairs on the disk, with long, slender,
pink to purplish or reddish corollas having five long, narrow lobes; fruit a smooth achene without
ribs, topped by a pappus of many long, soft, white, feathery hairs joined into a ring at their base.
Recognition: Large (1-3 m tall) herbs with erect stems bearing alternate, usually painfully spiny leaves
and large heads of pink to purple disk flowers. No other plants in Florida have this combination of
characters. When the plants are not in bloom they may be recognized by their large rosettes of
spiny leaves.
Of the roughly seven species of Cirsium in Florida, three are wetland plants, but only C. nuttallii is
widespread.
Cirsium nuttallii de Candolle, syn. Carduus nuttallii (de Candolle) Pollard): Lower stem conspicuously
winged; leaves deeply pinnately lobed; involucral bracts with spreading spines at tips.
Cirsium lecontei Torrey & Gray, syn. Carduus lecontei (Torrey & Gray) Pollard): Lower stem only
winged under each leaf base; leaves narrowly elliptic, not deeply lobed; involucral bracts with
ascending or erect spines at tips.
Cirsium muticum Michaux, syn. Carduus muticus (Michaux) Persoon, swamp thistle: Stem not
winged; leaves rather broad, deeply pinnately lobed; involucral bracts spineless, with rounded tips.
Plants of the complex called Cirsium horridulum Michaux (including such species as C. smallii Britton
and C. vittatum Small): may be found in wet places. Unlike the other thistles in Florida, these plant:
have an outer whorl of spiny bracts that hide the true involucre.
Habitat:
OBL. Cirsium muticum: Floodplain forests, wet disturbed areas.
FACW. Cirsium nuttallii: Disturbed flatwoods, depression or basin marshes, roadsides, pastures. C.
lecontei: Mesic to wet flatwoods, seepage slopes, wet prairies.
Distribution:
C. nuttallii. Throughout peninsular Florida. Reported as far west as Gadsden County.
C. lecontei. Northwest Florida east to Wakulla and Liberty Counties.
C. muticum. Sporadic in north Florida: Jackson, Liberty, Wakulla, Putnam Counties.
Flowering: C. nuttallii: spring and summer, or all year southward. C. lecontei, C. muticum: fall.
DICOTS 297
Cirsium spp. (continued)
Cirsium muticum Michaux OBL SWAMP THISTLE
Cirsium lecontei Torrey & Gray FACW LECONTE'S THISTLE
DARST
Cirsium nuttallii de Candolle FACW NUTTALL'S THISTLE

Conoclinium coelestinum (Linnaeus) de Candolle MISTFLOWER
synonymy: Eupatorium coelestinum Linnaeus
Description: Perennial herb forming colonies by long rhizomes: stems erect, hairy and leafy, up to 1
m tall, unbranched or with few ascending branches; leaves opposite, stalked, the triangular blades
up to 10 cm long and 6 cm broad, with toothed edges; flowers in heads, these arranged in a dense,
flat-topped inflorescence; heads small, without ray flowers, with a bell-shaped involucre of loosely
overlapping, slender bracts with purple tips; disk flowers 40 to 90 per head, the corolla with 5 blue
or blue-violet lobes, the stigmas long, conspicuous, blue or blue-violet, inserted on a cone-shaped
receptacle; fruit a 5-angled achene, narrowly cone-shaped and wider at the top, to 1.5 mm long,
topped by a pappus of stiff bristles around 3 mm long.
Recognition: Perennial herb usually growing in colonies connected by long rhizomes. Stems up to
about 1 m tall bearing opposite, triangular leaves and topped by a dense, flat-topped inflorescence
of rayless blue or blue-violet flower heads with prominent "mist-like" stigmas. 'I he very dense flat-
topped inflorescences of rayless blue heads are unique among native or naturalized Horida plants,
but the plant does resemble cultivated species of Ageratum. It differs from Eupatorium in its cone-
shaped receptacle and blue-violet flowers.
Habitat: FAC. Floodplain forests, edges of upland hardwood forests or hydric hammocks, moist
roadsides, pastures, pond margins, ditch banks, and in a variety of disturbed areas.
Flowering: Summer-fall, throughout the year in south Florida.
DICOTS 299
Coreopsis spp. TICKSEEDS
Description: Annual (C. leavenworthii) or perennial herbs; stems usually leafy, around 1 m tall,
producing a few to many long branches; leaves simple or compound, opposite or alternate; inflores
cence a diffuse arrangement of heads at ends of the branches; flowers in conspicuous heads, with
both ray and disk flowers, surrounded by bracts in two rows, the outer small, often triangular, and
green, the inner much larger and often brown, dark red, or translucent with colored veins; ray
flowers 8, yellow (rosy purple in C. nudata), sometimes red at base, broad, often 3-lobed at the tip;
disk flowers yellow to dark purple, inserted on a flat disk, with a thin bract (chaff) at the base, the
corollas with 4 or 5 lobes; fruit a flattened achene, with thin wings at the edges, topped by a pappus
of two stiff bristles (awns), or the pappus absent.
Recognition: Herbs with a single erect leafy stem often with few branches; heads with 8 broad yellow
or purple rays often 3-lobed at the tip and a yellow or dark purple disk, surrounded by bracts in 2
rows, the outer small and green and the inner larger and often colored; achenes winged, usually
with two small bristles at the tip. Species of Bidens are similar to Coreopsis, but differ in that their
leaves are always opposite, the heads of several species lack rays, and their achenes have no wings
and often longer, stiffer, and with barbed bristles at the tip. Of the 13 or 14 species of Coreopsis in
Florida, eight are considered wetland plants.
Coreopsis tripteris Linnaeus. Stems up to 2-3 m tall; leaves opposite, most with three leaflets; ray
corollas with tips rounded, not 3-lobed; disk corollas with 5 lobes (all other wetland species have
disk corollas with 4 lobes).
Coreopsis nudata Nuttall. Rays rosy purple; disk flowers yellow. The plants have such few narrow
leaves that they appear leafless.
Coreopsis leavenworthii Torrey & Gray. Leaves opposite, narrow, linear to narrowly oblanceolate,
usually at least some pinnately divided into linear segments; achenes 2-3.5 mm long, with smooth-
edged wings as wide as the achene body.
Coreopsis integrifolia Poiret. Leaves opposite, broadly elliptic or lanceolate; achenes 5 mm long, with
comb-like wings much narrower than the achene body.
Coreopsis linifolia Nuttall. Lowermost leaves opposite, upper alternate, narrow, linear to narrowly
oblanceolate, somewhat fleshy, the fresh leaves showing dark dots when backlit; achenes 2 mm
long, with narrow comb-like wings.
Coreopsis floridana E. B. Smith. Leaves alternate, with narrowly elliptic or lanceolate blades, the lowest
with long stalks; outer bracts broadly triangular, less than 0.3 times as long as the inner bracts;
achenes up to 5 mm long, with comb-like wings as much as half as wide as the achene body.
Coreopsis gladiata Walter (synonymy: C. helianthoides Beadle). Like C. floridana, but with the outer
bracts longer than broad, lanceolate to oblong, about half as long as the inner bracts; rays some
times with a tiny red dot at base; and achenes sometimes with hairs on edge rather than comb-like
wings.
Coreopsis falcata Boynton. Like C. gladiata, but with at least some leaves having 1 or 2 lobes, and
achenes with broad comb-like wings nearly as wide as the achene body.
Habitat:
FAC. C. tripteris-. Moist upland hardwood forests or mixed hardwood-pine forests.
FACW. C. leavenworthii: Mesic to wet flatwoods, marl prairies, and especially disturbed areas like
roadsides and ditches. C. floridana, gladiata, linifolia: Wet flatwoods, wet prairies, edges of cypress
swamps, and ditches. C. integrifolia: Floodplains and stream banks. C. falcata: wet flatwoods, wet
prairies, or depression marshes.

Coreopsis spp. (continued)
OBL. C. nudata: Usually in standing water in wet prairies, wet flatwoods, swamps, depression
marshes, and wet disturbed areas such as roadside ditches.
Distribution:
C. falcata: Reported from Franklin County.
C. floridana: Central and southern Florida from Citrus and Brevard Counties south; Gulf coastal from
Citrus County to Walton County.
C. gladiata: Reported sporadically in northern Florida south to Manatee and Highlands Counties.
C. integrifolia: A rare plant in the Chipola River drainage; Washington County; and disjunct to Nassau
County.
C. leavenworthii: Throughout.
C. linifolia: Northwest Florida, east to Wakulla and Liberty Counties, and Nassau and Duval Counties.
C. nudata-. Northwest Florida, east toJefferson County, and northeast Florida south to Alachua County.
C. tripteris: Gadsden and Leon Counties.
Flowering: Summer to fall or in winter southward, except spring to early summer for C. nudata and C.
falcata: C. leavenworthii may bloom all year southward.
Coreopsis tripteris Linnaeus FAC TALL TICKSEED
Coreopsis nudata Nuttall OBL GEORGIA TICKSEED
DICOTS 301
Coreopsis integrifolia Poiret FACW CILIATE-LEAF TICKSEED
Coreopsis linifolia Nuttall FACW TEXAS TICKSEED

Coreopsis floridana E.B. Smith FACW FLORIDA TICKSEED
Coreopsis gladiata Walter FACW SOUTHEASTERN TICKSEED
DICOTS 303
Eclipta alba (L.) Hasskarl. YERBA DE TAJO
synonymy: Verbesina alba L.
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial: stems pubescent, erect or decumbent and rooting at the
nodes; leaves opposite, pubescent, simple, elliptic to lanceolate, 3-12 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, with
serrate margins and a pointed apex and cuneate base; flowers in axillary and terminal heads, disc
and rays flowers with a whitish corolla, the 10-12 involucre bracts are green and leafy, 3-6 cm long
and in one series; fruit a brown achene, obovoid, somewhat angled, ca. 2 mm long, smooth on the
sides (tubercles), minute pubescent toward the apex, pappus a short crown of scales.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with pubescent leaves and stems. The leaves are opposite
and simple, elliptic to lanceolate in outline, obscurely serrate with a pointed apex. Petioles are
obscured by the gradually narrowing leaf base. The flowers are in heads. These are produced in the
leaf axils and terminally, usually with more than one head. The heads are flattened, appearing
mostly whitish with a ring of triangular, green, leafy involucre bracts below the crowded flowers.
The fruit is an achene which can be angular if produced from the disc flowers or slightly flattened if
produced from the ray flowers. The pappus is a ring of short scales.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains, lake and pond shores, ditches, in a variety of wet disturbed areas.
Flowering: All year in south Florida, late spring to summer in north Florida.

Erechtites hieracifolia (Linnaeus) Rafinesque ex de Candolle FIREWEED
Description: Small to large annual herb up to 3 m (10 ft) tall; stem erect, smooth or hairy, leafy and
generally unbranched except near the top or branched from the middle up; leaves alternate, thin in
texture, variable in size and shape, but usually elliptic or lanceolate with an acute tip, irregularly
toothed, unlobed to pinnately lobed; flowers in heads, heads produced in a fairly loose arrangement
of clusters at ends of branches; heads narrowly cylindric, 1-2 cm long, with a single row of linear
green bracts and a few smaller bracts at the base, and bearing disk flowers only; flowers with
corollas cream-colored, very slender, 5-lobed at tip, hardly visible above the bracts; fruit a brown
achene, nearly cylindric, to about 3 mm long, topped by a pappus of numerous long, soft, white
bristles.
Recognition: Usually medium-sized to large herb with a green leafy stem, the leaves alternate, elliptic,
toothed, and either unlobed or lobed; heads cylindric, with a single row of bracts and numerous,
hardly visible, cream colored disk flowers; achene small, with a long white pappus. At a glance it is
hard to tell when the plant is flowering as the flowering heads are green; fruiting plants are more
conspicuous with tufts of white pappus.
Habitat: FAC. In various disturbed (sometimes burned) places in uplands and wetlands, including
old fields, yards, clearings in forests, ditches and roadside swales, and marshes.
Flowering: All year in central and south Florida, summer until frost in north Florida.
DICOTS 305
Erigeron spp, DAISY FLEABANE
Description: Annual or perennial herbs up to about 1 m tall; stem from a basal rosette, with few
leaves, or leafy; leaves alternate, simple, oblanceolate to elliptic; flowers in heads, these often
numerous and arranged in a flat-topped inflorescence composed of ascending branches; heads with
both ray and disk flowers, surrounded by a single row of bracts, the bracts uniformly green; ray
flowers numerous, the corollas slender, white to pale pink or blue; disk flowers with corollas 5-lobed
at tip, yellow, without bracts (chaff) at base, inserted on a flat disk; fruit a cylindrical or slightly
flattened achene, topped by a pappus of fine bristles.
Recognition: Herbs with branched stems, the largest leaves often in a basal rosette, the stem leaves
alternate. Flower heads with slender, numerous, white to pale pink or blue rays and a yellow disk,
surrounded by a single row of green bracts. Achenes with a pappus of numerous fine bristles.
Erigeron is similar to species of Aster and Conyza (an upland genus). The heads of Aster differ from
those of Erigeron in their several rows of overlapping green-tipped bracts (the bracts of Erigeron
hardly overlap and are uniformly green). Conyza has tiny heads with very short and slender white
rays. Our species of Erigeron generally bloom in the spring, while the other genera bloom in
summer and fall. Of the seven species of Erigeron in Florida, two are considered wetland plants.
Erigeron quercifolius Lamarck: Stem with short hairs; leaves often lobed, the stem leaves clasping the
stem; rays 100 or more. E. philadelphicus Linnaeus, UPL, is a similar species that is sometimes
found in floodplains in northwest Florida; it has long hairs on the stem and larger heads.
Erigeron vernus (Linnaeus) Torrey & Gray: Stem hairless, nearly leafless; leaves with smooth margins
or with tiny teeth, fleshy; rays 40 or fewer.
Habitat:
FAC. Erigeron quercifolius: Pond margins, sandhills, moist open disturbed areas.
FACW. Erigeron vernus: Mesic to wet flatwoods, savannas, seepage slopes, ditch banks, pond margins,
disturbed areas.
Distribution:
Erigeron quercifolius: From Jackson and Calhoun Counties east throughout the peninsula.
Erigeron vernus: Throughout.
Flowering: Spring; sometimes later.

Erigeron spp. (continued)
Erigeron quercifolius Lamarck FAC FLEABANE
Erigeron vernus (L.) Torrey & Gray FACW EARLY WHITETOP FLEABANE
DICOTS 307
Eupatorium spp. THOROUGHWORT, DOG-FENNEL
Description: Erect perennial herbs, 1.5-3 m tall, generally growing from a knotty base (occasionally
rhizomatous); stems one to several, stiffly erect to ascending, usually pubescent throughout,
unbranched below the inflorescence; leaves mostly opposite (alternative leaves on some inflores
cence branches); sessile, with petioles, or joined at base; leaf blades highly variable in form, shape,
and size (simple, lobed, or pinnately divided), margins entire or toothed; inflorescence of clustered,
disc flowers only, held in spreading panicles or flat to rounded terminal heads; involucral bracts
uneven, glandular, imbricated in 2-3 series, receptacle flat without chaff, flowers slender with an
expanded five lobed summit, corollas white to cream, externally glandular; fruit angled or 5-ribbed
achenes, dark brown to black, usually glandular; pappus hairs white and minutely, antrorsely
barbed.
Recognition: Leaf distinctions can separate and identify most species. Hybridization occurs between
some species. Vegetatively similar species but with colored inflorescence, are found in the genera
Eupatoriadelphus, with whorled leaves at the base of the stem, pink to purple corollas, and purplish,
capillary pappus bristles, and Conoclinium with leaves that have truncate bases, corolla lobes violet
or blue-violet, conspicuously exserted stigmas, and capillary pappus bristles that are fused basally.
E. leptophyllum DC. (marsh thoroughwort), a very slender perennial herb to 2 m (6 ft) tall, stem not
sticky when squeezed; leaves pinnately divided and strongly and deeply dissected into linear
segments, lower ones opposite and petiolate, uppermost alternate, simple and filiform, with the
segments much finer than those of E. capillifolium and E. compositifolium, inflorescence with all
flower heads lying to one side of the spreading branches (secund); flowering and fruiting mid-
September through late winter or until frost.
E. capillifolium (Lam.) Small (dog fennel), a multi-stalked perennial herb to 3 m (10 ft) tall; plants not
sticky to slight squeeze; leaves pinnately divided and strongly and deeply dissected into linear
segments, similar in arrangement to E. leptophyllum but comparatively less narrow; inflorescence
composed of many paniculate branches, each with numerous flower heads; flowering and fruiting
from early fall through late winter or until frost.
E. compositifolium Walt, (dog fennel), a multi-stalked perennial herb to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, plants sticky
when slightly squeezed; leaves pinnately divided and strongly and deeply dissected into linear
segments, similar in arrangement to E. capillifolium but generally wider; inflorescence similar to E.
capillifolium-, flowering and fruiting similar to E. capillifolium.
E. leucolepis (DC.) T.& G. (white bract thoroughwort), perennial herb 4-10 dm tall; leaves opposite,
sessile, curvate, largest along midstem, reduced in size basally and apically; variably lanceolate in
shape, margins variably serrate, midvein and sometimes two lateral veins prominent, leaf surfaces
scabrous and glandular punctate; inflorescence flower bracts 6-10 mm high, bracts imbricate, with
acuminate white pubescent tips and hyaline margins, corolla dull white with glands on outer
surfaces; achene dark gray to black; flowering August-September.
E. mikanioides Chapm. (semaphore thoroughwort), perennial herb to 1 m tall; leaves opposite, slightly
succulent, broadly triangulate (shovel shaped), 2-7 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide(base), pubescent
petioles, 1-2.5 cm long, twisted such that the leaves are held at an angle to vertical; inflorescence,
typical resinous white disc flowers; flowering August-October.
E. perfoliatum L. (boneset), erect, occasionally rhizomatous, herb to approximately 2 m tall; leaves
opposite, perfoliate, clasping basally to form an entire collar around stem, lanceolate with long
acuminate tips, 5-20 cm long, margins crenate to serrate, upper surfaces short pubescent, lower
surfaces subtomentose and glandular; flowering September-November.

Eupatorium spp. (continued)
Six additional species all with entire leaves: E. mohrii Green, E. recurvans Small, E. pilosum Walt, E.
rotundifolium L„ E. semiserratum DC., and E. serotinum Michx.
Habitats: OBL. E. leptophyllum: cypress dominated ponds, shores of open ponds, and wet marl
prairies. FACW. E. leucolepis, pine savannas, flatwoods, and bogs; E. mikanioides: salt, brackish
and freshwater marshes, moist to wet flatwoods, ditches, roadside, marl prairies, glades, solution
holes in limerock (calcareous areas); E. perfoliatum: moist to wet places often in partial shade,
edges of streams and rivers. FAC. E. capillifolium: disturbed wet soil (readily produces hydric
adventitious roots in response to inundation). All remaining species: areas include hydric pine to
low flatwoods, along swales and in ditches, margins of pools, or depressions, marshes, disturbed
areas, fields, and along roadsides.
Distribution: E. leptophyllum, E. capillifolium, E. mikanioides, E. compositifolium, E. mohrii, E.

recurvans, and E. serotinum: throughout; E. leucolepis: north Florida; E. perfoliatum, E. pilosum,
and E. rotundifolium: north and north central Florida; E. semiserratum: northwest Florida eastward
to near Dixie County.
Eupatorium leptophyllum DC. OBL MARSH THOROUGHWORT
Eupatorium capillifolium (Lam.) Small FACW DOG FENNEL
DICOTS 309
Eupatorium spp. (continued)
Eupatorium leucolepis (DC.) T.&G. FACW WHITE BRACT

THOROUGHWORT
Eupatorium mikanioides Chapm. FACW SEMAPHORE

THOROUGHWORT
Eupatorium perfoliatum L. FACW BONESET

Euthamia spp, FLAT-TOPPED GOLDENRODS
Description: Perennial, sometimes sticky, herbs to about 1 m tall with rhizomes; stems erect and
leafy; leaves alternate, linear to narrowly lanceolate, punctate, with smooth edges, often shed by
flowering time; flowers in small heads, with both ray and disk flowers, surrounded by a nearly
cylindrical involucre of overlapping sticky bracts that are yellow with green tips; heads numerous,
arranged in leafy, much branched, flat-topped inflorescences; disk flowers 3-7 per head, yellow, with
5 corolla lobes; ray flowers 7-16 per head, yellow, irregularly spaced-around the head; fruit a small
achene, with several nerves, covered with short hairs, topped by a pappus of fine bristles.
Recognition: Herbs to about 1 m tall with leafy stems, narrow alternate leaves, and flat-topped
inflorescences of numerous small yellow heads with several ray flowers, producing achenes with a
pappus of bristles. The species of Euthamia are hard to tell apart, but there are probably two in
Florida, of which E. minor is the most common.
Euthamia minor (Michx.) Greene, syn. Solidago microcephala (Greene) Bush, Euthamia caroliniana (L.)
Greene ex Porter & Britt., has linear leaves only 1.5-2.5 mm wide and involucres 3.5-4.5 mm high.
Euthamia tenuifolia (Pursh) Greene, syn. Solidago tenuifolia Pursh, Euthamia hirtipes (Fern.) Sieren,
Euthamia graminifolia (L.) Nutt. var. hirtipes (Fern.) C. E. S. Taylor & R.J. Taylor, is like E. minor but
has wider, narrowly lanceolate leaves 3-5 mm wide and larger heads with involucres 5-6 mm high.
Flaveria and Bigelowia also have flat-topped inflorescences of small yellow heads. Euthamia differs
from Flaveria in having alternate leaves, consistently having more than one ray flower in its heads,
and in having achenes with a pappus of bristles; Euthamia differs from Bigelowia in having ray
flowers and in having achenes with a pappus of bristles.
Habitat: FAC. Euthamia minor. Old fields, pastures, mesic to wet flatwoods, edges of marshes and
lakes, ditch banks. Euthamia tenuifolia: Wet flatwoods, coastal marshes.
Distribution:
Euthamia minor Throughout the state.
Euthamia tenuifolia: Gulf coast south to Sarasota County; also Polk, Highlands, and Duval Counties.
Flowering: Late summer and fall.
DICOTS 311
Flaveria spp YELLOWTOP
Description: Annual or perennial herbs to about 1 m tall; stems leafy; leaves opposite, each con
nected to the other in a pair by a small flange on the stem, linear to lanceolate, with smooth or
toothed edges; flowers in heads, these produced in a flat-topped inflorescence or in loosely
arranged stalked or stalkless clusters arising from stem leaves; heads small, either without ray
flowers or with one ray flower, surrounded by a cylindrical or bell-shaped involucre of 3 to 7 equal
yellow bracts; disk flowers 5 to 20 per head, yellow, with 5 corolla lobes; fruit a cone-shaped achene
widest at the top, with 10 ribs, to 1.5 mm long, without a pappus.
Recognition: Herbs to about 1 m tall with leafy stems, narrow opposite leaves, and often flat-topped
inflorescences of numerous small yellow heads without ray flowers or with one ray flower, produc
ing achenes without a pappus. Of the four species of Flaveria in Florida, only F. floridana and F.
linearis are common.
Flaveria floridana}. R.Johnston: Leaves 1-nerved, not conspicuously toothed; inflorescence flat-
topped; involucral bracts usually 5 or more per head; disk flowers 10-19 per head.
Flaveria linearis Lagasca y Segura: Like F. floridana but not as large; disk flowers mostly 5-10 per head.
Supposed hybrids with F.floridana are called F. X latifolia (J. R.Johnston) Rydberg.
Flaveria bidentis (Linnaeus) Kuntze: Leaves 3-nerved, toothed; inflorescence bright yellow, not flat-
topped; involucral bracts 3 or 4 per head.
Flaveria trinervia (Sprengel) Mohr: Like F. bidentis; inflorescence greenish-yellow, composed of
stalkless clusters arising from upper stem leaves.
Euthamia and Bigelowia also have flat-topped inflorescences of small yellow heads like the common
species of Flaveria. Euthamia differs from Flaveria in having alternate leaves, consistently having
ray flowers in its heads, and in having achenes with a pappus of bristles; Bigelowia differs in having
alternate leaves, in never having ray flowers, and in having achenes with a pappus of bristles.
Habitat:
FAC. Flaveria bidentis, F. trinervia: Disturbed areas (F. bidentis) or mesic to wet flatwoods (F.
trinervia).
FACW. Flaveria floridana, F. linearis: Depression and basin marshes, wet prairies, pine rocklands,
edges of mangrove swamps, disturbed areas such as berms and dikes near the coast.
Distribution:
Flaveria bidentis: Escambia and Dade Counties.

Flaveria floridana: Southwest Florida from Pinellas and Polk Counties south to Collier County.
Flaveria linearis: Peninsular Florida from St. Johns County south on the Atlantic coast, extending to
Wakulla County on the Gulf coast.
Flaveria trinervia: Sporadic in south Florida; known from Hillsborough, Glades, Lee, Palm Beach,
Dade, and Monroe Counties.
Flowering: Late summer and fall, or all year southward.

Flaveria linearis Lagasca y Segura FACW YELLOWTOP
Flaveria trinervia (Sprengel) Mohr FAC YELLOWTOP
DICOTS 313
Hartwrightia floridana A. Gray ex S. Wats. FLORIDA HARTWRIGHTIA
Description: Herbaceous rhizomatous perennial with elongate basal leaves; plants covered with
sticky beads; stem erect, leafy; leaves alternate with uppermost leaves very small compared to the
larger basal leaves; blades oblanceolate to elliptic, from 1-15 cm long and 1-10 cm wide, margins
entire, often wavy; flowers in heads, these arranged in a flat-topped inflorescence; heads with a few
disk flowers; corolla pale pink to pinkish purple, having a funnelform tube with 5 short, triangular
erect lobes; involucre composed of linear-oblong imbricated bracts; fruit an achene, cylindrical
with 5 prominent wing-angles, pappus usually absent or sometimes of five quickly deciduous awns.
Recognition: Herbs covered with sticky

beads on all surfaces with flowers
especially sticky. The plant has reduced
upper leaves, and long, often wavy edged
basal leaves. The flowers are in small
pinkish-purple heads. This species is
often inconspicuous and overlooked
unless in flower. It is threatened in
Florida.
Habitat: FACW. Seepage wetlands,

especially those dominated by cut-throat
grass, wet pine flatwoods, edges of
sloughs and depressions, wet prairies and
adjacent wet pastures.
Distribution: North and Central peninsular

Florida, especially abundant in Highlands
and Polk Counties.

314
Helenium spp SNEEZEWEEDS
Description: Fibrous-rooted perennials (except H. amarum, a taprooted annual), to about 1 m tall;

stems 1 to several, usually from a basal rosette; often winged by decurrent leaf bases; leaves
alternate, usually narrow oblanceolate to elliptic, 25 cm long; blade margins entire or shallow
toothed near tips, sometimes deeply pinnatifid (H. amarum)-, flowers in heads of both disk and ray
flowers; ray corollas 3-lobed, yellow; disk corollas yellow, sometimes with red-brown tips; heads
single, or many in a branched inflorescence; involucral bracts in overlapping series; disk rounded to
cone-like; fruit an achene, ribbed, topped with 5-10 membranous scales (the pappus).
Recognition: Perennials (except H. amarum) from basal rosettes, often with stems partially winged by
decurrent leaf bases; heads with 3-lobed yellow ray flowers and numerous, mostly yellow disk
flowers. Fruit a ribbed achene with a pappus of several scales. (H. amarum stems never winged,
leaves numerous threadlike segments; plants small, 2-5 dm tall; annuals.)
Habitat: FACW (except H. amarum, FAC). Swamps, floodplains, wet flatwoods, bogs, and savannas.
Considered poisonous and unpalatable to livestock.
Distribution: Six species recognized in Florida, a few common throughout the state.
Flowering: Spring to fall for most species.
I i
. . . , »
DICOTS 315
Helianthus spp SUNFLOWERS
Description: Medium-sized to large annual or perennial herbs; stems up to 2 m tall or more, often
rough to the touch, usually branched and leafy; leaves opposite, or lowermost opposite and upper
alternate, linear to broadly lanceolate; flowers in heads single at ends of branches, large, with both
ray and disk flowers, involucre usually saucer-shaped, of several rows of green bracts; ray flowers
yellow, disk flowers yellow to dark brown or dark purple, each associated with a scale (chaff), disk
flat or slightly rounded; fruit a flattened achene, 4-sided, with a pappus of two easily detachable
scales at the top.
Recognition: Large, usually branched, often rough-textured herbs with leafy stems. Leaves opposite
or alternate, often lanceolate; heads large, with yellow ray flowers and yellow or dark disk flowers,
the disk nearly flat; achenes (sunflower seeds) flattened, with 2 scales at tip (which have usually
fallen off by the time the achene is mature). Several other genera of the aster family in Florida have
large heads with yellow ray flowers. They can be distinguished from sunflowers by differences in
their involucral bracts, achenes, and pappus. About 18 species of sunflowers are recognized in
Florida, of which the six below are considered wetland species. Many of the species in this genus
are variable and hard to recognize, perhaps because they hybridize. Of the wetland species,
Helianthus angustifolius, H floridanus, and H. simulans are most likely to be confused.
Helianthus agrestis Pollard: Branched annual to 2 m tall, usually without basal leaves at flowering
time; stem leaves mostly alternate, lanceolate, toothed, with prominent white hairs on margins at
base; disk flowers purple.
Helianthus angustifolius Linnaeus: Branched perennial without rhizomes, to 1.5-2 m tall, usually
without basal leaves at flowering time; lower stem leaves opposite, upper alternate, linear or
narrowly lanceolate, rough to the touch, dark green above, pale green below, with inrolled margins;
disk flowers purple (or sometimes yellow).
Helianthus carnosus Small: Usually unbranched, smooth perennial without rhizomes, to 80 cm tall,
with leaves mostly basal and with a single head at end of the stem; basal and lower stem leaves
opposite, linear to narrowly lanceolate, to 25 cm long and 15 mm broad; disk flowers yellow.
Helianthus floridanus Gray ex Chapman: Branched perennial with slender rhizomes, to 1-2 m tall,
without basal leaves at flowering time; lower stem leaves opposite, upper alternate, stem leaves
often oblong, relatively broad, rough, with wavy margins that are not inrolled; disk flowers yellow.
This species may hybridize with H. angustifolius in northern Florida.
Helianthus heterophyllus Nuttall: Unbranched or few-branched perennial, very rough to the touch, to
about 1 m tall, with leaves mostly basal; basal leaves opposite, broadly oblanceolate or lanceolate
with a long stalk-like part, with 3 obvious veins; stem leaves few, alternate, linear; disk flowers
purple. The stems are usually tan, making a striking contrast with the green leaves.
Helianthus simulans E. E. Watson: Much-branched perennial with slender to thick rhizomes, to 3 m
tall, usually without basal leaves at flowering time; lower stem leaves opposite, upper alternate,
lanceolate to broadly lanceolate, rough, with margins not inrolled or barely inrolled; disk corollas
yellow to brownish, with dark purple anthers. This species, perhaps native to Louisiana, may have
spread from cultivation in Florida. One of the latest sunflowers to flower, October-November.
Habitat:
FACW: Helianthus agrestis, H. angustifolius, H. carnosus, H. heterophyllus, H. simulans. In general,

mesic to wet flatwoods and adjacent roadsides, sometimes also in marshes. H. agrestis colonizes

wet clearings, burned marshes and other disturbed sites. H. heterophyllus is often abundant in wet
prairies and seepage slopes. H. simulans often spreads into from cultivation around houses and
into moist woods and drainage ditches.
FAC: Helianthus floridanus. Wet flatwoods and wet prairies, edges of bay or titi thickets.
Distribution:
Helianthus agrestis: Central peninsular Florida; also in Baker County.

Helianthus angustifolius: Nearly throughout, south to Lee, Glades, Okeechobee, and Martin Counties.
Helianthus carnosus; Endemic to northeast Florida, Clay, St. Johns, Flagler, and Volusia Counties.
Helianthus floridanus: Northeast Florida south to Osceola County and west to Alachua County.
Helianthus heterophyllus: Northwest Florida east to Leon County.
Helianthus simulans; Northwest Florida south to Lake and Volusia Counties.
Flowering: Summer and fall.
Helianthus agrestis Pollard FACW SOUTHEASTERN SUNFLOWER
• \ " y- %y'
Helianthus angustifolius Linnaeus FACW SWAMP SUNFLOWER
DICOTS 317
Helianthus carnosus Small FACW LAKESIDE SUNFLOWER
Helianthus heterophyllus Nuttall FACW WETLAND SUNFLOWER
Helianthus simulans E.E. Watson FACW MUCK SUNFLOWER

Iva frutescens L MARSH ELDER
Description: Shrubby perennial, to 3.5 m; stems woody below, with many herbaceous branchlets
above; leaves opposite (except uppermost leaflike bracts), short-stalked; blades 4-7 cm long, lance
shaped, larger ones with small teeth scattered on margins; flowers in small drooping heads
clustered in terminal spikes with leafy bracts; each head with 3-20 male flowers in center of disk
and 1-9 female flowers on edge of disk; no ray flowers; each flowers with a pale bract at the base;
corollas inconspicuous, whitish; 3-9 green involucral bracts on each head; fruit an achene, 2 mm
long, dark purplish brown, resin dotted, without a pappus.
Recognition: Shrubby perennials with opposite, dull-green leaves with a few small teeth on the
margin. The flower heads are green, numerous but inconspicuous and produced on leafy branches.
The dark resin-dotted achenes
do not have a pappus. One of 2
semi-woody Iva species in |
Florida; the other, Iva imbricata L |
Walt., is a succulent subshrub of |K I
coastal dunes in northwest .®Jf
Florida. Flowers resemble those
of Ambrosia spp., ragweed,
however the leaves of Ambrosia
are three-lobed to pinnatifid.
Habitat: OBL. Coastal marshes

and shores.
Distribution: Coastal counties

throughout Florida.
Flowering: Summer to fall.
DICOTS 319
Iva microcephala Nutt. LITTLE MARSH ELDER
Description: Slender annual (occasionally short-lived perennial), 4-10 dm tall; stems with erect,
usually hairy branchlets; leaves opposite below, alternate above, to 6 cm long, linear (1-3 mm wide),
clear-dotted (punctate), sparsely short-hairy; flowers in small drooping heads clustered in terminal
spikes with leafy bracts; each head with 4-6 male flowers in center of disk and 3 female flowers on
edge of disk; no ray flowers; each flowers with a pale bract at the base; corollas inconspicuous,
whitish; 4-5 green involucral bracts on each head; fruit an achene, 1.5 mm long, dark brown or
purple, or black, short-hairy near top, without a pappus.
Recognition: Slender annual with linear leaves opposite below and alternate above; numerous small
drooping flower heads on ascending branches with conspicuous linear bracts. Achenes are
obovoid, dark and without a pappus. One of 3 annual Iva species in Florida, this the only one with
linear leaves on upright stems. Flowers resemble those of Ambrosia spp., ragweed, however the
leaves of Ambrosia are three-lobed to pinnatifid.
Habitat: FACW. Pond bottoms and marshes, savannas, flatwoods depressions, swales; often abun
dant following disturbance.
Distribution: Frequent throughout the

peninsula and west to central Panhandle.
Flowering: Fall.

Liatris spp. BLAZING-STAR, GAYFEATHER
Description: Perennial herbs to 2.5 m tall, with shaggy, leafy, usually unbranched stems arising from a
corm or cluster of thickened roots; leaves without an obvious stalk, linear to lance-shaped, obvi
ously gland-dotted, the lowest leaves are usually the longest, the stem leaves much smaller, the
uppermost often bristle-like; flowers with pink to purple (sometime white), five lobed corollas, 3-18
per head, the stalked or sessile heads arranged in a cylinder of few to numerous heads, involucres
composed of several rows of green or purplish gland-dotted bracts with sharp-pointed tips; fruit a
10 ribbed achene with a pappus of 1 or 2 series of bristles.
Recognition: Perennial herbs with leafy unbranched stems often arising from a corm. Flowers
arranged in long narrow cylinders of pink to purple heads without ray flowers. About 13 species of
Liatris occur in Florida. Three of these are considered wetland plants. L. garberi A. Gray, Garber s
gayfeather, is an herbaceous perennial to 80 cm tall; the lowest leaves to 30 cm long, the stem leaves
much smaller; flowers 5-10 per head, with pink corollas; involucres 7-14 mm long, composed of
several rows of green or purplish gland-dotted bracts with sharp-pointed tips. L. gracilis Pursh,
blazing star, is an herbaceous perennial to 10 dm tall often with purplish stems; the lowest leaves to
15 cm long, the stem leaves much smaller; flowers 3-6 per head, with lavender pink to purple
corollas, heads with stalks 3-12 mm long; involucres 5-7 mm long, ciliate, composed of several rows
of green or purplish glandular-punctate bracts with sharp-pointed to rounded tips. L. spicata (L.)
Willd., spiked gayfeather, is a often a striking plant with stems up to 2.5 m tall, usually with smooth
stems and leaves; the lowest leaves to 40 cm long, the stem leaves much reduced; flowers 5-18 per
head with rose-purple corollas, heads appearing sessile, 8-15 mm long; involucres composed of
several rows of green or purple bracts with purplish or yellow-brown, scarious margins and rounded
to truncate tips. This species can be confused with the upland L. graminifolia (Walter) Willd.; the
latter species has corollas hairy on the inside near the base, whereas the corollas of L. spicata are hairless.
Habitat: FAC. L. gracilis and L.

spicata. Mesic to wet flatwoods,
seepage slopes, bogs, savannas,
ditches. FACW. L. garberi. Pine
flatwoods, wet prairies.
Distribution: L. garberi central and

south Florida from Brevard,
Orange, and Pasco Counties
south to Monroe County. L.
gracilis and L. spicata through
out Florida.
Flowering: Summer and fall.

Sometimes flowering in mass
after summer burns in
flatwoods.
DICOTS 321
Liatris spp. (continued)
Liatris gracilis Pursh FAC BLAZING STAR
Liatris spicata (L.) Willd. FAC SPIKED GAYFEATHER

Marshallia tenuifolia Rafinesque BARBARA'S BUTTONS
synonymy: M. graminifolia (Walter) Small subsp. tenuifolia (Rafinesque) L. E.
Watson
Description: Perennial herb without rhizomes; stems erect, slender, leafy, unbranched or with a few
long erect branches; leaves alternate, oblanceolate to spatulate, to 6 cm long, the lowest often
forming a rosette; flowers in heads single at the end of the stem and branches, fairly large (the
involucre sometimes over an inch wide), without ray flowers, with a broad involucre of hardly
overlapping linear bracts in two rows; disk flowers numerous, spreading, inserted on a cone-shaped
receptacle and with stiff linear bracts (chaff) at the base, the corolla pale pink to purple, long and
slender, with 5 long, narrow, blunt-tipped, often twisted lobes; fruit a 5-angled achene, with 10 hairy
ribs, topped by 5 translucent scales.
Recognition: Perennial herb with each slender stem bearing narrow alternate leaves and a single
relatively large head at the tip, the head without rays and with numerous, spreading, long, pink to
purple disk flowers. The shape of the flowering head is something like a loose version of the head of
Eriocaulon. This is the only common species of Marshallia in Florida. The other two, M. obovata
(Walter) Beadle & Boynton and M. ramosa Beadle & Boynton, are rare upland plants of northwest
Florida.
Habitat: FACW. Mesic to wet flatwoods, wet prairies, seepage slopes.
Distribution: Throughout Florida south to Palm Beach County.
Flowering: Summer (mainly July-September).
DICOTS 323
Melanthera nivea (Linnaeus) Small SQUARESTEM
synonymy: Melanthera hastata Michaux
Description: Medium to large perennial herb up to 2 m (7 ft) tall, with a woody rootstock producing
4-angled, leafy, usually purple-mottled stems; leaves opposite, ovate to broadly lanceolate with an
acuminate tip and cuneate base, irregularly toothed, unlobed or more commonly with one or two
large lobes near the base, very rough to the touch, on long petioles; heads at ends of long stalks
arising from leaf axils, solitary or clustered in twos and threes, almost spherical to hemispheric,
with 2 to 3 rows of overlapping green bracts, and bearing disk flowers only; flowers with corollas
white, 5-lobed at tip, and anthers nearly black; achene dark brown, obovoid, 4-angled, to about 3
mm long, without a pappus.
Recognition: Usually medium-sized herb with a leafy stem, the leaves opposite, rough to the touch,
toothed, usually with one or two large lobes at the base, and usually on long petioles; heads hemi
spheric, with numerous white disk flowers with nearly black anthers; achene small, 4-angled,
without a pappus. The opposite rough-textured leaves on long stalks with their one or two basal
lobes are particularly distinctive. In central and south Florida, the plants vary greatly in size and
leaf shape, and many authors recognize other species such as Melanthera angustifolia A. Richard
and M. aspera (Jacquin) Small.
Habitat: FACW. In and on the edges of moist to dry forests, particularly upland hardwood forests,
hydric hammocks, maritime hammocks, pine flatwoods, and in open areas such as beaches.
Flowering: Spring, summer, and fall, but most frequent in summer.

324
Pluchea spp, CAMPHOR-WEED, MARSH FLEABANE, STINKWEED
Description: Aromatic herbaceous perennials, annuals or woody shrubs; all parts pubescent; stems
erect and leafy; leaves alternate, petiolate or sessile, leaf margins entire to dentate; flowers in dense
heads, involucre bracts in one series; no ray flowers; disc flowers very small, purplish, pinkish,
brownish or yellowish, generally in a rounded or flat-topped compound cyme or corymb; fruit a
5-ribbed, cylindrical achene with a pappus of a single series of whitish, antrorsely barbed bristles, to
4 mm long. All Pluchea species tend to colonize disturbed soils.
Recognition: Coarse aromatic herbs or shrubs with alternate leaves. The flowers are in dense heads
without ray flowers, disk flowers purplish, pinkish, brownish to yellowish. There are approximately
six species of Pluchea in Florida.
Pluchea camphorata (L.) DC. a short lived perennial or annual with pink corollas and sessile or short
petiolate, elliptic to lanceolate leaves to 2.5 dm long and 2-8 cm wide, acuminate with a cuneate
base; flowers in a rounded cyme, generally not flat-topped as in the similar P. odorata.
Pluchea foetida (L.) DC. a short lived perennial with creamy white corollas and oblong, sessile, not
overlapping like P. longifolia, with clasping leaf bases, looks like a larger version of Pluchea rosea
with shorter, rounder leaves; flowers in rounded cymes, uppermost leaves as long or longer than the
cymes, although these may be inconspicuous within the cymes.
Pluchea longifolia Nash, annual marsh fleabane, a large annual with creamy white corollas and large,
clasping leaves, oblanceolate lower leaves conspicuously narrowing at the base, these are close set
and overlapping; flowers in rounded cymes, uppermost leaves as long or longer than the cyme.
Pluchea odorata (L.) Cassini, annual marsh fleabane, salt marsh fleabane, a short lived perennial or
annual with pink corollas; leaves with petioles to 3 cm, ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaves to 5-12 cm
long and 4-6 cm wide, acuminate with a cuneate base; flowers in flat-topped cymes.
Pluchea rosea Godfrey, perennial marsh fleabane, a short lived perennial or annual with rose-purple
corollas; leaves sessile and usually clasping, blades ovate-oblong, oblanceolate or ovate-lanceolate,
to 5-10 cm long and 1-4 cm wide; flowers in rounded cymes, the uppermost leaves may be as long or
longer than the cymes.
Pluchea symphytifolia (Mill.) Gillis, bushy fleabane, sour-bush, cough bush, wild tobacco, a much
branched woody shrub to 3 m tall with creamy pink to pink-lavender corollas; leaves with petioles,
1-4 cm long, leaf blades oblong-elliptic, oblong-obovate to elliptic-lanceolate, 10-20 cm long and to
6 cm wide, apex obtuse to acuminate; flowers in dense compound corymbs on stout peduncles to 5
cm long.
Habitat: FACW. Pluchea camphorata: Floodplains, bogs, ditches, marshes and wet pastures.
Pluchea foetida: Cypress swamps, calcareous river swamps, coastal hammocks, marshes, wet ditches.
Pluchea longifolia: Fresh and brackish marshes; wet pine flatwoods.
Pluchea odorata: Brackish and freshwater marshes, coastal hammocks.
Pluchea rosea: Savannas, bogs, marshes, wet ditches.
Pluchea symphytifolia: Rocklands of the Florida Keys and south Florida, usually found in dry soils.
Distribution: Pluchea camphorata: North and central Florida.

Pluchea foetida: Throughout Florida
Pluchea longifolia: North and central Florida.
Pluchea odorata: Throughout Florida.
Pluchea rosea: Throughout Florida.
Pluchea symphytifolia: South Florida.
Flowering: All year in south Florida, during the summer months in north Florida.
DICOTS 325
Plucheafoetida (L.) DC. MARSH FLEABANE
Pluchea longifolia Nash ANNUAL MARSH FLEABANE

Pluchea odorata (L.) Cassini ANNUAL MARSH FLEABANE,
SALT MARSH FLEABANE
Pluchea symphytifolia (Mill.) Gillis BUSHFLEABANE, SOUR-BUSH,

COUGH BUSH, WILD TOBACCO
DICOTS
Rudbeckiafulgida Aiton ORANGE CONEFLOWER
synonymy: R. acuminata Boyn. & Beadle; R. chapmanii Boyn. & Beadle, R.
foliosa Boyn. 8c Beadle; R. palustris Eggert; R. tenax Boyn. 8c Beadle; R.
spathulata Michx.; R. speciosa Wenderoth S, F.; R.fulgida var. sullivantii
(Boynton 8c Beadle) Cronquist.
Description: Herbaceous perennial with basal offshoots; stems stem branched or unbranched; stem
and leaves covered with stiff, appressed hairs; leaves short petioled, leaves of upper stems gradually
reduced with winged bases, overall shape is lanceolate, oblanceolate, or narrow oblong, 3-5 cm long,
apex blunt; flowers in dense heads, ray flowers showy, golden yellow to orange-yellow; disc flowers
dark purplish-brown; fruit a strongly angled achene, about 2 mm long, pappus a low crown.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with lanceolate to oblanceolate leaves. Flowers in heads, ray
flowers bright golden yellow, disk hemispherical, purplish-brown. Achenes strongly angled with a
very short, crown-like pappus.
Habitat: FACW. Wet and dry areas, Fields, pine flatwoods, sandhills, edges of bogs, roadsides and
ditches.
Distribution: Northwest Florida south to Dixie County.
Rudbeckia graminifolia GRASS-LEAF CONEFLOWER
(T. & G.) Boyn. & Beadle
Description: Herbaceous perennial with a unbranched stem that bears the single head of flowers;
leaves alternate, narrow and elongate, 3-5 mm wide, sometimes as wide as 1 cm; margins revolute,
surfaces covered with short hairs; flowers in dense heads, ray flowers maroon, dark reddish-brown
to orange-red, short, 8-20 mm long, becoming deflexed; disc ovoid brownish-red and firm to the
touch; fruit an angled achene, with a grayish metallic sheen, the pappus is a low, jagged crown.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial from a very short stem bearing narrow leaves with revolute
margins and a single flower head. The ray flowers are maroon and deflexed, the disc is ovoid and
brownish-red. Could be confused with Helianthus radula (Pursh) T. & G. a similar looking species
with a dark rayless head and a basal rosette of opposite rhombic to elliptic leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Wiregrass savannas, wet pine flatwoods and savannas, edges of cypress sloughs,
bogs, wet ditches.
Distribution: North Florida from Bay County to Leon and Franklin Counties.
DICOTS 329
Rudbeckia laciniata L. CUT-LEAVED CONEFLOWER, GOLDEN GLOW
synonymy: R. heterophylla T. & G.
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial, to 3 m tall, from a thickened hard rootstock; all parts of
plant are smooth and glaucous, rarely with sparse pubescence; leaves alternate, with a variable
number of ovate lobes, margins coarsely toothed to rarely entire; flowers in heads, ray flowers
lanceolate, yellow, 5-12 per head, 2-6 cm long, becoming deflexed; disc flowers yellow to yellow-
green; fruit a strongly angled achene, 3-4 mm long, brown, pappus a short crown.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with smooth leaves and stems. Leaves variously lobed or
simple in winter rosettes. Flower heads are yellow. Achenes strongly angled with a low crown-like
pappus.
Habitat: FAC W. Floodplains along rivers and streams and disturbed wet soils of pastures, ditches.
Distribution: Northwest Florida south to Levy County.
330
Rudbeckia mohrii Gray MOHR'S CONEFLOWER
Description: Erect, glabrous, herbaceous perennial, to 18 dm tall; stems terete with ribbing, usually
few-branched with flowers terminating the branches; leaves on the lower stem alternate, narrow,
less than 1 cm wide, 10-30 cm long; flowers in heads, rays bright yellow, 1-3 cm long, becoming
deflexed; disc flowers purple-brown; fruit a dark purple achene, 3-4 mm long with a 4 lobed crown
like pappus.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial from a stout, persistent stem. Flowers in heads, the ray
flowers are bright yellow, disc flowers dark purple. Achenes weakly angled with a 4 lobed crown
like pappus.
Habitat: OBL. Wet pine flatwoods, cypress swamps, savannas, ditches.
Distribution: Endemic to the central panhandle of Florida, from Bay County to Taylor County.
DARST
DICOTS 331
Rudbeckia nitida Nutt. SHINY CONEFLOWER, ST. JOHN'S SUSAN
Description: Erect, glabrous, herbaceous perennial, to 12 dm tall; leaves alternate at the base to 3 dm
long, long-petioled with lanceolate or long-elliptic leaf blades, margins entire or irregularly toothed,
leaves gradually reduced up the stems, becoming sessile; flowers in heads; ray flowers golden
yellow, oblanceolate, 3-5 cm long, becoming deflexed; disc conic, purplish-brown; fruit a purple
achene, 3-7 mm long with grayish metallic sheen, pappus irregularly toothed and crown-like.
Recognition: Erect, glabrous, herbaceous perennial with alternate leaves. Flowers in heads, ray
flowers golden yellow and disc flowers purplish-brown. Achene is purplish with a gray metallic
cast, pappus an irregularly toothed crown.
Habitat: FACW. Wet pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Rare and local, scattered throughout the State, disjunct to Manatee County and Marion
County, otherwise concentrated around the St. John's river drainage and Gulf and Bay Counties.

Sclerolepis uniflora (Walt) BSP. ONE-FLOWER HARDSCALE
Description: Mat-forming, perennial herb, 10-40 cm tall, with slender, nearly white rhizomes; stems
weak, decumbent, seldom branching, usually forming roots for a short distance from the base;
leaves sessile, linear-subulate, borne in whorls of three to six, margins entire; flowers discoid, pink
to lavender, seldom white, in solitary, terminal heads up to 1.5 cm in diameter; phyllaries in two
series, subequal, with pubescent margins; receptacle naked; fruit a ribbed achene with a pappus of
five scales, these about as broad as long with rounded to truncate apices.
Recognition: Decumbent, perennial herbs, 10-40 cm tall, with stems that seldom branch and narrow
leaves born in whorls of three to six. The pink to lavender, sometimes white flowers appear in the
summer and are borne in single heads at the tips of the stems.
Habitat: FACW. Depressions, ponds, swamps, bogs, ditches, and other wet areas in the red clay hills
of north Florida to the peninsular and coastal flatwoods.
Distribution: South to Levy County.
DICOTS 333
Senecio glabellus Poir. BUTTERWEED
Description: Glabrous, fibrous-rooted annual or winter annual; stems hollow, green, succulent, with
rounded ribs, 2-15 dm tall, usually unbranched below inflorescence; leaves alternate, pinnately
lobed with the terminal lobe usually largest, the margins irregularly toothed; lower leaves stalked, to
25 cm long, the upper leaves progressively smaller and becoming sessile; flowers in heads arranged
in branched, flat-topped inflorescences; heads gold-yellow to yellow-orange, with both ray and disk
flowers, tips of ray corollas often with 3 minute teeth; involucral bracts in basically a single row;
fruit an achene, about 3 mm long, strongly ribbed, narrowed at both ends, topped with many soft
bristles.
Recognition: Often tall, glabrous annual, with single, hollow stems. The leaves are alternate, lobed,
the lower ones stalked. The inflorescence is flat-topped, of heads with golden yellow ray and disk
flowers. The similar S. aureus L„ golden ragwort, is a perennial with mostly basal leaves, these
roundish and heart-shaped.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps; floodplains; pond, lake, and river margins; ditches and other wet open areas.
S. aureus also OBL, rare in Florida, in the Ochlockonee River floodplain.
Distribution: Common throughout most of Florida, often locally abundant.
Flowering: Early to late spring.

Solidago spp. GOLDENRODS
Description: Generally large, erect, perennial herbs growing from a slender rhizome or thickened
caudex and having fibrous roots; stems leafy, typically unbranched below the inflorescence,
glabrous or variously hairy; leaves alternate, the lower leaves stalked, the upper leaves typically
sessile; flowers in small yellow heads arranged in a triangular inflorescence with branches spread
ing in one plane, or in a tightly branched, spikelike inflorescence, each head with 1-18 yellow ray
flowers and generally fewer than 25 yellow disc flowers, surrounded by an involucre of several rows
of imbricated bracts with a thin, papery base and a green tip; fruit a several nerved achene topped
by a pappus of fine bristles.
Recognition: Erect perennial herbs with leafy unbranched stems, producing branched or apparently
unbranched inflorescences of numerous small yellow heads. The heads have both ray and disk
flowers and produce achenes with a pappus of bristles. Genera such as Euthamla, Flaveria, and
Bigelowia also have inflorescences of small yellow heads, but these plants are smaller and have flat-
topped inflorescences. Wetland Solidago species in Florida differ in their rhizomes, stems, and leaf
morphology.
Three species have large lower stem leaves with a definite petiole, and much smaller middle and upper
stem leaves that are typically sessile. S. stricta Ait., willow-leaf goldenrod, has slender rhizomes,
glabrous leaves, and a compact, spikelike inflorescence. S. sempervirens L., incl. S. sempervirens var.
mexicana (L.) Fern., seaside goldenrod, has no rhizomes, numerous stout stems from a thick
caudex, and glabrous, fleshy leaves. S. patula Muhl. ex Willd., rough-leaf goldenrod, has no rhizome,
an irregularly wing-angled or ribbed-angled stem, and leaves scabrous on the upper surface.
The other wetland Solidago species have the lower stem leafless at flowering time. S. leavenworthii T.
& G., syn: S. gigantea var. serotina (Ait.) Cronq., has long, slender rhizomes and lance-linear to
lance-elliptic leaves that are obviously three-nerved. S.fistulosa Mill., marsh goldenrod, has
elongate creeping rhizomes and sessile, clasping, hairy leaves, with entire margins and lateral veins
which are not evident. S. rugosa Mill., syn: S. rugosa subsp. aspera (Ait.) Cronq., wrinkled golden
rod, has non-clasping, subsessile, hairy leaves with serrate margins, strongly rugose-veined but not
three-nerved. S. elliottii T. & G., Elliott's goldenrod, is entirely glabrous except for the inflorescence
branches.
S. canadensis var. scabra T. & G., syn: S. altissima L., is an upland species but also occurs in wetlands.
It has hairy stems, elongate rhizomes, and lanceolate stem leaves with 3 prominent nerves. The
upper surface of the leaf is scabrous and the lower surface is nearly hairless to shaggy pubescent.
Habitat: OBL. S. patula: bogs, shrub-tree bogs, and seepage slopes; S. elliottii: swamps, wet ham
mocks, and bogs. FACW. S. stricta: bogs, hydric and wet mesic flatwoods, ditches, and coastal
marshes; S. sempervirens: coastal marshes, estuarine and bay shores; S. leavenworthii: occupies
both wetland and upland communities, hydric and mesic flatwoods, clearings, and ruderal habitats;
S.fistulosa: hydric and wet mesic flatwoods, ditches, marshes, and borders of cypress domes. FAC.
S. rugosa: various ruderal and roadside habitats in both wetland and upland communities.
Distribution: S.fistulosa, S. leavenworthii, and S. stricta occur throughout Florida, S. sempervirens

also occurs statewide but primarily near the coast, S. elliottii is present in the northern two thirds of
the state, and both S. patula and S. rugosa are restricted to the panhandle.
Flowering: Late summer and fall, or all year southward.
DICOTS 335
Solidago spp. (continued)
Solidago elliottii T. & G. OBL ELLIOTT'S GOLDENROD
Solidago patula Muhl. ex Willd. OBL ROUGH-LEAF GOLDENROD

Solidago fistulosa Mill. FACW MARSH GOLDENROD
Solidago leavenworthii T. & G. FACW LEAVENWORTH'S GOLDENROD
DICOTS 337
Solidago stricta Ait. FACW WILLOW LEAF GOLDENROD
Solidago rugosa Mill. WRINKLED GOLDENROD
Solidago canadensis var. scabra T. & G. UPLAND CANADA GOLDENROD

338
Spilanthes americana (Mutis) Hieron. CREEPING SPOTFLOWER
synonymy: Acmella oppositifolia (Lam.) R. K. Jansen var. repens (Walt.) R. K.
Jansen
Description: Slender perennial, colonial herb from fibrous roots; stems leafy, weak, typically purple
and often rooting at the nodes; leaves opposite, petiolate, 2-4 cm long, toothed, variably shaped but
usually triangular in outline; flowers in solitary heads with both ray and disk flowers; ray flowers
few, yellow, 3-10 mm long, the corollas with 2-3 teeth at the tip; disk flowers yellow, with 5 triangu
lar lobes; disk conic, becoming elongate in fruit.
Recognition: Colonial herb with long, weak stems bearing toothed, triangular, opposite leaves. Leaf
edges typically curved upward in direct sunlight. The flower heads are small, yellow, with both ray
and disk flowers, and the ray flowers are reflexed.
Habitat: FACW. Ditches, floodplain swamps, ruderal wetland habitats, in areas ranging from full
sunlight to complete canopy cover.
DICOTS 339
Verbesina chapmanii Coleman, CHAPMAN'S and
V. heterophylla (Chapm.) A. Gray DIVERSE-LEAF CROWNBEARDS
Description: Rough-hairy perennial herbs from short rhizomes; stems slender, 0.4-1.0 m tall, leafy to
top or chiefly leafy below (V heterophylla)-, principal leaves opposite, oblong to lance-oval, 3-11 cm
long, sessile and small-toothed (Vchapmanii), or decurrent on stem and blunt-toothed {V.
heterophylla); flowers in heads, the disk flowers yellow, each with a bract (chaff) at its base; ray
flowers none (V chapmanii), or 5-8 per head and pale yellow (V heterophylla); fruit a dark-brown
achene, flattened, winged, topped by a slightly knobby crown.
Recognition: Perennials, often single-stemmed, with nearly all leaves opposite and quite rough to
touch, the leaf veins prominent. The flowers are in heads with conspicuous yellow disk flowers
having chaffy bracts at their bases. The achenes are flattened and winged with cup-like, slightly
knobby crowns.
Habitat: FACW. V chapmanii in bogs, savannas, and flatwoods; V. heterophylla in flatwoods.
Distribution: Florida endemics, V.chapmanii in central Panhandle, V. heterophylla in northeast

Florida. V. chapmanii is state-listed as threatened.
Verbesina chapmanii CHAPMAN'S CROWNBEARD

Verbesina virginica L. FROST-WEED, WHITE CROWNBEARD
Description: Coarse perennial herb from fleshy fibrous roots; stems leafy, pubescent, to 2 m tall or
more, partially winged from decurrent leaf bases; leaves alternate with winged petioles, lance-ovate,
5-9 cm long, 1.5-5 cm broad; margins entire or toothed, occasionally lobed; surfaces rough to touch;
flowers in heads, these arranged in a branched, flat-topped inflorescence; each head with a few
white, disk flowers with chaffy bracts at their base and 1-5 white ray flowers; fruit a gray achene,
flattened, pale-winged, topped by 2 awns.
Recognition: Coarse, tall herbs, with partially winged stems and alternate leaves rough to the touch.
Flowers white, in heads arranged in a flat-topped inflorescence. The achenes are flattened and
winged with 2 awns (stiff bristles) at top. The other wetland species of Verbesina have heads with
yellow disks and either no rays or pale yellow rays.
Habitat: FAC. Woodlands, edges of maritime hammocks and hydric hammocks, stream, marsh
banks and meadows.
Vernonia spp. IRONWEEDS
Description: Often large perennial herbs, sometimes forming colonies, typically with a single, leafy,
unbranched or branched stem; leaves alternate, much longer than broad; flowers in heads, these
few to numerous in a simple or compound flat-topped inflorescence; heads with 12-60 purple to
rose disk flowers and no ray flowers; fruit an oblong achene with longitudinal ribs.
Recognition: Generally large, leafy, erect herbs, with alternate, linear to lanceolate leaves and purple
to rose colored flowers in few to numerous heads borne on a wide-spreading flat-topped inflores
cence in late summer to fall. Ironweeds are similar to species of Carphephorus, but are generally
much larger and have leafier stems without basal rosettes at flowering time. Six species (five
native) occur in Florida. Of these, V. missurica Raf. is reported rarely from north Florida and V
cinerea (L.) Less, is an occasionally encountered exotic invader of disturbed ground in southern
Florida.
V angustifolia Michx. has very narrow (less than 6 mm wide), linear to narrowly elliptic, scabrous,
revolute leaves.
V blodgettii Small is a slender plant that often has a branched, purplish, smooth stem; leaves are sessile
and narrow but not scabrous and may only be borne on the lower portion of the stem.
V noveboracensis (L.) Michx. is robust and frequently has a dark purple stem; its leaves are lanceolate
to long elliptic, 12-28 cm long and 2-4 cm wide, scabrous with fine serrations on the margin; and its
heads have 30-60 flowers. In Florida it probably hybridizes with Vgigantea.
Vgigantea (Walt.) Trel. produces large numbers of 12- to 30-flowered heads in a broad, much-
branched, flat-topped inflorescence; its leaves are lanceolate, 15-25 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, only
slightly scabrous near the edges, and with distinct serrations or entire on the edges. The plants may
reach 3.5 m tall and often form colonies.
Habitat: FACW except V.angustifolia (UPL).

V angustifolia: Sub-xeric to xeric pine flatwoods.
V blodgettii: Sub-mesic to hydric pine flatwoods and open pond cypress savannas usually where
limestone is at or in close proximity to the surface.
V noveboracensis: Hydric to moist savannas, openings along streams, wet pastures.
Vgigantea: Exposed sand and gravel bars of streams during low water, steam banks, hydric to sub-
mesic pine flatwoods.
Distribution: V angustifolia is distributed throughout northwest and north Florida south to south-
central Florida; V. blodgettii is a plant of the southern peninsula (southward from Indian River
County on the east coast and Charlotte County on the west coast); V noveboracensis is sporadic in
the central panhandle and central north Florida; and V.gigantea ranges throughout northwest and
north Florida and south in the peninsula to near Lake Okeechobee.
Vernonia blodgettii Small FACW

Vernonia spp. (continued)
Vernonia gigantea (Walt.) Trel. FACW
Vernonia novaboracensis (L.) Michx. FACW
Vernonia angustifolia Michx. UPL
mamm
DICOTS 343
Wedelia trilobata (L.) A.S. Hitchc. CREEPING OX-EYE
synonymy: Complaya trilobata (L.) Strother, Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski
Description: Creeping herb from shallow rhizomes; stems usually hairy, prostrate except the erect
flowering branches, to 3 dm tall; leaves opposite, somewhat succulent, with 3 main veins, sessile;
blades irregularly toothed and often with a pair of lateral lobes; flowers in heads, each head solitary
at or near stem tips; disk flowers orange to yellow, most with a concave bract (chaff) clasping the
base; ray flowers orange to yellow, 8-13; involucral bracts in 2-3 overlapping rows; fruit an achene,
4-5 mm long, corky, bumpy (tuberculate), narrowed at top into a short crown.
Recognition: Creeping perennial with opposite, often shiny green, and somewhat thickened leaves.
Flowers in orange to yellow heads, solitary at or near stem tips, with both ray and disk flowers. The
disk flowers have bracts clasping their bases. The achenes are bumpy and crowned (no bristles or
awns).
Habitat: FAC. Disturbed areas, including lake shores, stream banks, beaches, and roadsides.
Distribution: Locally established in peninsular Florida, particularly coastal counties, but also
naturalized in Alachua and Leon Counties. Native to West Indies.
INVASIVE EXOTIC

Avicennia germinans (L.) L. BLACK MANGROVE
synonymy: A. nitida Jacq.
Description: A shrub or small to medium sized tree to 15 (20) m (50 ft) tall, of tidal or saline coastal
swamps; bark smooth, gray-brown to dark gray or blackish, fissured and scaly with age; many
upright unbranched roots; leaves opposite, evergreen; petiole very short; leaf-blade leathery, oblong
to elliptic, 5-8 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, margin entire, tip rounded to obtuse, upper surface dark green,
glabrous, with many punctate glands, lower surface light gray, pubescent; flowers bisexual, white, 4-
lobed in appearance (2-lipped in structure, upper lip 1 lobed, lower lip, three lobed), borne on
stalked cymes, individually sessile on cyme branches; fruit an asymmetrical, velvety, laterally
flattened, 1-seeded, somewhat fleshy pod.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub or small tree with leathery, opposite leaves that are light gray to
whitish on the underside and dark green and glabrous on the upper side, and "lima bean-like" seed
pods. The roots typically produce numerous vertical projections extending through the substrate
(pneumatophores) which are believed to assist in aeration. Salt crystals are often apparent on the
upper leaf surface.
Habitat: OBL. Tidal or saline coastal swamps, and estuarine and protected marine shorelines.
Distribution: Coastal; north to Franklin County on the Gulf and to St. Johns County on the Atlantic.
Tree stature is obtained only in the southern half of the state.
Flowering: Late spring - mid summer.
DARST
DICOTS 345
Batis maritima L. SALTWORT
Description: Somewhat woody herb; stems sprawling, arching or creeping, to 45 cm tall; forming
large colonies in tidal flats; bark tan, soft and corky, shredding; leaves opposite, pale green or
yellow-green, sessile, succulent, often curved, semi-cylindric; flowers unisexual, clustered in small
fleshy, spikes; male flowers with 10 stamens, female flowers with a single pistil of 10 fused carpels
each with a separate style; fruit a succulent, lobed berry with 10, lustrous black seeds.
Recognition: Arching, creeping, succulent herb with fleshy, opposite, more or less cylindrical leaves.
Flowers and fruit are greenish and easily overlooked in among the foliage.
Habitat: OBL. Salt marshes and salt flats, mangrove swamps, tidal shores and flats.
Flowering: Spring - early summer.
o
<
V

Alnus serrulata (Ait.) Willd. HAZEL ALDER
Description: A medium to large deciduous shrub or occasionally a small tree to 10 m (32.8 ft) tall;
understory in forested wetlands near water bodies; branches thin, with a brown pubescence when
young, and a zigzag growth pattern; bark dark gray to reddish brown, typically with numerous,
small lenticels (often hypertrophied); leaves alternate, deciduous, 3-ranked; petioles 1-1.5 cm long;
leaf blade obovate, elliptic to oblong, 5-10 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, with conspicuous, parallel, lateral
veins; margins variable, wavy with irregular fine teeth, upper surface green, the venation impressed
in the surface, lower surface green-brown, venation raised, sparsely pubescent; flowers unisexual,
individually tiny, borne in separate male and female catkins on the same branch, male catkins
pendulous, conspicuous, narrow and cylindrical, 4-8 cm long, female catkins also cylindrical, much
shorter, 5-10 mm long, held erect; fruit numerous, small, laterally winged, shiny brown nutlets,
dispersed from a woody and "cone-like" fruiting body arising from the female catkin, 1-2 cm long.
Recognition: A medium to large deciduous shrub. Leaves alternate, with irregularly toothed wavy
margins and conspicuous parallel veins. Fruit resembles miniature "pine cone", fruiting bodies
and/or developing male catkins usually present.
Habitat: OBL. Forested wetlands typically exhibiting extended and/or deep inundation, usually near
water bodies which are subject to significant seasonal overflow.
Distribution: Of scattered occurrence throughout the panhandle and also in northeast Florida.
Presently known from Jefferson County westward, and from Baker - Alachua Counties eastward and
Marion - Putnam Counties northward.
Flowering: Late winter - early spring.
•p&w.
DARST
O
<
V
DICOTS 347
Betula nigra L. RIVER RIRCH
Description: A medium to large deciduous tree to 35 m (115 ft) tall, of the canopy or subcanopy in
forested wetlands near water bodies; branches thin, pubescent when young, and with a zigzag
growth pattern; bark bright brown to buff, flaky and sloughing in patches to expose a reddish to
yellowish inner bark; leaves alternate, deciduous, 2-ranked; petioles short with a dense pubescence;
leaf blade broadly triangular-ovate to sub-rhombic, 3-10 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, angularly ascend
ing parallel pinnate venation, margins doubly serrate, upper surface green, sparsely pubescent along
the main veins, lower surface paler green, pubescent along the main veins and in vein axils; flowers
unisexual, individually tiny, borne in separate male and female catkins on the same plant, male
catkins pendulous at maturity from the tips of branches, conspicuous, developing in summer and
over winter to mature early the next spring, narrow and cylindrical, 5-7.5 cm long, female catkins
much shorter, held erect; fruit numerous small, flat, laterally winged nutlets, dispersed as the 2.5-4
cm long "cone-like" fruiting catkin disintegrates.
Recognition: A medium to large deciduous tree. Leaves alternate, typically triangulate in shape with
double serrate margins. Bark scaly and flaking.
Habitat: OBL. Forested wetlands typically along alluvial water bodies exhibiting extended and/or
deep inundation.
Distribution: Throughout western and central northern Florida south to Levy County and east to
Alachua, Union, Baker, and Nassau Counties. Cultivated as an ornamental tree far to the south of
the native range and in atypical habitats.
Flowering: Late winter - spring.
DARST

Carpinus caroliniana Walt. IRONWOOD, AMERICAN HORNREAM,
RLUE REECH
Description: A small deciduous tree to 10 m (32.8 ft) tall, typically an understory subcanopy compo
nent of forested wetlands and fertile mesic upland slopes of floodplains; trunk is often fluted giving
the appearance of "flexed muscles" along the tree; branches open, thin, reddish brown with small
lenticels when young; bark gray, smoothish and thin; leaves alternate, deciduous, 2-ranked; petioles
short, slender and pubescent; leaf blade ovate to oblong, 2-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, with parallel
pinnate venation, base of leaf at times slightly asymmetrical, margins doubly serrate, upper surface
green and rough to the touch, lower surface with tufts of hair in axil of midrib and lateral veins, also
sometimes with pubescence along primary veins; flowers unisexual, individually tiny, borne in
separate male and female catkins on the same plant; male catkins solitary and pendulous, arising
from various point of previous seasons growth, narrow and cylindrical, 2-4 cm long, female catkins
inconspicuous; fruit small, broadly ovate, 4 mm dia., longitudinally ribbed, brown nutlets, individu
ally borne beneath three-lobed leaf like bracts which are clustered along pendulous, fruiting catkins.
Recognition: A small deciduous tree whose trunk often exhibits "flexed muscles" flutes. The leaves
are alternate with parallel lateral veins, doubly serrate margins, the upper surface rough to the
touch, and axil hair tufts on lower surface. The similar and closely related Ostrya virginiana (hop
hornbeam) does not develop "muscle like" flutes, has brown bark which sheds in fine, narrow strips,
and has leaves which are smooth to the touch.
Habitat: FACW. Forested wetland floodplains along both alluvial and blackwater streams, hydric
hammocks, and fertile mesic uplands.
Distribution: Throughout western and northern Florida, south in the peninsular to Manatee, Hardee,
Osceola, and Brevard Counties.
DARST
DICOTS 349
Heliotropium curassavicum L. SEASIDE HELIOTROPE
Description: Decumbent annual or perennial with stems up to 4 dm tall; leaves alternate somewhat
succulent, glaucous, lance-linear, oblanceolate to narrowly obovate, 1-6 cm long, almost sessile;
flowers produced in scorpioid cymes; petals fused into a five lobed, white to bluish, corolla; five
sepals are green, lanceolate to elliptic, 2-3 mm long, persistent around the fruit; fruit a globose
schizocarp, about 2 mm wide, separating into four mericarps.
Recognition: A prostrate annual with bluish, somewhat thickened stems and leaves. Flowers have
whitish to pale blue petals and green persistent sepals; borne on curved terminal clusters. Fruit a
schizocarp that breaks into four sections.
Habitat: FAC. Sandy saline flats, beaches, borders of brackish marshes, and disturbed coastal areas.
Distribution: Coastal areas throughout Florida, except the northwest region west of Franklin County.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, summer farther north.

Heliotropium polyphyllum Lehm. PINELAND HELIOTROPE
synonymy: H. leavenworthii Torr.
Description: Erect or creeping herbaceous perennial up to 0.9 m tall, from a thick, purplish brown
rootstock; leaves alternate, linear to narrow lanceolate, smooth and green above, densely hairy
below, entire, 1-2 cm long, sessile; flowers borne in curved spikes; corolla five lobed, yellow (a white
form of local occurrence in south Florida), sepals green, ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 mm long; fruit a four
lobed schizocarp, 2-3 mm wide.
Recognition: Perennial with narrow lance-shaped or linear, alternate leaves that are pubescent below.
The yellow-petaled flowers, with persistent green sepals are borne on a curved spike. The fruit has
four lobes.
Habitat: FAC. Pinelands, low hammocks, and disturbed sites in dry and moist soils.
Distribution: Throughout central and south Florida, with a collection from Escambia County.
DICOTS 351
Cardamine bulbosa (Schreb.) BSP
Cardamine pensylvanica Muhl. ex Willd.
Description: Small biennial or perennial herbs, erect, to 8 dm (2.7 ft); glabrous or hairy only at stem base
(from bulblike tuberous roots in C. bulbosa)-, stems single, or few branched in C. bulbosa, usually
branched in C. pensylvanica-,leaves alternate, long petioled below, simple (C. bulbosa), or pinnately
divided (C. pensylvanica); flowers small, bisexual, in loose clusters at stem tips; 4 sepals; 4 white or
pinkish white petals; 6 stamens; fruit a stalked, 2-parted, slender, flattened pod (silique), to 3 cm long;
2 walls of pod curling back to release seeds (i.e., elastic valves); seeds numerous, in a single rank down
each side of pod.
Recognition: Small, mostly glabrous, herbs (from tuberous roots in C. bulbosa) with alternate, unlobed
(C. bulbosa), or pinnately divided leaves that are petioled at least below. Flowers are small, white or
pinkish-white and produced at the stem tips. Fruit is a linear 2-parted pod, with elastic valves.
Habitat: OBL, Along slow streams, spring runs, floodplains, swamps, and wet meadows.
Distribution: C. bulbosa: occasional in west, north, and central Florida; C. pensylvanica: occasional
throughout.
Flowering: Spring.
Cardamine bulbosa (Schreb.) BSP SPRING-CRESS
Cardamine pensylvanica Muhl. ex Willd. BITTER-CRESS

352
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Nasturtium spp. WATER-CRESSES
Description: Glabrous perennial herbs, of low, sprawling habit, often in shallow water, sometimes
mat-forming; stems somewhat succulent, often branched, often rooting at nodes; leaves alternate,
petioled, lower ones often simple, upper ones odd-pinnately lobed to essentially compound, with
terminal lobes usually the largest; flowers small, bisexual, in loose, spikelike clusters at stem tips; 4
sepals; 4 white or purplish white petals; 6 stamens; fruit a stalked, 2-parted, linear pod (silique), to 2
cm long; seeds many, dull or lustrous amber brown (in 2 rows down pod in N. officinale, in 1 row in
N. microphyllum).
Recognition: Glabrous perennials with somewhat succulent stems; often in water. Alternate leaves
often simple, long petioled below and usually pinnately divided or compound above. Flowers are
small, white and produced at the stem tips. Fruit is a linear, 2-parted pod, with many seeds (pods 2-
3 mm broad in N officinale, 1 mm broad in N. microphyllum).
Habitat: OBL. Spring runs, rivers, slow streams, and swamps.
Distribution: Two species in Florida, N. officinale R. Br. and N. microphyllum (Boenn.) Reichenb., in
scattered localities throughout, both introduced from Europe; both referred by some authors to
Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum (L.) Hayek.
Flowering: Spring-fall, but flowers rarely seen where plants mostly submersed.
Nasturtium microphyllum (Boenn.) Reichenb.
flower
DICOTS 353
Rorippa spp, YELLOW-CRESSES
Description: Annual (rarely biennial) herbs, to 7 dm (2.3 ft) tall, from slender or thick taproots; stems
single or several, often branched, glabrous or sparsely pubescent; leaves alternate, sometimes in a
basal rosette, lower stem leaves usually with winged petioles, upper ones sessile; blades simple or
pinnately lobed, often deeply divided, with lobe margins irregularly toothed; flowers small, bisexual,
in loose, spikelike clusters at or near stem tips; 4 purplish sepals; 4 yellow petals (or rarely, absent); 6
stamens; fruit a 2-parted, cylindrical pod (silique), to 2 cm long, usually stalked; seeds many, buff to
reddish brown.
Recognition: Annuals with alternate (often basal) leaves that are often highly divided in a pinnate
fashion, lower ones with winged petioles. The small, yellow flowers are produced in loose spikes.
The fruit is a linear, 2-parted pod, with many seeds. [Related Armoracia aquatica (Eat.) Wieg. or
lake-cress, (= Neobeckia aquatica (Eat.) Greene, R. aquatica (Eat.) Palm, et Steyerm.), aquatic, with
submersed leaves finely divided into linear segments, petals white, and pod short, with few seeds.]
Habitat: OBL. Stream and river banks, marshy lake and pond shores, swamps, floodplains, and wet
depressions. [A. aquatica, also OBL, in quiet waters of spring runs and rivers.]
Distribution: 4 or 5 species in Florida, in scattered localities throughout. [A. aquatica rare in central
Panhandle.]
Flowering: Winter-spring for most species.
Rorippa teres (Michx.) Stuckey
flower

354
Callitriche spp WATER-STARWORTS, WATER CHICKWEEDS
Description: Very small annual herbs, submersed or stranded on wet soil; stems slender, delicate,
prostrate when emersed; leaves opposite, simple, without stipules; blade linear or oblong (wider
near tips), to about 12 mm long, 6 mm broad, margins entire; flowers minute, unisexual, grouped at
leaf axils; no sepals or petals (but C. heterophylla with 2 tiny inflated bractlets at flower base); male
flowers of 1 stamen; female flowers of 1 ovary with 2 styles; fruits about 1 mm broad, splitting into
4 one-seeded nutlets.
Recognition: Tiny annuals with opposite leaves, submersed or stranded on wet soil. Flowers are
minute, unisexual with no sepals or petals. The tiny fruits split into 4 nutlets. (May be confused
with other small opposite-leaved plants at water lines, e.g., Micranthemum spp. (Scrophulariaceae)
or certain Ludwigia spp. (Onagraceae), but these having bisexual flowers with distinguishable
sepals and petals.) Three species, C. heterophylla Pursh, C. peploides Nutt., and C. pedunculosa
Nutt.
Habitat: OBL. In quiet shallows or on low wet ground of swamps, ponds, and marshy drains. All
parts eaten by ducks.
Distribution: C. heterophylla and C. peploides: in scattered localities; C. pedunculosa: known only

from Lake County.
Callitriche heterophylla Pursh SMOOTH FRUITED WATER-STARWORT
fruit seed
Callitriche peploides Nutt. WATER-STARWORT
V|
stem
DICOTS 355
Campanula floridana Wats, ex Gray. FLORIDA BELLFLOWER
synonymy: Rotanthafloridana (Wats.) Small
Description: Rhizomatous, herbaceous perennial; branches are delicate, usually smooth, plant is weakly
ascending to reclining, 20-40 cm tall, often with many stems from rhizomes; stems branching to 40
cm long; leaves alternate; short petiolate or sessile; blades linear to lanceolate, 1-4 cm long, 0.5-0.8 cm
wide, margins finely toothed; flowers solitary on short branchlets, star shaped, 1-2 cm across; the 5
petals are violet, fused at the base forming a 5-lobed tube with oblong-elliptic lobes; stigma 3-lobed; 5
stamens; fruit a capsule, 3-4 mm long; seeds are brown and reticulate, 0.5 mm long.
Recognition: Perennial herb with linear to lanceolate leaves. Stems are thin, usually growing up through
adjacent vegetation. The small, star- shaped violet flowers are terminal or produced on short
branches. Fruit is a minute capsule with five persistent calyx lobes.
Habitat: OBL. Depressions in pine flatwoods, cypress depressions, ditches, wet pastures, wet ditches,
edges of swamps, and moist calcareous soils.
Distribution: Endemic to Florida, locally common throughout central south Florida, Flagler County
west to Franklin County and south to Collier County, disjunct to Jackson County.

Lobelia spp, LOBELIA
Description: Herbaceous annuals or perennials; stems erect producing terminal racemes of flowers;
leaves with or without a distinct petiole; blades elliptic, oblanceolate, obovate, subulate, lance linear,
or linear, margins entire or toothed; flowers in elongate racemes, usually erect with reduced leaves;
corolla blue, purple, red, white to pinkish, bilabiate, upper portion with 2 lobes, lower portion with 3
lobes; calyx persistent, triangular lobes with entire or toothed margins; fruit a capsule with persistent
sepals, opening by two terminal pores; seeds minute with a reticulate or tuberculate surface.
Recognition: Herbs from a basal rosette or plants erect with slender leafy stems, which may have milky
or yellowish sap. The bilabiate flowers are blue, purple, red, or white to pinkish, with a calyx of five
green, triangular lobes. Flowers are produced in erect racemes or rarely decumbent (L.feayana). Fruit
is a capsule, often bell-shaped, with two terminal pores. Seeds are minute and irregular in shape, with
a reticulate surface.
Habitat: FACW. Except L. cardinalis and L.floridana OBL.: Wet pine savannas and flatwoods, ditches,
bogs, swamps, banks of streams and ponds, floodplain forests.
Distribution:
L. boykinii T. & G. ex A. DC.: Gadsden County west to Okaloosa County.
L. brevifolia Nutt. ex A. DC.: Leon County west to Escambia County.
L. cardinalis L.: Hillsborough County north to Nassau Co. and west to Escambia County.
L.feayana Gray.: Madison County east and south to Collier and Palm Beach Counties.
L. flaccidfolia Small: Leon County west to Santa Rosa County.
L.floridana Chapm.: Leon County west to Escambia County.
L. georgiana McVaugh: North Florida.
L. glandulosa Walt.: Throughout Florida.
L. homophylla Wimmer: Citrus County east to Brevard County and south to Collier County.
L. paludosa Nutt.: Bay County east to Nassau County and South to Monroe County.
L. puberula Michx.: Brevard County north to Duval County and west to Escambia County.
Flowering: Depending on the species, generally flowering during the warm months in north Florida,
throughout the year in southern portions of the state.
Lobelia glandulosa Walt Lobelia jeayana Gray Lobelia brevifolia Nutt. ex A. DC.
DICOTS 357
Lobelia cardinalis L. CARDINAL FLOWER
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial; stems erect and leafy; leaves with short petioles becoming
sessile toward the inflorescence, lanceolate to elliptic, to 18 cm long, 5 cm wide, tapering at base,
pointed and long-pointed at tip, margins with irregular, small teeth; flowers produced in racemes,
usually unbranched; corolla bilabiate, upper portion with 2 lobes, lower portion with 3 lobes, deep
red, or crimson, united at the base with narrow lobes, 2-4 cm long; calyx green, linear-subulate,
glabrous to pubescent; fruit a bell-shaped or oblong capsule, to 10 cm long; seeds minute, brown
and elliptic to linear, tuberculate, 0.5-0.8 mm long. Our only red flowering Lobelia in Florida.
Recognition: Erect perennials with lanceolate to elliptic leaves, margins toothed, leaves of flowering
spike reduced. Late summer flowers with bright red corollas followed by bell-shaped capsules. The
minute seeds are brown and narrowly elliptic to linear in outline.
Habitat: OBL. Spring runs, floodplain forests, bogs, in mats of floating vegetation, wet ditches.
Distribution: Primarily north Florida, south to Hillsborough County.

Lobelia floridana Chapm, FLORIDA LOBELIA
Description: Erect perennial with milky sap; stems erect with reduced leaves, usually one to several
flowering stems up to 15 dm tall; largest leaves around the base, oblanceolate to broadly linear,
margins entire to crenate, leaves gradually tapering toward the base, leaves on flowering stems
much reduced; flowers on tall spikes; corolla bilabiate, upper portion with 2 lobes, lower portion
with 3 lobes, pale blue to whitish; sepals triangular to 6 mm long, smooth with finely toothed
margins; fruit a bell-shaped capsule, 4-5 mm in diameter; seeds brown, tuberculate to 0.8 mm long.
Recognition: Erect perennial with milky sap. Leaves mostly in a basal rosette, these are long tapered,
oblanceolate without a distinct petiole, leaves on the flowering spike few and much reduced. The
flowering spike is up to 15 dm tall, corollas are pale blue to almost white, fruit a capsule with
persistent sepals. The brown seeds are minute, irregular shaped.
Habitat: OBL. Wet pine flatwoods, margins of cypress sloughs, wet wiregrass savanna, and ditches.
Distribution: Northwest Florida, Leon County west to Escambia County.
DICOTS
Sambucus canadensis L. ELDERBERRY
Description: A medium to large shrub, rarely of tree stature, to 4 m (13 ft) tall; clonal and forming
thickets primarily in the ground cover of wet to moist soils, particularly in disturbed areas; wood of
stem is very soft; branches weak, almost herbaceous, arching/leaning; bark thin, gray-brown with
prominent lenticels; leaves opposite, deciduous to essentially evergreen in warmer climates;
petioles usually pubescent, 3-10 cm long; leaf blade pinnately to partially bipinnately (some lower
leaflets) compound, 15-25 cm overall length, leaflets 5-11 in number, elliptic, lanceolate or ovate,
variable in size, 5-15 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, margins serrate, apex with long tapering point, upper
surface dark green with short pubescence on midvein and proximal on lateral veins, lower surface
paler, variously pubescent; flowers bisexual, small, white, 5 petals, numerous in large, broadly
rounded to flat topped, terminal cymes; blooms sporadically year round but peaks in mid-summer;
fruit a fleshy, purple-black, berry-like drupe, 4-6 mm dia., containing 3-5 seeds; produced in clusters
(numerous) on the terminal cyme.
Recognition: A soft stemmed shrub with opposite, pinnately to partially bipinnately compound
leaves, that are foul smelling when crushed. Frequently in flower or fruit, these borne in flat topped
terminal cymes. The fruit is a fleshy purple-black berry-like drupe.
Habitat: FAC. In a variety of habitats, especially when previously or repeatedly disturbed; ditches,
around shallow ponds and margins of swamps, wet fields, and fertile uplands.
Flowering: Throughout the year with peak bloom in summer.

Viburnum dentatum L. ARROW-WOOD
Description: A multi-branched shrub which at times forms colonies, occasionally as a small under-
story tree to 3 m (10 ft) tall; branches stiff, with numerous long, straight shoots; bark gray and
smooth; leaves opposite, deciduous; petioles 1-3 cm long; leaf blade typically obovate, 3-12 cm long,
2.5-8 cm wide, margins dentate or crenulate for at least half the length of the leaf toward the apex;
flowers bisexual, individually small, with five white petals and five green sepals; inflorescence a
slightly stalked terminal cyme; fruit an elliptical to roundish drupe 5-8 mm in length, slightly fleshy,
in clusters on the terminal cyme (often numerous), initially green, turning reddish and finally
purple to blue-black at maturity, with a single seed.
Recognition: Deciduous shrub or understory tree, occasionally colonial. Leaves are opposite and
conspicuously coarsely toothed or crenulated, each tooth at the end of a vein. Flowers are white and
appear in the spring in flat-topped terminal cymes. Fruit is an elliptical-to-roundish, purple to
blue-black drupe.
Habitat: FACW. Areas of shallow to moderate inundation; along stream and river banks which
inundate annually, swamps and swamp borders. Also somewhat common in fertile upland bluffs
near streams.
Distribution: Throughout northwest Florida and sporadic in the northern half of the peninsula.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 361
Viburnum nudum L POSSUM-HAW VIBURNUM
Description: A multi-branched shrub; rarely as a small understory tree to 6 m (19.5 ft) tall; branches
long and ascending, arching; bark gray and smooth; leaves opposite, deciduous; petioles 5-20 mm
in length, with an inconspicuous, membranous wing; leaf blade typically elliptical to lanceolate, 10-
15 cm long, margins entire, wavy or with shallow crenulations (scalloped) or serrations, underside
of leaf blade with rusty scales; flowers bisexual, produced in a stalked terminal cyme, 5-25 mm
long; individual flowers are small with 5 white petals and 5 green sepals; fruit an elliptical to
roundish drupe 6-10 mm in length, slightly fleshy, in clusters on the terminal cyme, initially green,
turning reddish and finally dark blue at maturity, with a single seed.
Recognition: Most frequently a multi-branched deciduous shrub, rarely a tree. Leaves opposite,
margin variable (entire, wavy, serrated, or crenulated) and usually with a slightly revolute edge,
numerous rusty scales on the underside. The spring flowers are white, in flat-topped terminal
cymes. Fruit is a small, elliptical to roundish, dark blue drupe. Sometimes confused with button
bush or Cephalanthus occidentalis L. (Rubiaceae) when that species is not in bloom or fruit. Leaves
of button bush are frequently whorled, are thinner and lack the rusty scales on the lower leaf
surface.
Habitat: FACW. Areas of shallow to moderate inundation, along stream and river banks which
inundate annually, swamps and swamp borders, hydric hammocks, seepage slopes and mesic pine
flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida and extending southward in the central and western
peninsula to just north of Lake Okeechobee.
Flowering: Spring.

Viburnum obovatum Walt. WALTER VIBURNUM, SMALL LEAF VIBURNUM
Description: A densely branched shrub, frequently colonial; occasionally as a small understory tree to
9 m (26 ft) tall, tree form often having "flexed muscle" flutes similar to Carpinus caroliniana Walt.
(Betulaceae); branches with numerous stiff, short branchlets; bark gray and smooth, may exhibit a
slight plated appearance on older trunks; leaves opposite, tardily deciduous to essentially ever
green, dropping most leaves just prior to the emergence of new growth; petioles short, 0-6 mm long;
leaf blade small, typically obovate, 2-5 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, margins entire or with shallow
crenulations (scalloped) or dentations toward the apex; inflorescence a terminal cyme, not stalked,
produced during or just prior to the emergence of new growth; flowers bisexual; individually small,
with five white petals, five green sepals and five stamens; fruit an elliptical drupe, 6-10 mm in
length, usually laterally flattened, not fleshy, in clusters on the terminal cyme, initially green,
turning reddish and finally dark blue to black at maturity, with a single seed.
Recognition: Tardily deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or understory tree, frequently colonial.

Leaves are small and opposite. Flowers very early in the year, in flat-topped terminal cymes.
Individual flowers are small, five lobed and white. Fruit is a small, elliptic, laterally flattened, dark
blue to black drupe. Similar to yaupon holly or Ilex vomitoria and possum haw or Ilex decidua
(Aquifoliaceae), however, leaves of Ilex spp. are alternate.
inundate annually, swamps and swamp borders, and hydric hammocks. Also infrequently in non-
wetland areas, usually in fertile sandy soil.
Distribution: From Walton County in north Florida east and south through peninsular Florida to
Martin and Charlotte County.
Flowering: Late winter-early spring, also with sporadic blooms in mid to late summer.
DICOTS
363
Casuarina spp. CASUARINA, AUSTRALIAN PINE, BEEFWOOD
Description: Introduced canopy trees to 20 m (65 ft) tall, both monoecious and dioecious; bark thin and
reddish-brown becoming grayish-brown to dark brown, furrowed and splitting to reveal the reddish-
brown inner bark; branches long, slender; twigs angular, drooping; leaves evergreen, fused into scale-like
teeth, 1-3 mm long, 6-16 scale-teeth per whorl around jointed photosynthetic shoots; shoots are slender
and jointed; trees resemble drooping pines from a distance; flowers unisexual, reduced for wind
pollination; fruit cone-like clusters of capsules, globular, 1 cm in diameter; seeds are flattened with a
wing like appendage, pointed at the tip and rounded at the base, 6-8 mm long.
Recognition: C. equisetifolia L. exJ. R. & G. Forst. (syn. C. litorea L.), is a monoecious evergreen tree with
spreading branches and fine roots with conspicuous nodules. Branchlets are needle-like, with whorls of
6-8 tiny teeth-like leaves around jointed, green, pine needle-like shoots, and small cone-like fruit.
C. glauca Sieber ex Spreng. (syn. C. lepidophoia Muell. and C. cristata Miq.), is a dioecious tree (male plants
only in Florida, thus no fruit) reproducing by abundant root suckering, with 12-16 scale-teeth per whorl.
C. cunninghamiana Miq., is similar to C. glauca but with 10-12 scale-teeth per whorl.
Habitat: FAC.
C. equisetifolia: disturbed areas in coastal regions and inland sites, common colonizer of sandbars,
gravelbars and spoil banks, especially in the intercoastal waterway.
C. glauca: persists from cultivation along fence rows, roads, pastures, ruderal areas. Not as salt tolerant as C.
equisetifolia.
C. cunninghamiana: an escapee from cultivation in disturbed soils.
Distribution: C. equisetifolia: Dixie and Volusia Counties south to the Keys; C. glauca: Seminole and
Pinellas Counties south to the Keys; C. cunninghamiana: rare, reported in Brevard, Collier, Dade, Glades
and Lee Counties.
Flowering: Spring.
Casuarina equisetifolia L. ex J.R. & G. Forst

Salicornia spp. GLASSWORTS
Description: Succulent annual or perennial herbs with thick stems and jointed branches; leaves
green, opposite, inconspicuous, fleshy scale-like, fused together and to the stem they surround with
only the tips free, if at all; flowers bisexual, minute, in groups of 3, sunken in a fleshy spike, corolla
absent; inflorescence a fleshy, terminal spike that becomes bright red in fruit; seeds are light
brown and pubescent, embedded in the fleshy spike.
Recognition: Succulent herbs with inconspicuous rounded leaves fused to fleshy jointed stems giving
the appearance of sausage links. All salicornias taste salty. Plants may turn pinkish, yellowish to
reddish in late summer through fall.
Two species are found throughout the coastal areas of Florida:
S. virginica L. is a mat forming perennial often with a woody horizontal main stem to 60 cm in length
and erect lateral branches 10-30 cm long, tips of stems often bright red in late summer.
S. bigelovii Torn is an annual with ascending branches to 40 cm tall. Stems are bright green becoming
reddish or yellowish in late summer.
Habitat: OBL. Salt and brackish marshes and flats.
Distribution: Throughout coastal regions of Florida, although sporadic in the northwest region.
Salicornia virginica L.
DICOTS
Salicornia spp. (continued)
Salicornia bigelovii Torr.
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Suaeda spp. SEA ELITES
Description: Annual or perennial herbs, or subshrubs, stems becoming woody; leaves fleshy, alter
nate, sessile, semi-terete, to a 5 cm length, upper leaves becoming reduced in size; flowers mostly
bisexual, in compact, sessile clusters in leaf axils, commonly 3-5 per cluster; sepals 5, succulent,
united at the base, rounded or hooded; stamens 5; fruit a utricle, a thin papery wall enclosing a
single, lens-shaped, shiny black seed, calyx is persistent and surrounds the utricle.
Recognition: Succulent herb with narrow, alternate, semi-terete leaves and small flowers in globose,
sessile clusters that surround leaf base and extend partially around the stem, plants becoming
reddish to purplish in late summer. Two species are found in Florida.
S. maritima (L.) Dum. an herbaceous perennial, can be mat forming or have stems to a 40 cm height,
and has glaucous leaves and rounded sepals (not hooded) that are of equal size.
S. linearis (Ell.) Moq. an herbaceous annual and has a principal stem to 1 m long, green leaves (non-
glaucous) and unequal sized sepals. The 3 larger sepals are hooded. Synonymy Dondia linearis
(Ell.) Millsp.
Habitat: OBL, Salt marshes, rocky flats and coastal beaches.
Suaeda linearis (Ell.) Mog.
DICOTS 367
Chrysobalanus icaco L. COCO PLUM
synonymy: C. interior Small, C. pellocarpus Meyer
Description: Shrub or small tree, to 6 m (20 ft.) tall; bark thin, smooth and brownish; leaves alter
nate, evergreen, simple, short-stalked; leaf blades obovate to circular, 3-8 cm long, 2-5 cm wide,
rounded at both ends, rounded or notched at the apex, leathery, smooth and glossy above, paler
green below; flowers in short cymes; calyx of 5 green, silky-hairy, united sepals; corolla of 5 white
petals, narrow at bases, to 6 mm long; stamens many, clustered in several groups; fruit a rounded,
fleshy, single-seeded, drupe, 1.5-4 cm long, variously yellow, white, pinkish to red, or purple, with
white pulp that is juicy and sweet.
Recognition: A shrub or small tree with very wide (often almost circular), leathery, short-stalked,
alternate leaves that are dark green and shiny above. The leaves are often held upright on the
branches. The flowers have white petals, and a green, 5 lobed calyx. The plumlike fruit is variously
yellow, red, purple, or whitish, with white pulp.
Habitat: FACW. Coastal swamps, beaches, cypress domes, Everglades tree islands, along ditches and
canals.
Distribution: Restricted to the southern peninsula: Brevard and Sarasota Counties southward along
coastal counties and throughout the interior from Lake Okeechobee south.

Clethra alnifolia L. SWEET PEPPERBUSH
synonymy: C. tomentosa Lam.
Description: Shrub to about 3 m (10 ft) height; branches smooth, purplish brown, young branchlets
tomentose; leaves alternate, deciduous, simple; short-stalked; leaf blade variable in size, to 11 cm
long and 2-5 cm wide, mostly narrowly obovate to oblanceolate, margins saw-toothed above
middle, upper leaf surfaces smooth, lower leaf surfaces smooth to tomentose; flowers with a
pungent fragrance; 5 whitish to pinkish, oblong obovate petals, 8 mm long; green sepals, united at
the base, oblong to bell-shaped, with 5 lobes; 10 stamens in 2 whorls of 5; inflorescence a dense,
terminal or axillary raceme, 8-10 cm long; fruit a 3-parted, hairy, spherical capsule, about 3 mm
long; seeds minute, brown and reticulate, 0.8-1 mm long.
Recognition: A deciduous shrub with shiny green, alternate leaves that have coarsely toothed
margins toward the apex, and are usually pubescent below. The fragrant flowers have 5 white
petals and are produced in erect to drooping racemes. Fruit is a 3 locular capsule, with minute,
reticulate, brown seeds.
Habitat: FACW. Savannas and flatwoods, swamps, stream banks, and bogs.
Distribution: North Florida, south to Lake County.
Flowering: Summer.
DARST
DICOTS
Conocarpus erectus L. BUTTONWOOD, BUTTON MANGROVE
Description: A shrub or small tree, to 20 m (65 ft) usually smaller with a rounded crown and often
with several trunks; bark brownish, splitting into long rectangular strips becoming rough;
branches angled, smooth or pubescent; leaves evergreen, alternate, simple; petioles 1-2 cm long,
with a pair of glands near blade base; leaf blade elliptic to oval or lanceolate, 2-10 cm long, 3-4 cm
wide, smooth or silky-pubescent and somewhat leathery, margins entire, apex obtuse or acuminate;
flowers usually unisexual, petals absent, sepals united, greenish white, 5-lobed; stamens 5-8;
inflorescence stalked, axillary or terminal, in compact heads or "buttons", 5-10 mm in diameter;
fruits in a brown, waxy, conelike cluster, 4-7 mm long; seeds scalelike, flattened, 2 winged.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub or tree with simple, alternate leaves and a pair of glands at the base of
the leaf. Distinctive, globose, cone-like fruits are usually present throughout the year. A variety with
silvery, silky hairs on the leaves and twigs is often recognized in Florida as var. sericea Forst. ex DC.
(silver buttonwood).
Habitat: FACW. Shorelines, commonly landward of the fringe of mangrove community and above
high tides, edges of salt flats, rocklands of the Florida Keys, borders of fresh and brackish marshes,
edges of hammocks, sometimes on spoil and other disturbed areas in South Florida.
Distribution: Coastal, Levy and Volusia Counties south, and throughout the Florida Keys.
Flowering: Late spring - summer.

Laguncularia racemosa (L.) Gaertn. f. WHITE MANGROVE
Description: shrub or tree, to 20 m (65 ft) height; bark is tan to brownish-gray, thin; leaves evergreen,
opposite, simple; petioles short, with a pair of glands just below blade; leaf blade oblong to obovate,
2-7 cm long, coriaceous, margins smooth, leaf tips blunt, rounded or notched; flowers bisexual,
fragrant, urnlike or bell-shaped, greenish white sepals and petals, sepals pubescent, united with 5
small lobes, the 5 petals are small and round; 10 stamens; inflorescence a few to several flowered
spike, 3-6 cm long; fruit an oblong to obovoid, ribbed and angled, leathery drupe, reddish at
maturity 1.5-2 cm long, containing a single-seed; calyx is persistent.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub or small tree with opposite leaves. A conspicuous pair of glands is
located just below the leaf base. Small greenish white flowers are produced in lax spikes. The fruit is
a slightly flattened, ribbed and angled, leathery drupe, with a persistent calyx.
Habitat: OBL. Brackish and saltwater shorelines (rarely in freshwater), mud flats, and borders of
hammocks; often intermixed with other mangroves. Avicennia germinans (black mangrove), can be
distinguished by its leaves which do not have a pair of glands at their base and are whitish on their
undersides. Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove), is usually found waterward of Laguncularia and
has arching, aerial roots from the trunk and branches. L. racemosa, along with all the mangroves, is
important in maintaining the stability and productivity of Florida's coastal waters.
Distribution: Coastal areas of south Florida, north along the coasts to Levy and Volusia Counties.
DICOTS
Dichondra carolinensis Michx. PONY-FOOT
synonymy: D. repens Forst. & Forst. var. carolinensis (Michx.) Choisy in DC.
Description: Perennial herb with spreading stolons 1 mm in diameter, rooting at nodes; stem a thin
rhizome; leaves alternate; petioles weak, hairy, curved, to 5 cm; leaf blade cordate basally, orbicular
to reniform, 1-3 cm in diameter, margins entire, surfaces hairy becoming glabrous with age; flowers
bisexual, 5 hairy, spatulate sepals, 1-3 mm long, longer than petals; petals glabrous, creamy white,
pare fused and appear deeply 5-lobed; 5-stamens; pistil with two carpels; fruit a 2 lobed capsule
with 1 seed per lobe; seeds pear-shaped, brown, 2-3 mm long.
Recognition: Creeping perennial herbs with small reniform leaves, cordate bases and small, creamy
white flowers.
Habitat: FAC. Moist forests, open stream banks, lawns, ditches, and other disturbed areas.
Flowering: Winter-spring.

Cornus amomum Mill. SWAMP DOGWOOD, SILKY DOGWOOD
Description: a large, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub of the wetland forest understory (subcanopy
and groundcover), to 5 m (16 ft) tall; branches arching or leaning and frequently maroon in color,
pith of twig and branches over one year old, brown; bark reddish, becoming brown to gray with age;
leaves opposite, deciduous; petioles 0.5-2 cm long; leaf blade variably ovate to oblong and typically
abruptly tapered to a broad point, 3-10 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, margins entire, veins parallel and
ascending, upper surface dull green and smooth, lower surface lighter and also dull, frequently with
leaves of considerably different size on the same branch; flowers in a flattened terminal cyme,
produced on the current season growth following or during leaf emergence; individual flowers
white; fruit a fleshy, subglobose drupe 5-9.5 mm in diameter, born in clusters, dark blue at maturity
with light cream colored areas, green then reddish prior to ripening, and containing a single seed.
Recognition: A large, deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub with some conspicuous maroon colored
stems or branches. Pith of year old wood is brown, while the equivalent pith of C.foemina is white.
Leaves typically much wider than C.foemina and with numerous veins (similar to C.florida).
Habitat: OBL, Areas of shallow to moderate inundation; along stream and river banks which
inundate annually, swamps, and swamp borders.
Distribution: Northwest Florida, primarily along the Apalachicola-Chipola River.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST
DICOTS 373
Cornus foemina Mill, STIFF CORNEL DOGWOOD, SWAMP DOGWOOD
Description: Most often encountered as a shrub, frequently multi-stemmed and/or colonial, occa
sionally as a small understory tree to 8 m (26 ft) tall, deciduous; branches usually arching, descend
ing; twigs of the year greenish although may turn reddish as it matures during the year; bark gray
and smooth, may exhibit a slight plated appearance on older trunks; leaves opposite, deciduous;
petioles short 2-5 mm long; leaf blades variably oblong to elliptical and typically with a tapered,
pointed tip, 2-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, margins, entire, veins parallel and ascending, upper surface
dull green and smooth (some young terminal leaves may have a rough texture), lower surface lighter
and also dull, frequently with leaves of considerably different size on the same branch; flowers
bisexual, individually small and white; produced in a convex, less frequently flattened, terminal
cyme, on the current seasons growth following or during leaf emergence; fruit a fleshy, subglobose
drupe 4-6 mm diameter, in clusters, blue at maturity, green then reddish prior to ripening, and
containing a single seed.
Recognition: A frequently multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub, or understory sized tree, with white
pith. The leaves are typically pointed, the upper surface of non-terminal mature leaves smooth to
the touch, and typically smaller and with fewer veins than other dogwood species except C.
asperifolia, which some authors regard as a subspecies (C. f subsp. microcarpa). C. foemina can be
separated from C. asperifolia by the presence on that species of at least some mature leaves with the
upper surface rough to the touch.
inundate annually, swamps, and swamp borders.
Distribution: Throughout Florida except lower east coast.
Flowering: Spring.
M- f

Cliftonia monophylla (Lam.) Britt. ex Sarg. BUCKWHEAT TREE,
BLACK TITI, SPRING TITI
Description: A shrub or small tree to 10 m (30 ft) tall, often forming dense stands; bark smooth and
gray to grayish-brown or nearly black, becoming rougher with age, producing thin plates around the
base of the tree, revealing the orangish-brown inner bark; leaves evergreen, alternate, simple,
short-stalked to sessile, somewhat leathery, 2-10 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, elliptic to oblanceolate; leaf
surfaces dark green with pale undersides, lateral veins not evident, margins entire; flowers bisexual,
radially symmetrical, 5 united sepals, 5 white or pinkish petals 5-8 mm long, 10 stamens, a single
pistil; inflorescence a raceme, 5-7 cm long, 1 to several clustered at or near the tips of previous
season's growth; fruit a small, brown, few seeded, 2-5 winged drupe, 5-7 mm long.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub or small tree with simple, alternate leaves. Flowers have a white to
pinkish perianth. These are in short racemes, often clustered at the tips of previous years growth.
Winged fruits at stem tips persists throughout most of the year. One of the common names refers
to the resemblance of the fruit to the buckwheat of commerce, Fagopyum esculenum Moench. Leaf
scars are shield-shaped with one transverse vascular bundle scar.
Habitat: FACW. Swamps, sloughs, stream banks, depressions, seepage bogs, wiregrass savannas, and
hydric flatwoods.
Distribution: Florida panhandle east to Jefferson County, also Marion and Clay Counties.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 375
Cyrilla racemiflora L. TITI, CYRILLA, HE-HUCKLEBERRY
synonymy: C. parvifolia Raf.
Description: Shrub or small tree to 10 m (30 ft) high, commonly sprouts from shallow roots forming
dense, tangled thickets; bark brownish-gray becoming spongy and peeling along the edges to reveal
the pinkish-brown inner bark; leaves semi-evergreen to deciduous, alternate, simple, smooth,
without stipules, short-stalked, elliptic, obovate or oblanceolate, 2-10 cm long, 0.5-2.5 cm wide with
conspicuous veins on both surfaces; leaf base tapering, tip pointed, blunt, rounded or notched;
flowers bisexual, radially symmetrical, 5 very small sepals, 5 white to creamy white petals, 2-4 mm
long, 5 stamens alternating with the petals, a single pistil; inflorescence a cylindrical raceme, 2-15
cm long, attached in clusters radiating from stems of previous seasons but below new growth; fruit
a small rounded drupe that is dry at maturity with a persistent calyx, to 3 mm dia.; seeds small,
brown, ca. 2 mm long, one or two per drupe.
Recognition: Shrub or small tree with simple, alternate leaves but variable in size; smaller leaves tend
to be narrow at the tips, while larger leaves are more rounded. Individual plants tend to have a
single type of leaf. Leaves are tardily deciduous and often turn bright orange, red or yellow before
falling. Leaf scars with one round vascular bundle scar. Flowers have a white perianth. These are
produced in cylindrical racemes, 2-15 cm long. Racemes are clustered, with several arising from
same area of the stem. The brown fruit clusters persist through much of the year.
Habitat: FAC. Swamps, pine flatwoods, along streams, sloughs, seepage bogs, wiregrass savannas,
and depressions.
Distribution: North and central Florida, south to Osceola and Highlands Counties.
Flowering: Spring.

Drosera spp. SUNDEWS
Description: Insectivorous herbs; leaves filiform, 8-40 cm long, or petiolate and distally obovate to
spatulate, in basal rosettes 2-10 cm diameter, with mucilage tipped glandular, red, purple, or green hairs
(trichomes); flowers purple, pink or white, 1-2 cm diameter, 5 petals slightly united at base, 5 sepals,
5 stamens, borne solitary to many (20) on a 1-sided raceme atop a leafless stalk; fruit 3-5 valved capsules
with many small seeds.
Recognition: Insectivorous herbs with sticky, hairy leaves that glisten in the sunlight. Five species are
recognized in Florida:
D. brevifolia Pursh. has a basal rosette less than 4 cm across, leaf blades approximately equal to the petiole in
length, flower stalks 1-8 cm tall with glandular hairs and bearing 1-8 pink to white or rose-purple flowers,
and black seeds.
D. capillaris Poir. has a basal rosette to 10 cm wide, leaf blades shorter than the petioles, glabrous flower
stalks 4-20 cm tall bearing 2-20 pink flowers, and brown seeds.
D. intermedia Hayne has leaves in a basal rosette or up on a stem to 10 cm long, leaf blades much shorter
than the petiole, glabrous flower stalks 9-20 cm tall bearing up to 20 white (or pinkish) flowers, and
reddish-brown to black seeds.
D.filiformis Raf. has narrowly filiform leaves to 25 cm long, less than 1 mm wide, with purple glandular hairs
that dry to dark brown, glabrous flower stalks 6-22 cm tall bearing 4-6 purple flowers, and black seeds.
D. tracyi Macfarlane has coarsely (wider than 1 mm) filiform leaves to 40 cm long with green glandular hairs
that dry to a light tan, flower stalks 25-45 cm tall with glandular hairs and bearing rose-purple flowers,
and black seeds.
Habitat: OBL. D.filiformis, D. intermedia, and D. tracyi: bogs, hydric savannas, wet ditches, hydric pine
flatwoods. FACW. D. brevifolia and D. capillaris: borders of wetlands, bogs, pine flatwoods, savannas,
moist roadsides and ditches.
Distribution: D. capillaris is statewide in occurrence. Both D. brevifolia and D. intermedia are less common
but also potentially distributed statewide. D. tracyi is found throughout the panhandle while D.filiformis
is only found in the central panhandle.
Flowering: Spring.
Droserafilifor mis Raf. OBL THREAD-LEAF SUNDEW
DICOTS 377
Drosera spp. (continued)
Drosera intermedia Hayne OBL SPOON-LEAF SUNDEW
Drosera tracyi Macfarlane OBL GULF COAST SUNDEW
Drosera brevifolia Pursh. FACW DWARF SUNDEW
Drosera capillaris Poir FACW PINK SUNDEW

Diospyros virginiana L. COMMON PERSIMMON
Description: A medium-sized tree with very hard wood, to 15 m (50 ft) tall; bark dark brown or
blackish, furrowed into small rectangular blocks (somewhat similar to Cornus florida L.); branches
slender, zigzaged, no terminal bud, pith of year old twigs chambered; leaves alternate, deciduous;
petiole short; leaf blade simple, oblong-ovate to oval, 7-15 cm long, 3-8 cm wide, margins entire,
upper surface dark green often with black blemishes, lower surface paler, grayish green; flowers
inconspicuous, unisexual on different plants, greenish in color; fruit a berry, 4-5 cm in diameter and
orange at maturity with a conspicuous and persistent calyx, and containing 4-8 seeds.
Recognition: Medium-sized deciduous tree with alternate, oblong-ovate to ovate leaves having a
partial metallic luster and often with black blemishes on the upper surface. Twigs have a cham
bered pith, are zigzagged, and do no have a terminal bud. The dark bark is furrowed into small
rectangular blocks, and female plants bear large orange berries. At times similar to Nyssa sylvatica
Marsh, which differs in that the pith of year old twigs while exhibiting diaphragms is homogenous,
not chambered.
Habitat: FAC. In both poorly and well drained soils; floodplains, hydric seepage slopes, sand hills, and
mesic and sub-xeric hammocks.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 379
Agaristapopulifolia (Lam.) Judd AGARISTA, FETTER-BUSH
synonymy: Leucothoepopulifolia (Lam.) Dippel.
Description: A relatively tall, multi-stemmed, shrub to about 4 m (13 ft) tall; branches often arching
and ascending to leaning, twigs with a chambered pith; bark smooth and brown; leaves evergreen,
alternate, simple, bright green, lanceolate to ovate, 2.5-10 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, margins entire or
sometimes serrate, tips long tapering; flowers white, narrowly urn-shaped, 7-8 mm long, borne in
many-flowered clusters at the leaf axils; plant showy when in bloom; fruit a rounded capsule, 4-5
mm long, 5-6 mm wide.
Recognition: A relatively tall, arching shrub, with long clusters of white, urn-shaped flowers, and
bright green lanceolate leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Moist woodlands, lower slopes of rich ravines, hydric seepage slopes, swamps, and
near springs and spring runs.
Distribution: North-east and north-central peninsula.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST

Gaylussacia dumosa (Andr.) A. Gray DWARF HUCKLEBERRY
Description: A tardily deciduous shrub to 1-5 dm (4-20 in) tall, often colonial by subterranean
runners; leaves alternate, simple, entire, oblanceolate to elliptic, larger leaves 2-3 cm long, to about
2 cm wide, margins and lower surfaces of leaves usually pubescent, lower surfaces with amber dots;
flowers white to pinkish, bell shaped, 6-9 mm long; borne in several-flowered clusters, each cluster
to about 4 cm long; fruit a shiny black drupe covered with short hairs, 6-8 mm in diameter.
Recognition: A low, tardily deciduous shrub with conspicuous amber dots on the lower surfaces of
the leaves, short, curly hairs on the floral tube, and short, gland-tipped hairs on new branchlets.
Habitat: FACW. In both wetland and non-wetland communities; mesic pinelands, the transition
zone between uplands and wetlands, hydric seepage slopes, and the edges of shrub-tree bogs.
Distribution: Throughout Florida with the exception of the extreme southeast peninsula (Broward,
Dade, and Monroe Counties).
Flowering: Mid - late spring.
DICOTS 381
Gaylussaciafrondosa (L.) T. & G. DANGLEBERRY
Description: A small, tardily deciduous ground cover shrub to about 6 dm (2 ft) tall, often shorter, var.
nana and tomentosa are recognized in Florida; branches in var. nana relatively short, often upright,
giving the plant a somewhat narrow, compact appearance; in var. tomentosa thin, spreading, with
copiously tomentose branchlets; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple, entire, oval to elliptic, leathery, to
about 4-6 cm long, lower leaf surface with raised veins and covered with tiny resinous glands; in var. nana
veins on both surfaces distinct, lower surface moderately to strongly glaucous; in var. tomentosa lower
surface with dense, brownish hairs; flowers bisexual, greenish white, slenderly bell shaped, 2-4 mm long
and borne in small, loosely-branched clusters; fruit a glaucous-blue drupe, 6-7 mm in diameter, in var.
tomentosa the fruit is often paired, with one of the pair more lightly colored than the other.
Recognition: A small shrub with upright or spreading branches, glaucous-blue fruit, and deciduous,
alternate leaves with raised veins and numerous tiny resinous glands on the lower leaf surface which may
also be either, conspicuously grayish-white or covered with dense, brownish hairs. Some authorities
suggest that both var. nana and var. tomentosa are distinct species and that the true G. frondosa does not
occur in Florida.
Habitat: FAC. Equally common in both wetland and non-wetland communities; mesic or sub-xeric pine
flatwoods, edges of bayheads and cypress depressions.
Distribution: Throughout northwest Florida and southward to the central peninsula.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST

Gaylussacia mosieri (Small) Small WOOLLY-BERRY,
MOSIER'S HUCKLEBERRY
Description: A low ground cover shrub to 0.3-1.5 m (1-4 ft) tall; branches short and erect; leaves
deciduous, alternate, simple, entire, elliptic to oblanceolate, 3-6 cm long; flowers bell shaped, with
long, straight hairs on the floral tube; fruit a black drupe, 8-10 mm in diameter and covered with
relatively long, conspicuous hairs.
Recognition: A somewhat low, deciduous shrub, generally distinguished from G. dumosa by having
relatively long hairs on the flower tube, rather than short, curly ones, and comparatively longer,
gland-tipped hairs on newer branchlets.
Habitat: FACW. Generally but not exclusively in wetlands; bogs, wet savannas, edges of bayheads,
and mesic to hydric flatwoods.
Distribution: Generally encountered in Florida west of the Suwannee River but also reported from
Volusia County.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 383
Kalmia latifolia L. MOUNTAIN LAUREL
Description: A potentially large, often many-stemmed shrub, or small tree, to about 3-4 m tall;
branches twisted and contorted, becoming numerous toward the crown; bark of mature plants
reddish brown with narrow, elongated furrows and ridges, often peeling off in strips and flakes;
leaves evergreen, very closely alternate, simple, entire, elliptic to lanceolate, 2-10 cm long, 2.5-5 cm
wide, thick and firm to the touch; flowers showy, cup shaped, pink to white, borne in conspicuous
clusters; each flower with ten stamens, each of which is held under tension in one of ten tiny,
reddish pouches that form a circle on the petals; fruit a small, five-lobed capsule containing tiny
seeds.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub with contorted branches, alternate leaves and distinctive cup-
shaped flowers with ten stamens held in ten pouches on the petals. While the flowers alone
distinguish this plant from all other large evergreen shrubs in Florida, this species is not common
and when encountered is most often not in bloom.
Habitat: FACW. An understory shrub along woodland streams, on wooded bluffs, and in shady
woodlands.
Distribution: A northern species with its southern limits in north Florida; northern panhandle from
Escambia to Leon Counties and a single location near the Suwannee River. Locally common.
Flowering: Spring.
Leucothoe axillaris (Lam.) D. Don DOG-HOBBLE
Description: A loosely-branched shrub to about 1.5 m (4.5 ft) tall; branches arching, often parallel
with the ground, greenish when young, brown in maturity; leaves evergreen, alternate, simple;
petioles short-pubescent, to about 1 cm long; leaf blade leathery, elliptic to oval, 5-14 cm long, 1.5-5
cm wide, margins variably serrate (mostly near leaf tip) or occasionally entire, upper surfaces shiny
green above and without pubescence, lower surface paler; flowers white, often tinged with pink,
urn shaped, 6-8 mm long; borne in conspicuous racemes at the leaf axils, racemes to 7 cm long;
fruit a dark brown, rounded capsule, lighter colored at the sutures, about 5 mm in diameter.
Recognition: A relatively low, evergreen shrub frequently with horizontal branches, and short
racemes of urn-shaped white flowers from the leaf axils. Leaves are alternate, dark green and lack
pubescence on the upper surfaces-
Habitat: FAC W. Wet woods along streams, swamps, floodplain woods.
Distribution: Occurs chiefly in northwest and northeast Florida, increasingly less common south
ward to Polk County.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS
385
Leucothoe racemosa (L.) Gray FETTERBUSH
Description: A tardily deciduous shrub to about 4 m (13 ft) tall; branches thin and upright; bark
reddish brown and smooth; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple, membranous, elliptic to oval in
shape, differing in size on the same branch, 1-5 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, both surfaces usually at
least somewhat pubescent, margins obscurely crenate to serrate; flowers white, tinged with pink,
cylindrical, about 8 mm long; borne in racemes 2-10 cm long; fruit a dark brown, rounded capsule
with lighter colored sutures, 4-5 mm in diameter.
Recognition: A deciduous, treelike shrub with minutely serrated thin leaves that have at least some
pubescence on their upper surfaces. Racemes produced in the fall with flowers appearing the
following spring.
Habitat: FACW. Almost exclusively in wetlands; swamps, bogs, cypress-hardwood depressions,

hydric pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida and southward in the peninsula to Polk and Osceola Coun
ties.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST

Lyonia ligustrina (L.) DC MALEBERRY, HE-HUCKLEBERRY
Description: A deciduous shrub to about 4 m (13 ft) tall; branches thin and ascending; bark smooth,
brown to purplish brown; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple, variable in shape from lanceolate to
elliptic to oval, 2-9.5 cm long, 1-5 cm wide, margins finely serrate, tips with a tiny tooth, petioles and
lower leaf surfaces along the primary veins copiously pubescent; flowers white, sometimes tinged
with pink, rounded in cross-section (less than 5 mm in diameter); borne in clusters at the leaf axils;
fruit a rounded capsule, 2.5-3 mm long.
Recognition: A deciduous shrub with clusters of small, rounded flowers and finely serrated leaves
with pubescence along the veins on the lower surface.
Habitat: FAC. In both wetlands and moist uplands; edges of swamps, bogs, and bayheads, seepage
ecotones between pine flatwoods and depressional wetlands, and thickets along streams.
Distribution: Throughout northern Florida, southward to Highlands and Desoto Counties.
Flowering: Late spring - early summer.
DARST
DICOTS 387
Lyonia lucida (Lam.) K. Koch FETTER-BUSH, STAGGER-BUSH,
HURRAH-BUSH, SHINY LYONIA
Description: An evergreen shrub, potentially to about 4 m (13 ft) tall but usually much shorter, often
forming dense thickets; branches arching to erect; bark often with alternating vertical brown and
gray bands; leaves evergreen, alternate, leathery, simple, dark shiny green, mostly broadly elliptic in
shape, sometimes narrowly elliptic, 2-8 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, margins entire, a distinctive vein
closely paralleling the margin; flowers cylindrical, varying in color from pale to deep pinkish or
almost red; borne in clusters at the leaf axils and quite showy; fruit a rounded to urn-shaped
capsule, to about 5 mm long, with pale, thickened sutures.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub with reddish to deep pink flowers, wholly glabrous leaves, and a
distinctive vein that parallels the leaf margins. Stems usually somewhat flattened towards the tip.
Habitat: FAC W. A shrub of wetlands exhibiting long term inundation or saturation; bogs, bayheads,
and swamp borders. Often forming hummocks when growing in areas of extended inundation.
Also in mesic pine flatwoods, and rarely scrub.
388
Lyonia mariana (L.) D. Don FETTER-BUSH, STAGGER-BUSH
Description: A low growing shrub, potentially to about 2 m (6.5 ft) tall but typically much shorter,
frequently clonal by subterranean runners; branches strongly ascending, young twigs grayish and
angled; leaves deciduous (often tardily), alternate, simple, entire, elliptic to oblong in shape, pale
green, 4-10 cm long, 1.5-4.5 cm wide; flowers white to pinkish, cylindrical, 7-14 mm long, tips of
petals curving outward, flowers borne in distinctive, nodding, many-flowered clusters from the leaf
axils; fruit a somewhat rounded to urn-shaped capsule, 5-7 mm long.
Recognition: A low, tardily deciduous shrub with pale green leaves, strongly ascending upper
branches (usually lacking lower branches), and nodding clusters of relatively large, cylindrical white
to pinkish flowers.
Habitat: FACW. Generally in wetland communities but also in mesic uplands; edges of pineland
marshes, cypress-hardwood pond margins, bogs, shrub-tree swamps, and hydric and low mesic
flatwoods, and less frequently, well-drained mixed woodlands and sandhill.
Distribution: Throughout northern Florida east of the Apalachicola River, southward to the central
peninsula and to Manatee County along the Gulf coast.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 389
Pierisphillyreifolius (Hook.) Small CLIMBING HEATH,
CLIMBING PIEBIS, VINE WICKY
Description: Weakly erect, evergreen shrub or, more commonly vinelike, extending upward by
sending leafless stems just under the bark of cypress (Taxodium spp.), Atlantic white cedar
(Chamaecyparis thyoides), titi (Cyrilla racemiflora), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and longleaf pine (P.
palustris)-, nonparasitic; branches thin and somewhat vinelike; bark brown and slightly roughened;
leaves alternate, simple, stiff and leathery, dark green above, elliptic to long elliptic, 1.5-7 cm long,
0.5-2 cm wide, margins revolute, few-toothed or entire; flowers urn shaped, white, borne in clusters
in the leaf axils, similar to those of many members of the Ericaceae; fruit a five-parted capsule.
Recognition: Very low shrub with dark green, few-toothed, revolute leaves, commonly climbing
vinelike under the bark of cypress, white cedar, or pines.
Habitat: FACW. Cypress depressions, wet edges of pinelands, edges of bay swamps, and moist
woodlands.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida, southward to about Lake and Marion Counties.
Flowering: Spring.

Rhododendron viscosum (L.) Torrey SWAMP AZALEA, CLAMMY AZALEA
synonymy: R. serrulatum (Small) Millias, Azalea viscosa L.,A. serrulata Small
Description: An upright, openly-branched, deciduous shrub, 3-5 m (9-16 ft) tall; branches stiffly
ascending, twigs typically bristly-hairy with shaggy pubescence; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple,
entire, oblong to oblanceolate, 1-9 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, margins with hairs that curve under the
leaf blade, apices with a tiny tooth; flowers white to pink tinted, very fragrant, thinly tubular,
spreading into five petals, tube 1.5-2.5 cm long, borne in four- to nine-flowered clusters, usually
displaying a dense covering of cottony pubescence, produced after leaves have matured; fruit a
lanceolate, densely hairy capsule, 1-2 cm long.
Recognition: An erect, openly branched shrub with hairy leaf margins and showy clusters of white,
honeysucklelike flowers that appear in late spring or early summer. Other members of the genus
bloom in early to mid-spring.
Habitat: FACW. Shallow swamps, hydric hammock, wet woodlands, along streams, lake margins, and
mesic flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout northern Florida, southward in the peninsula to Manatee, Desoto, and
Highlands Counties.
Flowering: Summer.
DICOTS 391
Vaccinium corymbosum L. HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY
synonymy: Cyanococcus corymbosum, Vaccinium arkansanum, V. ashei,
V. atrococcum, V. australe, V.fuscatum, V. virgatum
Description: A large, many branched shrub, or small tree, to about 5 m (15 ft) tall; branches thin,
slightly zigzagged; bark brownish and flaking; leaves deciduous, alternate, elliptic to lanceolate or
ovate, to about 8 cm long, 5 cm wide, margins entire to serrate; quite variable in size and shape;
flowers white, sometimes suffused with pink, cylindrical or urn-shaped, borne in clusters; fruit a
dull to shiny black to sometimes blue berry, 4-12 mm in diameter, typically open at the distal end
and rimmed with persistent sepals.
Recognition: A highly variable species which some authors separate into several additional species.
Most easily distinguished from Elliott blueberry (Velliotii), a large blueberry which can occur in
wetlands, by the lack of green woody stems, overall larger leaves, and by the fruit which is typically
open at the apex.
Habitat: FACW. Shallowly inundated and seepage swamps, bogs, edges of bayheads, hydric and low
mesic flatwoods, hammocks, moist upland woods.
Distribution: Throughout north and north-central Florida, southward along and west of the central
Florida ridge to Collier County.
Flowering: Early spring.

Vaccinium elliottii Chapman ELLIOTT BLUEBERRY, MAYBERRY
Description: A bushy shrub to about 4 m (12 ft) tall; branches thin, spreading, typically greenish in
color; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple, shiny green above, elliptic to oval, 1-3 cm long, 1 cm wide,
or a little wider, margins with small teeth; flowers white to pinkish, cylindrical and urn shaped, 5-7
mm long, borne in 2-6 flowered clusters; fruit a shiny, black berry, 5-10 mm in diameter.
Recognition: Most similar to V corymbosum, from which it may be distinguished by the serrated leaf
margins, the green woody stems, and the leaves which generally do not exceed about 3 cm in
length.
Habitat: FAC. Commonly inhabiting both wetlands and uplands; bottomland woods, stream banks,
wet thickets and clearings, and mesic and submesic mixed pine-hardwood forests.
Distribution: Throughout northern Florida, southward at least to the central peninsula.
DICOTS 393
Euphorbia inundata Torr. ex Chapm.
Euphorbia polyphylla Engelm.
Euphorbia humistrata Gray
synonymy: Chamaesyce humistrata (Engelm. ex Gray) Small
Description: Perennial herbs with milky sap, to 30 cm (1 ft) tall, from thick rootstocks; stems slender,
erect, 1 to several from the same rootstock, sometimes branched; leaves alternate below, sessile; leaf
blade oblongish lance shaped or linear (all linear and overlapping in E. polyphylla), to 10 cm (4 in) long,
margins entire, often red-purple tinged; flowers unisexual, reduced, in tiny clusters on terminal
branchlets; each cluster in a fleshy cup (cyathium), with several male flowers (1 stamen each) and 1
female flower (1 stalked, 3-lobed ovary); no petals or sepals; each cup with 4-5 glands around edge,
green to maroon (pink-white petal-like extensions on glands in E. polyphylla}, fruit a stalked 3-lobed
capsule with 3 oval seeds.
Recognition: Small herbs with milky sap and sessile, entire, narrow, mostly alternate leaves. The small
flower clusters are produced in a cuplike structure with 4 or 5 glands around edge. The fruit is a
stalked 3-lobed capsule. [Related Euphorbia humistrata Gray (=Chamaesyce humistrata (Engelm. ex
Gray) Small) also with cyathia, but leaves opposite, short-petioled; stems prostrate; plants annual.]
Habitat: FACW. In sandy soils of savannas, bogs, and flatwoods, often associated with wiregrass, and in
shrub ecotones. E. humistrata also on floodplains.
Distribution: E. inundata: frequent in northwest Florida, occasional in northeast and southwest

Florida; E. polyphylla: frequent in central and south Florida; E. humistrata: mostly in the Apalachicola
River basin.
Flowering: Spring to summer for E. inundata; all year for E. polyphylla.
S Euphorbia inundata Torr. ex Capm. FLORIDA SPURGE
MANY-LEAVED SPURGE
394
Phyllanthus urinaria L, LEAF-FLOWER, WATER LEAF-FLOWER
Description: Annuals to 0.5 m (1.7 ft) tall, often blanketing ground; stems erect, with spreading,
winged lateral branches; leaves alternate, 2-ranked, on branches only (not main stem), each branch
resemble a compound leaf, blades sessile, to 2 cm long, oblong, short hairy below, touch sensitive;
flowers unisexual on the same plant, tiny without petals, 6 greenish sepals, 3 stamens; sessile or
short stalked, hidden beneath leaves at axils with female flowers toward the base and male flowers
toward the tip; fruit a 3-lobed capsule, with 6 wedge-shaped seeds.
Recognition: Touch-sensitive annuals with a leafless main stems and small, 2-ranked, closely
alternate leaves on spreading branches (thus resembling compound leaves). Tiny short stalked or
sessile flowers with no petals are located beneath leaves. Similar to P. tenellus Roxb., an upland
invasive exotic, which may be distinguished by leaves glabrous below, female flowers on threadlike
stalks, and 5 stamens.
Habitat: FAC. In floodplains, wet clearings, and ditches, on river bars and stream banks, and in well-
drained sites, especially disturbed areas (often with P. tenellus).
Distribution: In scattered localities throughout Florida, more common near urban centers.
DICOTS 395
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb. CHINESE TALLOW TREE, POPCORN TREE
Description: Glabrous, fast-growing tree with milky sap, to 16 m (50 ft) tall; bark tan; twigs with thin
whitish coating (glaucous) when young; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple; petioles slender, 2-5 cm
long, with a pair of glands at the summit; leaf blades about as broad as long (to 6 cm), tips abruptly
tapering to point, margins entire; turning yellow to deep red in fall; flowers reduced, unisexual,
with 3 sepals (cup-like in male), no petals, and 2 stamens; in spikelike or tassellike green-yellow
clusters at stem tips, with female below and male above; fruit a stalked 3-lobed capsule, turning
brown and splitting open to reveal 3 dull white seeds.
Recognition: Medium-sized tree with tan bark and milky sap. The short, broad, alternate leaves with
pointed tips, have slender petioles with glands just below leave blade. Flowers are borne on small,
pendent, spikelike clusters. The 3-lobed capsular fruit resembles "popcorn" after splitting to expose
3 dull white seeds. An increasingly weedy exotic, introduced from China, that has the potential to
be highly destructive of Florida's native flora and fauna. This plant should never be used as an
ornamental but is unfortunately extensively used as such.
Habitat: FAC. Marshes (brackish to fresh), lake and pond shallows, stream and river banks, ditches,
and well-drained uplands.
Distribution: Most abundantly naturalized in northwest and north-central Florida, but found as far
south as Dade County
Flowering: Late spring.

Sebastianafruticosa (Bartr.) Fern. SEBASTIAN BUSH,
GULF SEBASTIAN BUSH
Description: Shrubs, 1-2 m (3-6 ft) tall, loosely branched, essentially glabrous; branches slender,
red-brown, often narrowly winged; bark slightly ridged, grayish on older stems; leaves alternate;
stipules present, triangular; petioles 2-10 mm long; leaf blade elliptic or lance-shaped, to 7 cm long,
margins entire, tips pointed; flowers reduced, unisexual, in narrow spikelike clusters at uppermost
leaf axils; clusters to 4 cm long, green to green-yellow, female flowers below, male above; each flower
with a short, broad bract below, bearing 2 glands; 3 sepals; no petals; 3 stamens; fruit a 3-lobed
capsule with 3 oblong, silvery brown seeds.
Recognition: Loosely branched shrubs of medium height, with a milky latex sap. Leaves are alternate,
elliptic, short-petioled, and have triangular stipules at the base of the petiole. Flowers are small,
unisexual, greenish, and produced in spikelike clusters from upper leaf axils. The fruit is a 3-lobed
capsule containing 3 seeds.
Habitat: FAC. Stream and river banks, wooded floodplains, and adjacent upland slopes.
Distribution: Primarily in west and north Florida.
Flowering: Spring.
Stillingia aquatica Chapm. CORKWOOD
Description: Glabrous, single stemmed shrub from a short taproot, to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, branched and
leafy above; branches red-purple, usually with a whitish coating (glaucous); wood very light in
weight, corklike; leaves alternate; petiole short; leaf blade narrow, elliptic to lance shaped, to 8 cm
long, margins minutely scalloped (each rounded tooth with a tiny callus); flowers reduced, uni
sexual, in small terminal spikelike clusters with female below and male above; spikes tinged green,
yellow, or red; sepals usually 3 in female flowers, 2 in male; no petals; 2 stamens; fruit a 3-lobed
capsule; 3 silvery gray, bumpy, seeds (rarely 2), with raised, horseshoe-shaped tissue around the
hilum.
Recognition: Small glabrous shrubs with a single stem topped by leafy branches. The sap is milky
and the wood is lightweight. The leaves are alternate, narrow, with tiny rounded teeth on the
margins. Small spikes of unisexual flowers are greenish yellow. The fruit is a 3-lobed capsule with 3
silvery gray seeds. Related S. sylvatica L. ssp. tenuis (Small) Rogers, is smaller and has multiple
stems that are mostly herbaceous.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, cypress ponds, wet depressions, ditches, and canals. FAC. S. sylvatica mesic
pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Occasional in most of the state. S. sylvatica in pinelands of south Florida.
Flowering: Spring and summer.

Aeschynomene indica L., Aeschynomene pratensis Small
Description: Coarse annual (A indica) or perennial herb, to 2 m (6 ft) tall; sparsely hairy; stems often
much branched, with scattered wide-based hairs or reddish-purple spots; leaves alternate; petiole
short; even-pinnately compound; leaflets many (20-24 in A. pratensis, 20-40+ in A. indica), oblong,
entire, 1-veined below, 4-10 mm long; flowers bisexual, small, in loose clusters of 2-6 from leaf axils;
sepals 2-lipped, 5-lobed; petals yellow to red-purplish, with wing and keel lobes like pea flowers; 10
stamens in 2 groups of 5; fruit a stalked, segmented, flattened pod (loment), 2-5 cm long, scalloped
along one edge and with short hairs (A indica) or along both edges and glabrous {A. pratensis).
Recognition: Tall, branched herbs. Leaves alternate, even-pinnately compound, with many leaflets.
Each leaflet with one vein below. Flowers are small, yellow to red-purplish, and pealike. The fruit is
a flat, segmented pod, scalloped on one or both edges. The two species listed above might be
confused with A. americana L„ which has leaflets with 2 or more veins below. Chamaecrista
(= Cassia) fasciculata (Michx.) Greene (partridge pea), has straight-edged pods that are not
scalloped. Desmodium spp. (stick-tights), have segmented fruit similar to Aeschynomene, however
the leaves are composed of 3 leaflets and the flowers are purplish.
Habitat: FACW. A. indica, in ditches, sloughs, swamp edges, marshy shores, and wet clearings.
OBL. A. pratensis, in sawgrass marshes and pineland depressions.
Distribution: A. indica in scattered localities throughout state; A. pratensis in Broward, Dade, and
Monroe Counties.
Flowering: Late summer-fall for A. indica-, all year for A. pratensis.
Aeschynomene indica L. INDIA JOINT-VETCH
DICOTS 399
Amorphafruticosa L. INDIGO-BUSH, BASTARD-INDIGO
synonymy: A. bushii Rydb., A. croceolanata Wats., A. curtissii Rydb.,
A. dewinkeleri Small, A. tennesseensis Shuttlw. ex Kuntze, A. virgata Small
Description: A shrub to 1-4 m (3-13 ft) tall, with smooth to hairy, woody stems; leaves alternate,
deciduous, odd pinnately compound, 10-30 cm long; leaflets 9-35, stalked, oblong to ovate oblong,
1-5 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide, margins entire; flowers purple or blue to white, with a single, erect,
clawed petal, a 5-lobed calyx, 2-3 mm long and 10 stamens; borne in a many-flowered, spike-like,
terminal raceme, 10-20 cm long; fruit a 1-seeded pod, 6-9 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, dotted with
resinous glands.
Recognition: Deciduous, woody shrub with odd-pinately compound leaves and a spike-like inflores
cence of blue or purple to white flowers. The fruit is a small, single seeded pod conspicuously
covered with resinous glands.
Habitat: FACW. Stream banks, floodplains, shorelines of ponds and lakes, marshes, and hydric
hammocks.
Flowering: Spring.
400
Gleditsia aquatica Marsh. WATER-LOCUST
Description: A medium sized tree, occasionally of only shrubby stature, to 25 m (80 ft) tall, of riverine
floodplains; branches numerous, typically (but not always) armed with long (to 14 cm), stout,
thorns that are simple or with side thorns; twigs stout, slightly zigzag; bark grayish brown to dark
gray or blackish, texture variable, generally smooth, narrowly furrowed or warty; leaves alternate,
deciduous, pinnately and/or bipinnately compound, 12-20 cm long; petiole and leaflet stalks
glabrous or very sparsely pubescent; leaflet pairs opposite or sub-opposite, 9-18 pairs on pinnate
leaves or on pinnae of bipinnate leaves, 6-8 pinnae pairs on bipinnate leaves, leaflets lanceolate to
lance-oblong, 2-4 cm long, 1 cm wide, margins obscurely toothed with tiny glands in notches of the
teeth, upper and lower surfaces glabrous; flowers functionally unisexual although some structurally
bisexual, male and female on the same plant; petals greenish yellow; male flowers in dense many
flowered racemes, female racemes with few flowers; racemes arising from short shoot leaf fascicles;
fruit an oval pod with 1 to 3 flat, round seeds, no pulp between seeds.
Recognition: A deciduous, thorny tree with alternate, pinnately and/or bipinnately compound leaves,
and an oval seed pod with 1 to 3 seeds. The very similar G. triacanthos L. (honey locust) is much
less common in Florida and may be distinguished by notably pubescent petioles and leaflet stalks,
and a much longer, internally pulpy, many seeded pod.
Habitat: OBL. In or immediately adjacent to areas regularly inundated for extended periods; riverine
swamps and floodplains, stream banks, and hydric hammocks. FACW G. triacanthos. Upper
floodplains, stream banks, and fertile uplands.
Distribution: Throughout northern Florida, south to the lower Peace River valley (Charlotte County)
on the west coast and Brevard County on the east coast. G. triacanthos, in Florida, is restricted to
the panhandle; Taylor County westward.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS
Sesbania spp. RATTLE-BUSHES, SESBANS
Description: Annual or perennial erect herbs, shrubs, or small trees; usually glabrous or nearly so;
leaves alternate, short-petioled, even-pinnately compound (no terminal leaflet); leaflets numerous
(at least 20, usually more), elliptic-oblong, 1-3 (-5) cm long, margins entire; flowers bisexual,
asymmetric pea-like flowers, most often yellow (red in some), 5 partially fused, bowllike sepals,
5 petals, with 2 fused to form the "keel", and 10 partially fused stamens; in loose, stalked clusters
from upper leaf axils, each flower slender-stalked; fruit a stalked, linear or oblong (winged in some
species), legume (bean pod) with few to many seeds (beans).
Recognition: Species seen in wetter areas include: S. herbacea (Mill.) McVaugh (= S. macrocarpa
Muhl. ex Raf., S. exaltata (Raf.) Cory), coffeeweed, a tall, single-stemmed annual with yellow flowers,
often mottled with red, and many-seeded, long-linear pods; S. punicea (Cav.) Benth., purple sesban,
a shrub or small tree with orange-red flowers, and 4-winged, oblong pods bearing a few to several
seeds (introduced from South America); and S. vesicaria (Jacq.) Ell. (= Glottidium vesicarium (Jacq.)
Mohr), bladder-pod, a tall annual with yellow flowers and 1 or 2-seeded, oblong, somewhat flat
tened, pods with pointed tips.
Habitat: FAC. In both wetland and upland sites; marshes, swamps, ditches, lakes, ponds, creeks,
savannas, pastures, and agricultural fields, most abundant in disturbed areas.
Distribution: S. herbacea and S. vesicaria found throughout Florida, S. punicea south to Lee County;
7 or 8 species known in Florida, the majority introduced from tropical areas.
Sesbania herbacea (Mill.) McVaugh
Sesbania punicea (Cav.) Benth. INVASIVE EXOTIC PURPLE SESBAN
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DARST
402
Quercus laurifolia Michx, SWAMP LAUREL OAK
Description: A common large canopy tree to 30 m (98 ft) tall, of shallow swamps, hydric slopes,
floodplains and submesic uplands; branches thin, wide and spreading; bark initially gray and
smooth becoming darker and shallowly furrowed into small plates with age; leaves alternate, tardily
deciduous; petioles short; leaf blade thin, variable in shape even on individual plants, typically
obovate to oblanceolate with at least some narrowly rhombic (diamond shaped), 5-10 cm long, 2-4
cm wide, margins entire on mature canopy leaves, leaves of some summer growth shoots with short
lateral lobes, occasional leaves with a tiny bristle tip, upper surface green and mildly lustrous, lower
surface also green but duller, with tufts of short hairs in some of the main vein axils on some
mature leaves; flowers inconspicuous, unisexual, on the same plant; male flowers borne on
drooping catkins; fruit a nut (acorn), requiring two years to mature; involucre bowl-like but shallow,
covering one-third to one-half of the dark brown acorn which is squat dome shaped, 1-2 cm. long,
with a flat bottom.
Recognition: A large, tardily deciduous tree, those growing in more deeply inundated wetlands
tending to develop fluted buttresses; leaves alternate, at least some narrowly rhombic (diamond
shaped), with tufts of short hairs in some of the main vein axils on the lower surface of some
mature leaves. Often growing in mixed forests with Quercus virginiana (live oak) and Quercus nigra
(water oak), both of which can be similar; Q. nigra differs in having most leaves broadly distally
spatulate, and/or at least some terminally three lobed, while the bark of Q. virginiana is rougher or
more deeply and regularly ridged and furrowed on similar sized trees, the leaves are more leathery
and distinctly two tone (upper surface dark green, lower surface gray-green), and the acorn is
elongate not dome shaped. The very similar Quercus hemisphaerica (laurel oak) occupies drier
habitats, and its leaves are typically bristle tipped and do not exhibit tufts of hair in the vein axils
on the lower surface. In most of Florida, Q. hemisphaerica is essentially semi-evergreen, retaining
at least half its leaves until the emergence of new growth.
Habitat: FACW. Riverine floodplains, seepage swamps, mixed hardwood swamps, hydric hammock,
hydric slopes, and adjacent upland submesic forests.
Distribution: Throughout Florida in freshwater sites.
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V
DICOTS 403
Quercus lyrata Walt. OVERCUP OAK
Description: A medium to large canopy tree to 30 m (98 ft) tall, of bottomland floodplains and
inundated river bank levees; branches spreading and often somewhat descending; bark gray with a
brownish cast, thickened into irregular plates which in turn are scaly; leaves alternate, deciduous;
petioles 1-1.5 cm long; leaf blade overall obovate to oblong in outline, 7-25 cm long, 2.5-12 cm wide,
with 5-9 distinct, coarse lobes, widest portion of leaf and typically the largest lobes just distal of the
middle which when combined with the smaller more proximal lobe pair gives the leaf a general
"fiddle" shape, lobes rounded to acute and without bristle tips, sinuses between lobes rounded,
margin entire, upper surface dark green and glabrous, lower surface variably pubescent, so as to
appear grayish; flowers small and unisexual; male flowers borne on drooping catkins, 10-15 cm
long; fruit a nut (acorn), maturing in a single season; involucres covering nearly the entire mature
acorn which is compressed and dark brown.
Recognition: A medium to large deciduous tree with gray, plated, scaly bark and lobed leaves that are
not bristle tipped. No other Florida wetland oak has the combination of gray, plated, scaly bark and
coarsely lobed leaves without bristle tips.
Habitat: OBL. Bottomland floodplains and inundated river levees, lake swamps; rarely on non-
wetland portions of floodplains.
Distribution: Northwest Florida eastward to the Suwannee River drainage and south along the Gulf
side of the peninsula to northern Hillsborough County.
Flowering: Spring.
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DARST

Quercus michauxii Nutt. SWAMP CHESTNUT OAK,
BASKET OAK, COW OAK
Description: A large canopy tree to 40 m (130 ft) tall of floodplains, hydric and fertile mesic ham
mocks and slopes adjacent to streams; branches stout, usually not wide spreading; bark gray,
shaggy scaly becoming thickened into vertical narrow, flaky plates on larger trees; leaves alternate,
deciduous; petioles 0.5-2.5 cm long; leaf blade relatively large, obovate, mostly broadest above the
middle, 10-22 cm long, 7-15 cm wide, margins of mature leaves with 10-15 regular, shallow, rounded
tooth-lobes on each side, conspicuous parallel, angularly ascending lateral veins each ending in a
tooth-lobe, upper surface bright green, glabrous, lower surface dull green to grayish green depend
ing on the degree of variable pubescence; flowers small and unisexual; male flowers borne on
drooping catkins; fruit a nut (acorn), maturing in a single season; involucres bowl-like, covering
one-third to one-half of the mature acorn, which is typically ovoid, 2.5-4 cm long with a flat base,
dull brown in color, glabrous or with a fine, dense buff pubescence.
Recognition: A large deciduous tree with gray shaggy, scaly to plated bark and evenly spaced shal-
lowly tooth-lobed leaves. Leaves are diagnostic except for some leaves of Quercus muehlenbergii
Engelm. (chinquapin oak). Typically leaves of Q. muehlenbergii have pointed rather than rounded
tooth-lobes and are smaller and narrower, elliptic to lanceolate.
Habitat: FACW. Short duration floodplains, hydric slopes and adjacent fertile mixed hardwood
uplands. Occurrence in uplands often associated with the presence of shallow limestone.
Distribution: All of northern Florida south in the peninsula to Hernando and Lake Counties.
DARST
DICOTS 40S
Quercus nigra L. WATER OAK
Description: A medium to large canopy tree to approximately 25 m (82 ft) tall, of both hydric and mesic
forests; branches upright and arching, prone to disease and insect attack resulting in the frequent
occurrence of dead branches; bark thin, gray to brown and smooth when young, turning darker gray
and developing a plated and eventually a shallow, irregularly ridged and furrowed appearance with
age; leaves alternate, tardily deciduous, tree usually not totally bare until late winter; petioles short;
leaf blade highly variable in shape, typical mature leaves spatulate to broadly three lobed and distinctly
broadest distally, 5-15 cm long and 2-10 cm wide, margins entire with small bristle tips associated
with lobes, upper surface dark green, lower surface lighter green with tufts of tiny hairs in most axils
formed by the major lateral veins and the midrib; flowers small and unisexual; male flowers borne on
drooping catkins 5-7.5 cm long, flowers produced immediately prior to and as leaves emerge in spring;
fruit a nut (acorn), requiring two seasons to mature; involucres saucer-like, covering only the base of
the mature tan to brown acorn, which is ovoid to subglobose, 8-10 mm long with a nearly flat base,
and a fine, dense pubescence.
Recognition: A deciduous tree with alternate, spatulate to broadly three lobed leaves that have tufts of
hairs on the lower leaf surface in most major vein axils. Individual trees are not noted for long life but
reproduce abundantly so that the species is quite common. Frequently a pioneer tree on previously
altered lands.
Habitat: FACW. A common tree in a variety of both wetland and upland habitats but develops best on
hydric seepage slopes and shallow, inundated floodplains along streams. A component along with
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweet gum) and Quercus hemisphaerica (laurel oak) of fertile mesic upland
sites and second growth forests. Invades mesic pine flatwoods in the absence of a normal fire regime.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, south in the peninsula to Manatee and Hardee
Counties and disjunct more southerly in Collier County.
Flowering: Spring.
Quercus pagoda Raf. CHERRYBARK OAK
synonymy: Quercus falcata var. pagodaefolia Ell.
Description: A large canopy tree exceeding 30 m (98 ft) tall, of floodplains along major rivers;
branches ascending, potentially very large, resulting in an upright broadly oval form; bark in
narrow ridges slightly reddish in color; leaves alternate, deciduous; petioles slender, 3-6 cm long;
leaf blade 8-15 cm long with 5-7 coarse lobes, lobes often sublobed, sinuses between lobes open and
rounded, margins entire except for bristles that tip the lobes and sublobes, base of leaf truncate and
ascending, upper surface dark green, glabrous and lustrous, lower surface with dense gray pubes
cence; flowers small and unisexual; male flowers borne on drooping catkins; fruit a nut (acorn),
requiring two seasons to mature; involucres bowl-like but shallow, covering approximately one-
third to one-half of the mature acorn, which is subglobose and orange-brown in color.
Recognition: A large deciduous tree with alternate, 5-7 coarsely lobed, bristle-tipped leaves and
narrowly ridged reddish bark. Regarded by some as a variety of Quercus falcata (southern red oak)
which differs primarily in the base of mature canopy leaves being "U" shaped and in occupying
drier habitats.
Habitat: FACW. Shallowly inundated upper floodplains along large rivers.
Distribution: Restricted in Florida to floodplains of large rivers of the central panhandle; essentially
the overall Apalachicola River system.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 407
Quercus phellos L, WILLOW OAK
Description: A medium to large canopy tree to approximately 30 m (98 ft) tall, primarily of river and
stream floodplains; branches dense, form of tree often conical to narrowly rounded; bark light gray and
smooth when young, turning darker gray and developing a rough irregularly plated appearance with age;
leaves alternate, deciduous; petioles very short; leaf blade typically narrow lanceolate, resembling willow
(Salix) in general shape, 6-13 cm long, 0.7-2 cm wide, margins entire with a small terminal bristle, upper
surface dark green, somewhat lustrous, lower surface paler green with tufts of tiny hairs in most axils
formed by the major lateral veins and the midrib and sparse stellate hairs on lower leaf surface close to
the midrib; flowers small and unisexual; male flowers borne on drooping catkins 5-7.5 cm long, flowers
produced immediately prior to and as leaves emerge in spring; fruit a nut (acorn), requiring two seasons
to mature; involucres saucer-like, covering approximately one-fourth of the mature acorn which is ovoid
to subglobose, 8-10 mm long with a slightly convex base, grayish brown in color with a fine, dense, gray
pubescence.
Recognition: A deciduous tree with alternate, narrow lanceolate willow-like leaves that have tufts of hairs
on the lower leaf surface in most major vein axils and sparse stellate hairs on leaf surface close to the
midrib. Somewhat similar in appearance to both Quercus hemisphaerica (laurel oak) and Quercus
laurifolia (swamp laurel oak) but differs from the latter, with which it may share wetland floodplains, in
general shape of most leaves being narrow lanceolate and from the former, with which it would rarely be
associated in upland second growth forests, in having tufts of tiny hairs in the majority of axils formed by
the major lateral veins and the midrib and sparse stellate hairs close to the midrib on lower leaf surfaces.
Habitat: FACW. Shallow to deeply inundated floodplains along streams and rivers and hardwood swamp
borders. Rarely a component of second growth upland forests.
Distribution: Northwest Florida from Leon County westward and disjunct in northeast Florida: Duval and
Columbia Counties.
Flowering: Spring.

Sabatia spp ROSE-GENTIANS, MARSH-PINKS
Description: Erect glabrous annuals and perennials; leaves mostly opposite or subopposite, each pair
is arranged at right angles to the other, elliptic, obovate, linear, oblong, 4-10 cm long, usually
reduced toward the apex of the flowering stem becoming linear or scale-like; flowers bisexual,
often with a showy pink, rose, purple, or white corolla that is fused at the base, campanulate or wide
spreading; calyx is green and persistent, generally 5-12 lobed, lobes are leafy or linear-setaceous;
5-12 stamens and a single pistil with 2 stigmas; usually produced on terminal ends of branchlets;
inflorescence a branched cyme with opposite or alternate branching; fruit a capsule of two fused
parts; seeds tan to brown, numerous, surface is covered with small pits.
Recognition:
S. angularis (L.) Pursh., pink corolla with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stems opposite, stem leaves ovate,
clasping, stem 4 sided.
S. brevifolia Raf., white corolla with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stems alternate, calyx lobes linear-seta
ceous, stem leaves obovate to elliptic to linear.
S. campanulata (L.) Torn, pink corolla with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stems alternate, calyx lobes linear-
setaceous, stem leaves narrowly lanceolate to oblong.
S. difformis (L.) Druce., corolla white with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stems opposite, upper stems angled,
stem leaves linear to lanceolate.
S. gentianoides Ell., corolla pink with 7-12 lobes, flowers sessile in leafy clusters, subtended by leafy
bracts; if branched, branches are alternate, basal rosette leaves oblong, stem leaves narrowly linear.
S. grandiflora (Gray) Small, corolla pink with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stem alternate, usually 2-3 per
stem, calyx lobes linear-setaceous, stem leaves elliptic to linear.
S. macrophylla Hooker, corolla white, inflorescence branches opposite, leaves and upper stems
glaucous, stem leaves lanceolate, oblong to ovate, clasping.
S. quadrangula Wilbur, corolla white with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stems opposite, all stems angled and
sometimes winged, basal rosette leaves oblong, stem leaves oblong to lanceolate, clasping.
S. stellaris Pursh., corolla pink to rose with 5-6 lobes, inflorescence stems alternate, stem leaves elliptic
to linear or obovate.
Habitat: FACW. Pine savannas, flatwoods, floodplains, sloughs, edges of lakes and ponds, cypress-
gum depressions, fresh and brackish marshes, bogs, ditches and disturbed wet areas.
Distribution:
S. angularis: Leon County west to Okaloosa County.

S. brevifolia: Throughout the state.
S. campanulata: Clay County west to Escambia County and north to Nassau County.
S. difformis: Highlands County north to Nassau County and west to Escambia County.
S. gentianoides: Franklin County west to Escambia County, Flagler County north and northwest to
Baker County, and Indian River County.
S. grandiflora: Central and South Florida.
S. macrophylla: Clay County north to Nassau County and west to Escambia County.
S. quadrangula: Levy County northeast to Nassau County and west to Walton County.
S. stellaris: Throughout the state.
Flowering: Throughout the warmest months, generally late spring-summer.
DICOTS 409
Sabatia spp. (continued) ROSE-GENTIANS, MARSH-PINKS
Sabatia gentianoides Ell.
Sabatia grandiflora (Gray) Small.
Sabatia quadrangula Wilbur.

Sabatia bartramii Wilbur BARTRAM'S ROSE-GENTIAN
Description: Erect glabrous perennials, 4-7 dm tall; leaves opposite, each pair is arranged at right
angles those above and below, basal leaves spreading, spatulate, oblanceolate to oblong, 4-8 cm
long, 10-16 mm wide; stem leaves appressed, lanceolate to linear gradually reduced in size up the
stem; flowers bisexual, corolla rose-magenta (rarely white), spreading with 10-12 lobes and an
irregularly toothed yellow pattern bordered by a reddish line at the base of each lobe; calyx cam-
panulate, tan with 10-12, green, setaceous lobes; produced in a reduced cymule with 1 or 3 flowers;
fruit a globose capsule of two fused parts surrounded by the persistent calyx lobes; seeds
numerous, tan to brown, with the surface covered with small pits.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with two types of leaves. Basal leaves larger and broader,
stem leaves gradually reduced. Showy flowers, with 10-12 bright rose-magenta corolla lobes (each
lobe with a conspicuous yellow pattern bordered in red at the base) are produced singularly or in a
3-flowered cluster. The fruit is a tan capsule with persistent calyx lobes. This is one of the most
conspicuous flowering plants in wetlands during the warm summer months.
Habitat: OBL. Hydric pine flatwoods, edges of cypress-gum depressions, savannas, and wet ditches.
Flowering: Late spring - summer.
DICOTS 411
Sabatia calycina (Lam.)Heller SWAMP ROSE-GENTIAN
Description: Erect glabrous perennials to 4 dm tall; leaves opposite, each pair is arranged at right
angles to those above and below, basal leaves absent, stem leaves spreading, elliptic, 2-7 cm long,
0.5-2 cm wide, gradually reduced in size up the stem; flowers bisexual, corolla pink, spreading with
5-6 lobes; calyx campanulate, with 5-6, green, foliaceous lobes; produced in a reduced cymule with 1
to 3 flowers; fruit a globose capsule of two fused parts surrounded by the persistent calyx lobes;
seeds numerous, tan to brown, with the surface covered with small pits.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with opposite, elliptic leaves on the stems only (no basal
leaves). Flowers are pink to whitish-pink with 5-6 corolla lobes. Calyx is leafy and persistent
around the capsular fruit. This is the only commonly encountered Sabatia of shaded swamp
forests.
Habitat: OBL. Floodplains, swamps, sloughs, hydric hammocks, and wet ditches.
Flowering: Late spring - early fall.

Sabatia dodecandra (L.) BSP. LARGE ROSE-GENTIAN
Description: Erect glabrous perennials, to 7 dm tall; leaves opposite, each pair is arranged at right
angles to those above and below, basal leaves absent, stem leaves spreading, lanceolate, linear,
elliptic to oblong, 2-4 cm long, 0.5-1 cm wide, gradually reduced in size up the stem; flowers
bisexual, corolla pink to rose, spreading with 9-12 lobes; calyx campanulate, with 9-12, green,
foliaceous lobes; produced in a reduced cymule with 1 or 3 flowers; fruit a globose capsule of two
fused parts surrounded by the persistent calyx lobes; seeds tan to brown, numerous, surface is
covered with small pits.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennial with spreading lanceolate, elliptic, oblong to linear opposite
leaves on stems only (no basal leaves). Flowers are pink to rose, with 9-12, corolla lobes. Calyx is
leafy and persistent around the capsular fruit. This species might be confused with S. bartramii
which has similar flowers, however S. bartramii has a conspicuous yellow pattern bordered in red at
the base of each lobe and the calyx is setaceous, not leafy.
Habitat: OBL. Floodplains, swamps, savannas, and marshes.
Flowering: Summer.
DICOTS 413
Proserpinaca spp MERMAID-WEEDS
Description: Perennial herbs, creeping or sprawling, with erect branch tips; stems often rooting at
lower nodes, often partially submersed; leaves alternate, either all leaves finely divided (P. pectinata,
to 3 cm long) or with some leaves merely serrate-toothed (P. palustris, to 7 cm long); flowers small,
reduced, bisexual, 3 sepals, usually persisting at top of ovary, no petals, and 3 stamens; flowers
usually solitary in upper leaf axils; fruit small, 3-angled, oval, 3-4 mm in diameter, splitting into 3
nutlets.
Recognition: Low sprawling herbs, often partially submersed, with alternate leaves, all or some of
which are finely divided. Flowers and fruits are tiny and 3-parted. Two species in Florida; both
native. May be confused with related genus Myriophyllum, which has whorled leaves and flower
parts in 4s.
Habitat: OBL. Marshes and margins of swamps, ponds, ditches, and canals. Fruits and leaves eaten
by ducks.
Distribution: Both P. pectinata and P. palustris are common throughout the state.
Proserpinaca palustris L.
Proserpinaca pectinata Lam.

414
Fothergilla gardeni Murray WITCH ALDER
Description: A small multi-branched, often colonial, shrub to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, typically in the
groundcover of wet pine flatwoods and seepage wetlands; branches slender, flexible, and frequently
upright; bark dark gray and smooth; leaves alternate, deciduous, two-ranked; petioles short; leaf
blade ovate, 2-6 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, conspicuous parallel, ascending, lateral veins, margins
crenate in apical half, upper surface initially pubescent but typically glabrous with age, lower
surface sparsely pubescent; flowers mostly bisexual, borne densely on a compact terminal spike
from previous seasons growth; inflorescences are conspicuous and have a bottle brush appearance
due to numerous elongated white stamen filaments of the individual flowers; fruit a two seeded
capsule, with many fused along the flower spike forming a composite fruiting structure, seeds
elongated and shiny.
Recognition: A rather inconspicuous shrub except when in bloom at which time the white, bottle
brush inflorescences are both striking and diagnostic. Differs from Hamamelis virginiana by
exhibiting marginal crenations only on the distal half of the leaf.
Habitat: FACW. Outer edges of bayheads and shrub swamps, and the transition of these to hydric
pine flatwoods.
Distribution: Northwest Florida eastward to the Ochlockonee River, uncommon.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 415
Liquidambar styraciflua L. SWEET GUM, RED GUM
Description: A medium to large canopy tree to 37 m (120 ft) tall, branches thick and stiff, twigs often
with corky wings or warts; bark light to dark gray, vertically deep-furrowed with interlacing, narrow
ridges; leaves deciduous, alternate; petiole as long or longer than leaf blade, slender and flexible; leaf
blade star shaped with 5 (rarely 7) pointed lobes, palmately veined, margins toothed, upper surface
bright green, shiny and glabrous, lower surface paler green and dull, varyingly pubescent, typically
at least some pubescence in proximal vein axils; flowers unisexual, on same tree, individually small;
male flowers greenish yellow, in ball-like clusters along an erect stalk, female flowers pale green, in
single to several, many-flowered balls on pendulant stalks; fruit capsules, in densely packed clusters
forming a hard, spiny ball, 2-4 cm in diameter, on a long pedicel, each capsule releasing 1 or 2 small,
winged seeds.
Recognition: A deciduous tree with alternate, palmately veined, 5 lobed, star-shaped leaves and spiny
ball-shaped fruit. Frequently a pioneer tree on previously altered lands.
Habitat: FACW. A common tree in a variety of both wetland and upland habitats but develops best
on bottom lands, hydric seepage slopes, and shallow, inundated floodplains along streams. A
component along with Quercus nigra L. (water oak) and Quercus hemisphaerica Bartram ex Willd.
(laurel oak) of fertile, mesic, upland sites and second growth forests.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, south in the peninsula to Desoto and
Highlands Counties.
DARST

Hydrolea spp. WATERLEAF, SKYFLOWER
Description: Perennial herbs; stems smooth or pubescent; leaves alternate, simple, with or without
spines in leaf axils, sessile to short stalked; leaf blade ovate, elliptic to lanceolate, to 12 cm long, 3
cm wide, margins smooth to wavy; flowers, bisexual, radially symmetrical, short stalked to 3 cm;
calyx 5-lobed; 5 blue, sometimes white, petals, to 14 mm long; 5 stamens; inflorescence a terminal
or axillary cyme; fruit an oval to ovoid capsule, often with a persistent calyx, and containing
numerous, minute seeds.
Recognition: Four species are found in Florida. H. corymbosa Macbr. ex Ell., has a terminal cyme, 2-3
cm long elliptic to lanceolate leaves, and small to no spines. H. ovata Nutt. ex Choisy, has a terminal
cyme, ovate leaves, 3-6 cm with conspicuous spines. H. quadrivalis Walt., has an axillary cyme,
elliptic to lanceolate leaves, to 12 cm long, and succulent stems armed with conspicuous spines.
H. uniflora Raf., is similar to H. quadrivalis except the leaves are ovate, and sepals and stems are
hairless with few sessile glands.
Habitat: OBL. In and around shallow water; swamps, marshes, ditches, streams, and lakes.
Distribution: Throughout Florida. H. corymbosa is the most commonly encountered species (Leon
County east and south to Monroe County); H. ovata, is rare in Florida and reported only in
Okaloosa County; H. quadrivalvis is another commonly encountered species (Hillsborough County
north to Hamilton County and west to Escambia County); H. uniflora is restricted to south Florida,
primarily Monroe and Dade Counties with a disjunct population in Sarasota County.
Hydrolea corymbosa Macbr. ex Ell.
DICOTS 417
Hypericum spp ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Description: Annual or perennial herbs or shrubs, to 4 m (13 ft) tall; usually forming the groundcover or
shrub layer in open or lightly canopied marshes, bogs, wet pinelands, stream banks, swamps, and wet
shores (some species are found in mesic to dry environments); stems herbaceous to woody; bark
usually loose and exfoliating, but in 3 species smooth and tight; branching none to complex; leaves
sessile, opposite, evergreen, simple; shape may be broad (elliptic, cordate, oval, or ovate), narrow
(subulate, lanceolate, oblong, or broadly linear), scale-like, or needle-like; leaves are usually covered on
the underside with either translucent or black dots (punctae), or both; the upper surface may be
similarly dotted, but this may not be apparent; flowers with yellow petals; flowers few to many in
number, solitary on short stems or in cymes of various sizes, arising from the axils of leaves or from
the tips of branches; flower design of either 4 petals and sepals (4-merous) or 5 petals and sepals (5-
merous); petals deciduous soon after flowering; stamens 5 to numerous; sepals are persistent and in
the 5-merous species usually resemble the leaves; the 4-merous species, with the sole exception of H.
microsepalum, have two pairs of sepals which are of differing size and shape and do not resemble the
leaves; fruit a capsule, initially yellow-green, drying golden to dark brown, persistent on the plant.
Recognition: Flowers are yellow with petals and sepals 4- or 5-merous. Four-merous species have
flowers in which the petals form a right-angle or St. Andrew's cross. Five-merous species have star-
shaped flowers. The 5-merous species with needle-like leaves have a small extension from one side
of each petal so that the flowers resemble pinwheels. Sepals may or may not resemble the leaves.
Leaves are opposite and highly variable in form and shape.
Habitat: 5 species are OBL, 14 species are FACW, 2 species are FAC and 7 are UPL. Found in a wide
variety of wetlands, wet shores, wet flatwoods. The upland species are found in drier pine
flatwoods and scrub.
Hypericum brachyphyllum (Spach) Steudel ST. JOHN'S WORT,

ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: An erect shrub to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall; multi-branched to give a bushy appearance. Stem
diameter near base to 1.5 cm. Bark light pinkish-gray, thin and tight, peeling in thin strips. Leaves
needlelike and small, not exceeding 11 mm long, and growing on very short axillary branches so as
to give the appearance of a tight fascicle. Flowers have 5 petals appearing as a pinwheel and 5
needlelike sepals. The fruit capsule is light brown and tear-drop shaped.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Statewide, on stream banks, pond margins, bogs, and low wet
flatwoods and savannas.
stem
habit
capsule
DARST
DICOTS 419
Hypericum canadense Linnaeus ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: An erect herb, annual or perennial, up to 0.7 m (27.6 in) tall, with a single, very slender
stem that has a few branches near the top. The mature bark (only found on the lowest portion of
the oldest stems) is chestnut brown and very tight, in plates (not flaking). Leaves are oblong, linear,
to very narrowly oblanceolate, 0.5-3 cm long and up to 3 mm wide, and spread at right angles to the
stem. The 5-petaled flowers are not arranged as a pinwheel. The fruit capsule is elliptic, dull
chestnut brown, and much larger than the sepals.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Escambia County, but this is only a part of a much larger range
extending well into Canada. Found around pond margins.
habit
capsule
DHB
Hypericum chapmanii P. Adams CHAPMAN'S ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: A large, erect shrub to 4 m (13 ft) tall; multi-branched and often becoming tree-like in
shape. The light pinkish-gray, soft, spongy, corky bark is up to 4 cm in thick in large, shaggy,
exfoliating plates. No other Hypericum has bark like this species. Leaves are long (some main stem
leaves usually exceeding 13 mm), thin and needlelike, strongly revolute, and growing in tight groups
like fascicles. Flowers have 5 petals appearing as a pinwheel and 5 needlelike sepals. The fruit
capsule is light brown, and tear-drop shaped; often with long, persistent styles.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL, Endemic to northwest Florida, western Leon and Wakulla Counties
westward to Santa Rosa County. Found in wet pine savannas, edges of titi sloughs, wet pine-
wiregrass woods, and seepage slopes.
capsule
DARST

Hypericum cistifolium Lamark ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: A small shrub to about 1 m (3 ft) tall (usually shorter), with a single stem and, at most, a
few erect-ascending branches at the top of the stem. Leaves are disposed at a strongly ascending
angle from the stem and each successive pair is at right angles to the proceeding pair so that when
viewed from above the entire stem resembles a cross. The dark reddish-brown bark is wrinkled and
flaky, with a pair of conspicuous wings connecting from one node to the next. The wings on one
internode are at right angles to the wings on the next internode above and below. Leaves are
lanceolate, linear-lanceolate, lance-oblong, or oblong in shape, 1.5 to 3 cm long and up to 7 mm
wide. The 5-petaled flowers are star-shaped and are produced in compound terminal cymes. The
fruit capsule is dark brown and somewhat oblong.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Statewide and locally common in wet pine flatwoods, savannas,
ditch banks, various wetlands and edges of wetlands.
<
Hypericum crux-andreae (L.) Crantz ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: A branched shrub to 1 m (3 ft) tall; not particularly bushy in appearance. This species
strongly resembles H. hypericoides. The reddish-brown, somewhat scruffy bark exfoliates in thin
strips or flakes. Leaves are lanceolate, oval, oblong, or oblanceolate in shape. Like H. cistifolium, (
each successive pair on a stem is at right angles to the one below and above it. The flower has 4
petals, often arranged as an X. Sepals 4, in dissimilar pairs; outer pair large, ovate, completely
covering the inner pair of sepals and the capsule; the base clasping the stem. Inner sepals one-
fourth or less the size of the outer and lanceolate or narrowly elliptic in shape. The fruit capsules
are cinnamon brown and narrowly ovate to subglobose in shape.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Throughout all of northwest and north Florida, southward to the
central peninsula. Found in pine flatwoods, depressions, various wetlands and wetland edges, and
in well drained uplands.
DICOTS 421
Hypericum cumulicola (Small) P. Adams SCRUB ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: An erect, branched, annual or perennial herb, to about 0.7 m (27.6 in) tall. The tight,
gray-brown bark, has obvious joints with longitudinal dark gray lines running from joint to joint
somewhat resembling bamboo. The very small, subulate to scale-like, sessile leaves are similar to H.
gentianoides L. although larger. The 5 petaled flower is not arranged in a pin-wheel and has 5 ovate
to elliptic sepals that are much larger than the leaves. The fruit capsule is dark reddish-brown and
lanceolate in shape.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. Endemic to Highlands and Polk Counties. Found in well-drained
sands of Florida scrub.
Hypericum drummondii (Grev. & Hook) T. & G. DRUMMOND'S ST. JOHNS WORT
Recognition: An erect, branched, annual or perennial herb, to about 0.6 m (2 ft) tall. The thin, tight,
cinnamon brown to pinkish gray bark exhibits only small amounts of thin peeling strips. Leaves are
ascending, thin, linear-lanceolate to linear-subulate in shape and have a prominent midrib. The 5
petaled flower has 5 sepals which resemble leaves. The fruit capsule is dark reddish-brown and
ovate to subglobose in shape.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. Collected only from Jackson and Gadsden Counties, but this is just
part of a much larger range that includes Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia. Found in dry
woods, fields, roadsides, flatwoods, marshes.
stem
node with pair
of leaves JL DHB

Hypericum edisonianum EDISON'S ST. JOHN'S WORT
(Small) Adams & Robson
Recognition: An erect, multi-branched shrub to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, often creating a dense thicket from
adventitious shoots arising from the roots. The dark silvery gray to silvery black bark is smooth and
tight, and resembles that of H. lissophloeus, except that it is much darker. Leaves are elliptic, and
heavily glaucous above so that the upper surface appears silvery. The bark and silvery foliage make
this species very distinct. The flower has 4 petals and 4, very glaucous sepals in dissimilar pairs.
Outer sepals are large, ovate, have bases clasping the stem, and completely cover the inner pair of
sepals and the capsule. Inner sepals are one-fourth or less the size of the outer, and are lanceolate
or narrowly elliptic in shape. The fruit capsule is dark brown and ovate.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Endemic to depression wetlands in scrub on the central ridge in
Highlands, Glades, and Desoto Counties.
capsule
Hypericum exile Adams
Recognition: A small shrub to less than 1 m (3 ft) tall with a very slender erect stem that has a few
ascending branches located near the upper end. The bark is thin, reddish and gray, and only
partially exfoliates in small, irregular flakes. Leaves are needlelike and grow in fasciclelike bundles.
The 5-petaled flowers have 5 leaflike sepals. The fruit capsule is lanceolate.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Endemic to Liberty, Franklin, Gulf, Bay, and Washington
Counties. Found in pine savannas and flatwoods.
stem
DARST
DICOTS 423
Hypericum fasciculatum Lamark MARSH ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: An erect, multi-branched shrub, often very bushy in appearance, to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, but
typically the plant is 1.5 m (5 ft) or less. The cinnamon to gray bark is, corky, very loose, exfoliates
in thin sheets and is much thinner than in H. chapmanii. Leaves are needle-like, revolute, and grow
on short branchlets in bundles, up to 2.6 cm long; some main stem leaves usually exceeding 13 mm
long. The flower has 5 petals, appearing as a pinwheel, and 5 needle-like sepals. Flowers grow in
terminal or axillary and terminal cymes of 3 to many flowers each. The fruit capsule is ovate-conic,
and light brown.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL, Statewide. This may be the most common species of Hypericum in
Florida. Found growing in marshes, shallow ponds, lake margins, ditches, and wet woods.
Hypericum frondosum Michaux ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: An openly branched shrub to 3 m (10 ft) tall. This species has the largest leaves, flowers,
and fruit capsules of all of the Florida species. The plates of dusty brown bark do not obviously
exfoliate. The elliptic leaves are so large (up to 6.5 cm long, 2.3 cm wide), that they are very distinc
tive. The showy flower is up to 4 cm across, has 5 petals, and is solitary or produced in 3-flowered
cymes, terminal on branches. The fruit capsule is lanceolate to ovate, up to 12 mm long, with the 5
subtending sepals longer than the capsule.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Rare, reported in Florida from 1 location in Jackson County,
growing on a high bluff above the Apalachicola River. Its range extends north to Indiana, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.

Hypericum gallioides Lamark ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: An erect shrub to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, usually shorter, with erect, ascending, slender,
branching arising from the upper portion of the trunk. The tight, wrinkled, reddish-brown bark is
ridged and does not shed. The narrowly oblanceolate, leaves are somewhat inrolled so as to appear
linear, 2 to 3 cm long and up to 7 mm wide. Flower has 5 petals appearing as a pinwheel. The 5
sepals resemble the leaves, but are shorter than the fruit capsule, which is elliptic to lanceolate, and
light red-brown.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Throughout northwest and north Florida, south to Hillsborough
County. Found in and along the edges of various wetlands, both lacustrine and riverine.
Hypericum gentianoides Linnaeus PINEWEED
Recognition: Upright and very bushy herb, to 50 cm (1.5 ft) tall with many, upright branches. The
immediate appearance of this species is that of a green whisk broom stuck upright in the sand. The
thin, chestnut brown bark exfoliates in small, irregular flakes. Leaves are subulate to scale-like,
appressed to the trunk, and very small, 1 to 5 mm long. From any distance the leaves are incon
spicuous. Flower has 5 petals, not in a pinwheel. Sepals 5, more conspicuous than the leaves.
Capsule a long oval, dark brown.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. Statewide. Common in dry soil around the edges of ephemeral
ponds, pine woods, and disturbed areas.
DICOTS
Hypericum gymnanthum Engleman & Gray ST. JOHN'S WORT,
ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: A few branched, erect, perennial herb, to 0.6 m (2 ft) tall, with leafless flowering stems
arising from the axils of greatly reduced leaves. This species resembles H. mutilum. Bark occurring
only on the lowest portions of the oldest stems; cinnamon brown, wrinkled, not noticeably exfoliat
ing. The leaves are thin and membranous, 1.5 cm long, ovate-triangular, and clasp the stem. The
finely punctate-dotted undersides have 5-7 veins fanning from a common center. Upper surfaces
may be dotted as well, but the nerves, except for the midrib, are not visible. Flower has 5 petals.
Sepals 5, lanceolate, acuminate apically, about equal in length to the capsule. Capsule ellipsoid-
conical.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Throughout northwest Florida. Inhabits various wetlands and
wetland edges.
capsule
stem
Hypericum harperi R. Keller ST. JOHN'S WORT

synonymy: H denticulatum Walter
Recognition: Erect perennial herb, stem solitary or multiple from root, slender, unbranched below the
inflorescences, to 0.6 m (2 ft) tall. Some authors list this species as synonymous with H.
denticulatum, others separate them. Bark, occurring only near the base of the oldest stems, is
reddish-brown, wrinkled and tight. Leaves lanceolate, lance-subulate, narrowly elliptic, lance-
elliptic, having a single midrib or 5
more or less parallel veins beneath.
Leaf length highly variable. Flower ^ <—-—L r
has 5 petals, not in a pinwheel, A

growing in terminal cymes. Sepals 5 2 \
in number, lanceolate or elliptic, si
acuminate apically, slightly shorter \J
than the capsule.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW.

Found from Calhoun County to Leon
County, in pine savannas, flatwoods,
wetland edges, seepage slopes.
Although its range in Florida is small,
it extends north into Ohio and Illinois.

Hypericum hypericoides (L.) Crantz ST. ANDREW'S CROSS
Recognition: A loose, open, woody shrub, to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, with an erect main stem and multiple,
crooked, spreading branches. This species strongly resembles H. crux-andreae, but can be distin
guished by the latter having 3-4 styles. Bark very light, loose, flaky, chestnut brown. Leaves are thin
and membranous, narrowly oblanceolate, linear-oblong, or linear, 8 to 25 mm long, to 6 mm wide.
Flowers have 4 petals, arranged as an X, and are usually solitary at the end of an ultimate branchlet.
Sepals 4, outer large, ovate to broadly elliptic and completely covering the inner sepals and capsule.
Outer sepals much larger than the leaves. Inner sepals minute, membranous. Capsule dark brown,
ovate to globose, styles 2.
Habitat and Distribution: FAC. Statewide, in well-drained woods, floodplains, wet woods, various
wetlands and wetland edges.
Hypericum lissophloeus P. Adams SMOOTH-BARK ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: A large, erect, very bushy, multi-branched shrub to 4 m (13 ft) tall, with thin and limber
branches. The bark on young stems is smooth, tight, and chestnut brown, becoming silvery-gray
and remaining smooth and tight on older stems and trunk; exfoliating in large thin sheets to
expose brown inner bark. The silvery-gray color of the bark on this species is much lighter than
that on H. edisonianum. The downward curved leaves are thin, needle-like, up to 1.7 cm long, and
grow in tight bunches. Flower has 5 petals, very moderate pinwheel shape. Sepals 5 in number,
needle-like, resembling the leaves. Capsule light reddish-brown, ovate to globose. Flowers tend to
be solitary in leaf axils.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. A rare plant, endemic only to the margins of sandhill ponds and
lakes (both in the water and in wet sand on the shoreline) in Bay and Washington Counties. Once
locally abundant, but becoming threatened because of ill-advised clearing to create sandy beaches,
as the sandhill lakes are exploited for residential housing.
Hypericum microsepalum SMALL-SEPAL ST. JOHN'S WORT
(T.&G.) Gray ex S. Wats
Recognition: Shrub to 1 m (3 ft) tall, low, straggly in appearance, multi-branched and leafy, flowers
solitary at the branch tips. Bark rough, peeling in small strips and pieces, dark reddish brown.
Leaves small, to 10 mm long, oblong, linear oblong, oblanceolate, obovate, or elliptic. Flower has 4
petals, (may be 3 or 5) usually in an equiangular cross. Sepals 4 (may be 3 or 5) in number, linear-
elliptic to oblong elliptic, narrow and nearly equal in size. Capsule much longer than broad,
narrowly oblong to narrowly ovate.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. Found from Madison and Taylor Counties to Walton County, in wet
pine flatwoods. Also found in southwest Georgia.
Hypericum mutilum Linnaeus ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: Erect annual or short-lived perennial herb to 0.6 m (2 ft) tall. Openly branched, the
lower branches arising from the axils of normal-sized leaves. Flower bearing branches also bear
leaves which appear as reduced stem leaves. This plant strongly resembles H. gymnanthum. Bark
thin, cinnamon, peeling in sheets. Bark is found only on the lowest portion of the oldest stems.
Leaves thin, ovate triangular, elliptic, oblong, or lanceolate, 5 nerved below, clasping the stem, 1 to 5
cm long. Flower has 5 petals, not pinwheel shaped. Sepals 5 in number, variable in shape, linear,
linear-lanceolate, elliptic-oblanceolate, as long as the capsule. Capsule ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Statewide in a wide variety of freshwater wetlands.

Hypericum myrtifolium Lamark ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: Shrub, loosely branched, growing to about 1 m (3 ft). Although smaller plants are
common, this species can become a fairly large shrub with a very loosely branched canopy. Bark in
plates, exfoliating in wide sheets, grayish with pink or pinkish-gray interior bark. Leaves ovate-
triangular, thick, margins slightly revolute, 1 to 3 cm long, base clasping the stem. Flower has 5
petals, not in a pinwheel. Sepals 5 in number, ovate to elliptic, as long as the capsule. Capsule
ovate, dark brown. Flowers occur in terminal cymes and each bloom is large, up to 2.5 cm across.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Statewide except for south Florida, in wet pine flatwoods, around
savannas, seepage slopes, ponds, and depressions.
capsule
Hypericum nitidum Lamark CAROLINA ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: Multiple stems from a common base, bushy to very bushy branch structure. Up to 3 m
(10 ft) tall. Bark gray to reddish gray, tight, wrinkled, exfoliating in thin strips. Leaves long, to 2.5
cm, needle-like, strongly revolute, spreading at right angles or slightly rising angles to the stem,
commonly with short branches bearing further needles arising in the axils of the primary leaves.
Flower has 5 petals, pinwheel-shaped. Sepals 5, linear to needle-like, as long as or longer than the
capsule. Capsule lanceolate, reddish brown. Flowers produced singly or in small cymes.
Habitat and Distribution: OBL. Found in north Florida, south Georgia, and south Alabama, in
blackwater streams, ponds, bogs and sloughs.
DICOTS
Hypericum nudiflorum Michaux ex Willdenau ST. JOHN'S WORT,
ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: Slender, erect shrub to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall with leafless flower branches arising from the top
of the stem in a dichotomous fashion. The visual effect is striking with the stems branching in a
very angular manner. Although the name implies that the flowers and capsules are naked, they
only look that way because the sepals are very small and recurved. The stem and branches have
pronounced lateral wings. Bark cinnamon colored, peeling in plates. Leaves narrowly elliptic, up to
6 cm long. Both upper and lower leaf surfaces are covered with minute black dots. The midrib is
prominent as is a net of secondary veins. Flower has 5 petals, not in a pinwheel. Sepals 5, up to 2
mm long, triangular in shape, usually reflexed downward away from the capsule. Capsule oval to
globose, dark brown to almost black, growing prominently at the tips of the naked flowering
branches. Flowers occur in terminal, branching cymes.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Found in northwest Florida from Escambia to Leon and Wakulla
Counties, north to Virginia and west to Mississippi, growing in the floodplains of rivers, streams,
swamps, and other wetlands.
Hypericum prolificum Linnaeus SHRURRY ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: Erect shrub to 2 m (6.6 ft) tall, leaves very large. Bark exfoliating in long, rolled dark
brown strips, revealing a light brown under bark. The stem looks very shaggy due to the exfoliation.
Leaves up to 5 cm in length, oblong elliptic to linear elliptic. The midrib is very prominent on both
sides and the underside shows conspicuous netted veination. Both sides are covered with tiny
black dots. Flower has 5 petals, 5 sepals. The sepals are elliptic to oblong elliptic in shape with
acuminate tips, slightly longer than the capsule. The capsule is elliptic to ovate in shape.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. This species is reported only by Wunderlin (1982), who lists it for
Volusia County. This is a very disjunct range, since the main range is mountainous areas of Alabama,
Arkansas, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, and West
Virginia. No specimens exist from north Florida. It is reportedly found on rocky slopes and old fields.

Hypericum pseudomaculatum Bush ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: Formerly named H. punctatum, which is very descriptive. Erect perennial herb to 0.8 m
(32 in) tall, greatly resembling H. gymnanthum and H. mutilum, except that the stem, leaves, and
sepals of this species are covered with large, black dots (punctae). Bark smooth, pinkish to salmon,
covered with many black spots. Leaves ovate triangular, elliptic, or lanceolate, 1 to 5 cm long, flat
and spreading, 5 to 7-nerved, both sides covered with translucent and black dots. Leaves occur on
both the stem and on the flower stalks. Flower has 5 petals and sepals. The sepals are lanceolate to
lance-elliptic, are approximately as long as the capsule, and are covered with distinct black dots.
Capsule oval to oval conic. Flowers occur in open terminal cymes.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. Leon and Jefferson Counties in flatwoods and bogs, more abundant
north of Florida.
Hypericum reductum P. Adams ATLANTIC ST. JOHN'S WORT
Recognition: Decumbant shrub with multiple stems arising from a common base, these stems often
declining to the ground and rooting so that the plant forms a mat. Rarely taller than 0.5 m (20 in).
Bark thin and light, forming twisted plates and strips and exfoliating. Leaves needle-like, 5 mm
long or less, occurring on very short stems so that the individual leaves overlap at the bases to form
a bundle. Flower has 5 petals and resembles a pinwheel. Sepals 5, needle-like, much shorter than
the capsule. Capsule narrowly oblong, dark chestnut brown. Flowers growing solitary from leaf
axils, copious on the branches.
Habitat and Distribution: UPL. Nearly statewide, possibly excepting the most southern portion.
Found on well drained soils, scrub, sandhills, flatwoods, pond margins, mostly near the coast.
DICOTS 431
Hypericum setosum Linnaeus ST. JOHN'S WORT, ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: Annual or biennial herb, erect, stem usually solitary and unbranched below the flower
branches. This is the easiest species to recognize because it is the only pubescent Hypericum. All
parts except the flower petals are covered with hair. This is a herbaceous species with no bark. The
stem is covered with copious pubescence. Leaves lanceolate to ovate, elliptic, to 10 mm long,
densely covered with hairs. Flower has 5 petals, 5 sepals. Sepals broadly elliptic with the widest
portion above the middle, 4 mm long, nearly covering the capsule, covered with short, bristly hairs.
Capsule ovate to oval, not hairy.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Found in northwest and north Florida south to Hillsborough
County, in pine flatwoods, savannas, bogs, and mixed woodlands.
Hypericum sujfruticosum Adams & Robson ST. JOHN'S WORT,

ST. PETER'S WORT
Recognition: Tiny shrub to 15 cm (6 in) tall. Multi-branched, decumbent, mat-forming, occasionally
erect and few-branched. Very variable. Flowers on long stems which are held at right angles to the
main stem from which they originate. Bark reddish brown, ribbed, exfoliating in flakes or strips.
Leaves narrowly obovate, oblong, oblanceolate, elliptic or spatulate, to 8 mm long, held at right
angles to the stem. Both surfaces punctate-dotted. Flower has 4 petals, arranged as an X. Sepals 4,
although the inner pair are minute and may be absent entirely. Outer sepals large, broadly elliptic,
ovate, or nearly round, larger than the leaves. The sepals fold tightly against each other and enclose
the capsule. Capsule oval, but not visible. The entire flower is solitary and terminal on a stalk 6-12
mm long near the end of a branch. Flowers are held at right angles to their stems and are extremely
obvious even after the petals are lost.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Throughout northwest Florida east to Dixie County, mostly near
the coast, in well drained pine forests.

Hypericum tetrapetalum Lamark
Recognition: Erect shrub to 1 m (3 ft) tall, openly branched but not bushy. Bark reddish brown,
exfoliating in thin, irregular strips or flakes. Leaves very distinctive, broadly ovate to oblong-ovate,
clasping the stem, to 2 cm long. Flower has 4 petals in a right-angle cross. Sepals 4, in two unequal
pairs. Outer sepals look like the leaves, inner sepals subulate to elliptic, about as long as the outer
but never as broad. The outer sepals clasp the inner sepals and the capsule and the inner sepals
tend to stick out. Capsule oval to subglobose and completely covered by the outer sepals. Single
flowers terminate the branches.
Habitat and Distribution: FACW. Found in pine flatwoods, pond margins, and disturbed sites;
statewide.
DARST
habit
DICOTS 433
Triadenum spp. ST. JOHN'S-WORT, MARSH ST. JOHN'S-WORT
Description: Perennial herbs; stem glabrous, erect, simple below and having several to many ascend
ing branches above, to 1 meter tall; leaves opposite, sessile or short petiolate, ovate to oblong
elliptic to oblong, 2-15 cm long, 1-5 cm wide, lower surfaces pale green, margins entire, sides
parallel, bases cordate, often clasping the stem; flowers bisexual, 5 oblong to oblong-elliptic,
mauve-purple or pinkish petals, 7-10 mm long, 5 oblong or oblong-elliptic sepals, 9 stamens in 3
equal clusters alternating with 3 orange glands; borne in clusters of few to several flowers at stem
tips and leaf axils; fruit an ovoid-conical to narrowly elliptic capsule, 7-12 mm long, with many
small seeds.
Recognition: Perennial herbs with opposite, ovate to oblong elliptic to oblong leaves that have entire
margins and small clusters of mauve-purple or pinkish flowers at the tip of stems or at the leaf axils.
Triadenum virginicum (L.) Raf., plants to 4-7 dm tall; leaves smooth, sessile, ovate to oblong, 2-7 cm
long, 1-3 cm wide, lower surfaces glandular-dotted, bases rounded or notched often clasping the
stem, tips rounded or occasionally notched or short-pointed.
Triadenum tubulosum (Walt.) Gl., plants to 1 meter tall; leaves smooth, sessile, oblong elliptic to
oblong, 5-15 cm long and 1-5 cm wide, lower surfaces not glandular-dotted, bases cuneate to
rounded truncate, tips rounded, occasionally notched or short-pointed
Triadenum walteri (Gmel.) Gl., plants to 1 meter tall; leaves smooth, on short petioles, oblong elliptic to
oblong, 15 cm long, 3.5 cm wide, lower surfaces glandular-dotted, bases cuneate, tips rounded,
occasionally notched or short-pointed.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, floodplain forests, marshy shores, bogs, lake shores; often on rotting logs or
in floating mats of vegetation.
Distribution: Triadenum virginicum: North and central Florida, south to Palm Beach County.
Triadenum walteri-. North Florida south along the Gulf coast to Citrus County. Triadenum
tubulosum-. restricted to the panhandle.
Flowering: Summer.
Triadenum walteri (Gmel.) Gl. MARSH ST. JOHN'S WORT

Triadenum spp. (continued)
Triadenum virginicum (L.) Raf. ST. JOHN'S WORT

Illicium floridanum Ellis. FLORIDA ANISE
Description: A large understory shrub or very rarely a small tree, to 8 m (25 ft) tall, of stream banks
and swamps; bark brown to gray with age; branches sprawling and irregular, often descending;
leaves evergreen, alternate, (leaves near twig tips may appear whorled); petioles 1-2 cm long, often
reddish; leaf blade simple, leathery, long-elliptic, 6-15 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, margin entire, upper
surface glabrous, lower surface with many tiny glands; strongly aromatic when crushed; flowers
bisexual, petals numerous (20-30) and narrow, radially arranged, 4 cm across, deep red to purple
(maroon), very rarely pink or white in color; borne solitary from leaf axils on stalks 1-4 cm long,
often disposed downwardly; fruit a flattened, radially arranged (star-shaped) cluster (11-15) of
single seeded follicles; seed ovoid, flat, 8 mm long, explosively projected.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub with simple, alternate leaves that are strongly aromatic when
bruised or crushed. The deep red, radial flowers on long stalks and star shaded fruit are distinctive.
The similar I. parviflorum (Ocala anise) has more ovate leaves, with a rounder tip, and much smaller
yellow flowers. The range of the two species overlaps only slightly if at all.
Habitat: OBL. Seepage and overflow areas along streams in ravines and steep-heads, often in the
flowing water of the latter. Also seepage swamps on coastal slopes.
Distribution: Florida panhandle, Wakulla and Leon Counties westward. Rumored to occur also in
northeast Florida but not documented.
Flowering: Spring.

lllicium parviflorum Michx. ex Vent, STAR ANISE, OCALA ANISE
Description: A large understory shrub or rarely a small tree, to 10 m (30) tall, of seepage areas and
springs runs; bark dark gray with irregular orange-brown splits; branches numerous, irregular,
often descending; leaves evergreen, alternate, (leaves near twig tips may appear whorled); petioles
to 2.5 cm long; leaf blade simple, leathery, long-elliptic, venation obscure, apex obtuse to rounded,
margins entire; strong odor (pleasant to obnoxious) when crushed; flowers bisexual, yellow in color,
12 mm across, petals (6-12) broadly rounded; borne solitary from leaf axils on nodding stalks,
usually disposed downwardly; fruit a flattened, radially arranged (star-shaped) cluster (11-15) of
single seeded follicles; seed ovoid, flat, 8 mm long, explosively projected.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub with simple, alternate leaves that are strongly aromatic when
bruised or crushed. The star-shaped fruit is conspicuous but the small, yellow flowers on hanging
stalks are not. Vegetatively, I. parviflorum and I. floridanum are very similar however, the larger,
deep red flowers, and acute tipped leaves of the latter differentiate the two.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric and mesic seepage slopes, banks of spring runs, and hydric hammocks.
Uncommon but often dense and abundant at local sites.
Distribution: Central Florida; Marion County south to Polk and Osceola Counties. Perhaps endemic,
although Duncan and Duncan (1988) report cultivated plants purportedly taken from a wild
population in southeast Georgia.
Flowering: May-June.
DARST
DICOTS
Carya aquatica (Michx. f.) Nutt. WATER HICKORY, RITTER PECAN
synonymy: Hickoria aquatica (Michx. f.) Britt.
Description: A large canopy tree, to 35 m (110 ft) tall, of riverine floodplains; bark grayish or light
brown to brownish gray with shaggy, plate-like scales, somewhat similar to Carya illinoensis
(pecan); branches coarse, stiff, and thick; leaves deciduous, alternate, odd-pinnately compound,
15-30 cm long including petiole; leaflets 7-17, typically 9 or 11, lanceolate, lateral leaflets falcate,
10-20 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, margins variably serrate from barely perceptible to obviously toothed,
upper surface dark green and glabrous, lower surface paler and dull, typically with retained pubes
cence along major veins; flowers unisexual, on same tree; male flowers in slender 3-branched
catkins, female flowers inconspicuous; fruit a 4-ribbed, oblong, flattened nut encased in a
correspondingly flattened, 4-ridged, thin husk with 4 valves, 2.5-4 cm long.
Recognition: A large deciduous tree with alternate, odd-pinnately compound leaves that have 7-17
leaflets, the lateral ones typically falcate, and a flattened 4-ribbed nut. The very similar Carya
illinoensis (pecan) is not native to Florida but does naturalize, primarily in uplands. Separation
between the two is most accurately accomplished by comparing the nut; that of Carya illinoensis
(Wang) K. Koch is round in cross-section and larger than the flattened nut of Carya aquatica. The
genus Fraxinus (ashes) is also similar in possessing odd-pinnately compound leaves, but their
arrangement is opposite not alternate.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps and floodplain wetlands along rivers and streams.
Distribution: Throughout Florida except the extreme southern peninsula. Populations in the
southern portion of the natural range have been reduced by stream canalization.
Flowering: Spring.

438
Hyptis alata (Raf.) Shinners MUSKY MINT
synonymy: Hyptis radiata Willd.
Description: Perennial herb, to 3 m tall, with a musky scent and sparse pubescence; stems several
from a thickened base, square, few branched above; leaves opposite, lanceolate to rhombic lan
ceolate, 4-15 cm long, 1.5-6 cm wide, margins irregularly serrate; flowers small, corolla white,
spotted with purple, 5 lobed; 5 white, hairy sepals; single pistil, and 5 stamens; inflorescence
many-flowered in compact heads, 1-3 cm across, 3-12 pairs borne from the leaf axils, stalked, 2-6
cm long, subtended by unequal, hairy, light green, bracts; fruit a black, oblong nutlet, 1-2 mm long.
Recognition: An herbaceous perennial with a square stem, opposite, lanceolate leaves, and white
flowers produced in compact axillary heads. The introduced, H. mutabilis (L. Rich.) Briq., found
primarily in disturbed upland areas, has an unpleasant odor, bluish-purple flowers in spikes and
ovoid to deltoid leaves.
Habitat: FACW. Hydric pine flatwoods and savannas, bogs, depression marshes, seepage slopes,
swales, marl prairies, and edges of lakes, streams and ditches.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, summer in north Florida.
DICOTS 439
Lycopus spp BUGLE-WEED, WATER-HOARHOUND
Description: Herbaceous perennials to 1.2 m tall, some rhizomatous, most with branching runners
that produce tubers at the ends of rhizomes; stems simple to many-branched, 4-sided with rounded
to sharp angles, stem faces channeled; leaves opposite, lanceolate, lance-ovate, oblong-lanceolate or
elliptic, 3-9 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, dotted with glands, margins serrate to incised; flowers a white,
5 lobed corolla, essentially actinomorphic, 2-6 mm long; calyx green, 5-lobed; 2 exserted stamens;
inflorescence paired, densely packed, axillary clusters; fruit an obovate to triangular nutlet, 1 mm
long, with a smooth to toothed crest.
Recognition: There are four species of Lycopus in Florida.
L. americanus Muhl. ex Bart., flowers with calyx lobes that exceed the length of the mature nutlets;
leaves variable in size, shape and margin serrations; stems with conspicuous sharp angles; nutlets
with a smooth crest, no teeth.
L. amplectens Raf., flowers with calyx lobes that exceed the length of the mature nutlets; leaves sessile,
oblong or lanceolate, 3-6 cm long; stems with rounded angles; rhizomes producing tubers at
extremities; nutlet with a crest of 4 or 5 pointed teeth.
L. rubellus Moench., flowers with calyx lobes that exceed the length of the mature nutlets; leaves
sessile or with a short petiole, lance-ovate or elliptic, 5-12 cm long; stems with rounded angles;
rhizomes producing tubers at extremities; nutlet with a crest of low, rounded teeth.
L. virginicus L„ calyx lobes that are shorter than or equal the length of the mature nutlets; leaves
lanceolate, lance ovate or elliptic, 6-9 cm long; rhizomes with small leaves at the nodes, cordline,
usually without tubers; nutlets with a crest of deeply incised teeth.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, marshes, bogs, ditches, depressions, seepage slopes, floodplains, stream
banks, and lake and pond shores.
Distribution:
L. americanus: North Florida, only in Wakulla County.

L. amplectens-. Northeastern Florida from Hamilton County southeast to Putnam County and north to
Nassau County.
L. rubellus: Essentially throughout Florida, from Collier County north and west to Escambia County.
L. virginicus: Northwest Florida from Leon County west to Escambia County, also a disjunct popula
tion reported in Marion County.
Lycopus americanus Muhl. ex Bart. AMERICAN BUGLEWEED

Lycopus spp. (continued)
Lycopus amplectens Raf. SESSILE-LEAVED WATER-HOARHOUND
i -
GR
Lycopus rubellus Moench. WATER-HOARHOUND
Lycopus virginicus L. VIRGINIA BUGLE-WEED
DICOTS 441
Micromeria brownei (Sw.) Benth. BROWN'S SAVORY, WEST INDIAN THYME
synonymy: Micromeria brownei (Sw.) Benth. var.pilosiuscula Gray,M.pilosiuscula
(Gray) Small, M. bahamensis Shin., Satureja brownei (Sw.) Briq.
Description: Small mat-forming, creeping perennial, with slender rhizomes and a with pungent
aromatic scent; stems often creeping and rooting at the nodes; leaves ovate to suborbicular,
petiolate with entire or slightly crenate margins, surfaces with glandular dots; flowers calyx
turbinate with 5 triangular lobes, the top 3 lobes being rounded, the bottom 2 lobes are pointed;
corolla appearing as a tube dilated beyond the calyx, having 2 distinct lips with the white lower lip
being 3-lobed, the middle lobe being longest; the upper lip is lavender to pink, appears as a hood, is
unlobed with ciliate margins; 4 stamens; solitary in leaf axils with pubescent flowering stalk
exceeding the subtending leaves; fruit a small, dark purplish red nutlet.
Recognition: Low growing, decumbent, weakly erect, mat-forming mint that is aromatic. A patch
of short hairs located on the node at the petiole base is distinctive. Micromeria brownei var.
pilosiuscula can be superficially confused with Bacopa species, however, is grossly differentiated
by having petiolate leaves. Lindernia species may also be confused but do not have the strong
aromatic odor.
Habitat: OBL. Various habitats including ditches, seepage areas, streams, created wetlands, and
forested wetlands.
Distribution: Central peninsular Florida north and westward through the panhandle.

Physostegia spp. OBEDIENT-PLANTS, FALSE DRAGON-HEADS
Description: Herbaceous perennials with a slender rhizome, often forming extensive colonies; stems
erect, square in cross section; leaves opposite; petiolate, sessile or clasping; linear, lanceolate,
oblanceolate or elliptic 4-18 cm long, 0.5-6 cm wide, gradually reduced upward, margins crenate,
serrate or entire; flowers corolla purple, rose, pink or white, the corolla throat often with purple
dots or lines, 2-3 cm long, bilabiate, calyx green, 5 lobed, four stamens arched under the upper lip of
the corolla; produced in racemes; fruit an obovoid, angled, brown nutlet, about 3-4 mm long.
Recognition: Four species are found in Florida.
P. godfreyi Cantino, stems to 10 dm tall; leaves narrowly elliptic, 3-6 cm long, margins mostly entire;
corolla pale rose with darker purple venation on the throat.
P. leptophylla Small, stems to 1.5 m tall; leaves lanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 4-8 cm long, petioles 2-4
cm long; corolla bright lavender-pink or purple.
P. purpurea (Walt.) Blake, stems to 10 dm tall; leaves elliptic to obovate or oblanceolate, 4-6 cm long;
corolla pink to purple.
P. virginiana Small, stems to 1.5 m tall; leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate, 5-18 cm long; corolla rose
lavender to purple or rarely whitish.
Habitat: OBL. P. godfreyi: wet wiregrass savannas, hydric pine flatwoods, and bogs; P. leptophylla:
sloughs, streams, floodplains, marshes, and shores of ponds and lakes. FACW. P. purpurea: wet
savannas, hydric pine flatwoods, cypress sloughs, marl prairies, marshes, and ditches; P. virginiana:
marshes, bogs, ditches, edges of lakes and ponds, swamps, along streams and rivers.
Distribution:
P. godfreyi: Wakulla County west to Walton County.

P. leptophylla: Jackson County east to Duval County and south to DeSoto County.
P. purpurea: Throughout the state, except extreme northwest Florida.
P. virginiana: Highland County north to Madison County and west to Walton County.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida,June-October in north Florida.
Physostegia godfreyi Cantino OBL GODFREY'S DRAGON-HEAD
&<
DICOTS 443
Physostegia spp. (continued)
Physostegia leptophylla Small OBL SLENDER-LEAF DRAGON-HEAD
Physostegia purpurea (Walt.) Blake FACW PURPLE DRAGON-HEAD
Physostegia virginiana Small FACW FALSE DRAGON-HEAD

Scutellaria spp SKULLCAPS
Description: Non-aromatic perennial herbs to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, usually much shorter; stems square,
one to several from the base; leaves opposite, stalked or sessile, variable in size and shape; flowers
individually tubular; calyx campanulate with an obvious proturbance (scutellum) on the upper
surface of the tube, this enlarging after antithesis, eventually splitting horizontally, the upper
surface falling off; corolla blue or violet (rarely white), curvate ascending, dilated above, 2-lipped,
upper lip usually concave, hoodlike, the lower lip spreading; 4 stamens, ascending from the throat
upward under the upper lip of the corolla; produced in axillary or in terminal racemes or panicles;
fruit a brown nutlet.
Recognition: Non-aromatic perennial herbs with square stems, variable opposite leaves and tubular
blue to violet flowers. Four of the thirteen species of Scutellaria found in Florida are frequently
associated with wetlands:
Scutellaria floridana Chapm. is a plant with 1-4 weakly ascending stems that have a very narrow,
hyaline wing on each of the four angles (observable with a 10X magnifier). The leaves are very
narrow, 2-4 cm long, 2-3 mm wide, (only slightly wider than the stem) and involute. Flowers are
large, lavender-blue with a white patch in the middle of the lower lip, and borne solitary in the leaf
axils or the axils of short leafy branches.
Scutellaria integrifolia L. is a relatively robust plants to 3-7 dm (1-2 ft) tall with one to several ascend
ing, pubescent stems, bearing relatively large, 2-2.5 cm long, blue (rarely pinkish) flowers in terminal
racemes or panicles. The leaves are variable with most leaves much wider than the stems. The
lower leaves are ovate, 1.5-4 cm long, truncate to subcordate basally with slender, pubescent
petioles, rounded to obtuse apices, and margins with some crenate-serrate teeth. The upper leaves
are lanceolate to spathulate and subsessile; their margins entire.
Scutellaria lateriflora Pers. is a rhizomatous plant with ascending glabrous stems to 1 m (3.3 ft) tall.
The flowers are usually blue (sometimes pink to white) small, 5-8 mm long, borne on stalked,
sometimes secund racemes, 1-10 cm long, in leaf axils. The petiolate leaves are ovate, 3-7 cm long,
1-5 cm wide, rounded to truncate basally, acuminate apically, and usually with crenate to crenate-
serrate margins.
Scutellaria racemosa Pers. is typically a colonial plants with slender rhizomes and weakly ascending,
glabrous stems to 3 dm (1 ft) tall. The small flowers are lavender, with purple specks on the lower
lip and are borne singly in the leaf axils on stalks about 3 mm long. Leaves are variable, triangular
ovate to lance ovate, 2 cm long, 1 cm wide at the base, most with a small lobe on one or both sides
at the base, a blunt apex, and either glabrous or minutely pubescent at the margins and on the veins
underneath. The lower leaves are short petiolate, while the upper leaves are nearly sessile.
Flabitat: OBL. S. floridana: Swamps, marshes, seepage slopes; shores of streams, ponds, and lakes; S.
racemosa: Marshes, ditches, and wetland edges. FAC. S. integrifolia: Seepage bogs, wet savannas,
flatwoods, borders of wet woodlands, less frequently in well-drained woodland borders and
openings; S. lateriflora: Poorly drained flatwoods, wet savannas, seepage bogs, and the edges of
flatwoods streams.
Distribution: S. integrifolia is the most widespread wetland Scutellaria, occurring in all of Florida
except south of Lake Okeechobee; S. floridana and S. lateriflora are both restricted to the eastern
portion of the Florida panhandle; S. racemosa is primarily found in the Florida panhandle and
sporadically southward to Indian River County.
Flowering: Spring and fall.
DICOTS 445
Scutellaria spp. (continued)
Scutellaria floridana Chapm.

Teucrium canadense L AMERICAN GERMANDER
Description: An erect, colonial, herbaceous perennial with square stems, spreading by thin, squarish,
white rhizomes, most of plant covered with hairs; leaves opposite, ovate, lanceolate, to long-elliptic,
5-12 cm long and 1-5 cm wide, margins crenate, apex pointed, base of leaf narrowed and cuneate or
rounded to a short petiole, both surfaces covered with sparse hairs to dense silvery tomentose;
flowers bisexual, the calyx hairy, 5-lobed, 5-7 mm long; the corolla pink to lavender, 1-2 cm long
with one lip, the lip with 5 lobes; 4 stamens and a single pistil; produced in terminal racemes; fruit
yellowish-brown, reticulate, ellipsoid to obovoid nutlets; four per flower.
Recognition: An erect, colonial perennial with square stems and opposite leaves. The entire plants is
covered with hairs. The flowers, each of which have one purple to pink lip, are produced on a
terminal racemes. The fruit are small, round, yellowish-brown nutlet which are easily seen in late
summer by rubbing them free from the calyx. Can be confused with Stachys lythroides Small, a
plant with bilabiate flowers found on marshy lake shores only in Leon County and Salvia species
which are also bilabiate and have blue, purple or red flowers.
Habitat: FACW. Swamps, floodplains, marshes, wet meadows and pastures, margins of lakes and
ponds, cypress depressions, ditches and a variety of disturbed sites.
DICOTS 447
Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume SPICEBUSH
synonymy: Benzoin aestivale (L.) Nees
Description: A potentially large, often multi-stemmed shrub, rarely of tree size or form, to 4.5 m (15
ft) tall, usually understory in floodplain forests; branches thin, with distinct lenticels; bark gray to
brown; leaves alternate, deciduous; petioles pubescent; leaf blade variable in shape from obovate
through oval and elliptic, also variable in size on individual branchlets, larger distally, 6-12 cm long,
3-5 cm wide, typically "drip tipped" at apex, margins entire, upper surface dark green, glabrous,
lower surface gray-green, and varyingly pubescent; turning bright yellow prior to being shed in the
fall; flowers small, unisexual (on separate plants), yellow, borne in clusters of 2-6 flower per cluster,
often but not exclusively arising from branchlet axils; produced in late winter prior to leaf emer
gence; fruit a shiny, bright red, elliptical drupe, 8-10 mm long, with a slender 2-4 mm long stalk;
borne in clusters.
Recognition: Potentially large, deciduous shrub with alternate, dark green leaves that are paler on the
underside and that give off a spicy aroma when bruised; female plants with clusters of conspicuous
bright red ellipsoid fruit. A second Lindera, L. melissaefolia (Walt.) Blume (Jove's fruit), is also
reported from northwest Florida. According to some authorities, L. melissaefolia, an obligate
wetland species which apparently was never common in the state, has not been observed here in
over a century. Leaves of this species are much narrower than those of L. benzoin. A third taxo-
nomic entity, L. subcoriacea Wofford, is also recognized by some authors. At present, the Flora of
Florida project does not recognize this taxon as distinct from L. benzoin. For purposes of the
vegetative index it is also included within the larger concept of L. benzoin. Based upon the best
information available, L. subcoriacea is a rare plant. Leaves of L. subcoriacea are noted to be more
leathery than L. benzoin and the aroma, if present at all, is faint and reminiscent of lemon as
opposed to spice.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplain forests with short term inundation, adjacent mesic bluffs, slopes and
hammocks, especially where limestone is at or close to the surface. Plants with affinities towards L.
subcoriacea, inhabit wetter communities such as bayheads and seepage swamps.
Distribution: Jackson, Calhoun, Liberty and Gadsden Counties particularly along the Apalachicola
and Chipola River drainage's. The species distribution map for L. benzoin associated with the Flora
of Florida project at the University of South Florida shows an additional disjunct distribution that
also includes Putnam, Volusia, Brevard and Orange Counties. Other authors have attributed the
collections represented by this east-central Florida distribution and additional collections from
Okaloosa and Washington Counties to L. subcoriacea.

Litsea aestivalis (L.) Fern. POND-SPICE
synonymy: Glabraria geniculata (Walt.) Britt. in Britt. and Brown
Description: An upright shrub or very small tree, to 5 m (16.5 ft) tall, often growing in standing water
of wetland ponds; branches numerous, typically exhibiting a zigzag growth pattern; bark light gray,
smooth; leaves alternate, deciduous, aromatic; petioles slender and very short; leaf blade narrow,
oblong to elliptical 1-3 cm long, 5-10 mm wide, margins entire, upper surface dark green, glabrous,
lower surface paler, gray-green and initially with tufts of fine hairs basally on each side of the
midvein, these tufts potentially being lost with age; flowers small, unisexual (on separate plants),
yellow, borne in clusters of 2-4 flowers, arising from leaf scar axils, especially near the tip of
branches; produced in late winter prior to leaf emergence; fruit a fleshy, bright red, single-seeded,
round drupe, 4-6 mm dia., each with a slender stalk; borne in clusters.
Recognition: An upright deciduous shrub or very small tree with small, alternate, aromatic leaves
that are paler on the underside, zigzag branches, and bright red berry-like fruit on female plants.
Habitat: OBL. Shrub swamps, wetland ponds, and edges of cypress swamps, often in long term
standing water.
Distribution: Sporadic across north Florida and infrequently encountered. Reported southward to
Pasco County. Considered a rare plant throughout its entire range in the southeastern U. S.
DARST
DICOTS 449
Perseapalustris (Raf.) Sarg. SWAMP BAY, SWAMP RED BAY
Description: A large shrub or small to medium sized tree to 15 m (50 ft) tall; bark gray to brownish,
rough and vertically fissured on older specimens; branches spreading, larger specimens similar to
Quercus virginiana (live oak) in form, young stems densely pubescent, mature stems glabrous;
leaves alternate, evergreen; short petioled; leaf blade simple, leathery, lanceolate to oblanceolate,
6-10 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, somewhat falcate, margins entire, upper leaf surface glabrous, lower leaf
surface with shaggy sparse pubescence, main veins with more pubescence; flowers bisexual,
greenish yellow, 6 sepals in 2 sets of 3, stamens 9; inflorescence stalked; fruit an ellipsoid blue-black
drupe, 1 cm dia.
Recognition: An evergreen tree or large shrub with simple, alternate, leaves that are aromatic when
crushed and are often infested with many insect galls. Undersides of leaves are sparsely to densely
pubescent with dull brown, shaggy hairs visible to the unaided eye, especially when the underside
of the leaf is viewed against a light background and slowly rolled. Young twigs and leaf stalks are
densely pubescent. Very similar to P. borbonia (L.) Spreng. (red bay) whose leaf undersides appear
glabrous to the unaided eye, except occasionally with visible pubescence along the midrib. With
magnification the lower leaf surface of P. borbonia exhibits a sparse pubescence of short appressed
hairs.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, bogs, hydric savannas, wet flatwoods, sloughs and seepage slopes.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, less common in southeastern counties.
450
Pinguicula spp BUTTERWORTS
Description: Small insectivorous herbs with a single compact flowering stem, 8-20 cm (3-8 in.) tall;
leaves in a basal rosette, 3-15 cm across; leaf blade ovate, oblong, or oblong elliptic, margins entire
and often rolled upward, upper leaf surfaces with glandular hairs that impart a slimy feel; flowers
small, cylindric-tubular, extending in a basal spur at base, corolla 1-3 cm long, 2-lipped, with 5
spreading notched, lobes, (upper lip 3 lobed, lower lip 2 lobed), yellow, violet or white; borne singly
on a short scape; fruit a 2-valved capsule.
Recognition: Small insectivorous herbs with a basal rosette of oblong to ovate leaves that have a
slimy feel, and single, yellow, violet or white flowers with a basal spur borne on a short, leafless
stem. Florida as six (6) species;
P. caerulea Walt., has yellowish green leaves and pale to deep violet flowers with distinct veins.
P. ionantha Godfrey, is distinguished by bright green leaves and violet flowers with a yellowish spur.
P. lutea Walt., combines yellowish green leaves and bright yellow flowers.
P. pumila Michx., has a basal rosette less than 4 cm across and pale violet to white flowers that have
only shallowly notched lobes.
P. planifolia Chapm., exhibits dull green leaves suffused with reddish pigment and flowers that have
deeply notched lobes (about half of length) and which are typically deep violet to magenta in color
(occasionally white with a violet throat).
P. primuliflora Wood & Godfrey, has bright green leaves and two tone flowers that are violet on the face
with a yellow throat separated by a white ring and yellow on the exterior with prominent reddish-
brown veins.
Habitat: OBL. Bogs, shallow ponds and depressions, hydric pine flatwoods and savannas, seepage
slopes, and ditches.
Distribution: P. lutea and P. pumila occur throughout Florida; P. caerulea is present in peninsular
Florida and west to the Apalachicola River; P. planifolia and P. primuliflora are broadly distributed
across the panhandle of Florida from Wakulla County west; P. ionantha is endemic to the coastal
panhandle (Wakulla County to Bay County).
DICOTS
Pinguicula spp. (continued)
Pinguicula lutea Walt.
Pinguicula primuliflora Wood & Godfrey
Pinguicula ionantha Godfrey
Pinguicula pumila Michx.
452
Utricularia spp BLADDERWORTS
Description: Carnivorous, aquatic (free floating) or semi-aquatic (attached to wetland soil, but with
no roots) herbs, usually in mats or colonies; stems subterranean or above ground, branched and
unbranched, simulating leaves, some with tiny urn-like bladders that trap and digest insects and
crustaceans; branches linear, filiform, dendritic or in a rosette pattern, sometimes in matted
bunches; leaves absent; flowers individually small, 6-25 mm across, corolla 2 lipped with 5 lobes,
white, yellow, pink to purple in color; 2 erect stamens; inflorescence a raceme with 1-18 flowers, on
an erect scape, 2-40 cm tall; fruit a 2-valved, globose capsule, 2-8 mm across; seeds 1 to many.
Recognition: Small, aquatic or semi-aquatic, carnivorous herbs with tiny urnlike bladders on stems
which are often leaf-like. The white, yellow, pink or purple, 2 lipped flowers are produced just
above the water or wet soils. Flowers are often conspicuous because of location and abundance.
Approximately fourteen (14) are in Florida.
Flabitat: OBL, Ponds, lakes, pools and ditches, shores, sloughs, and swamps.
Distribution: The genus Utricularia occurs throughout Florida, although the ranges of some
individual species is highly limited.
Utricularia cornuta Michx.
1
o
DICOTS 453
Utricularia spp. (continued)
Utricularia purpurea Walt.
Utricularia subulata L.

Linum spp. FLAX
Description: Slender annual and perennial herbs; leaves simple, opposite or alternate, sometime with
both types on the same plant; flowers produced in a terminal cyme or paniculate cyme, the five
petals are yellow and are shed rather quickly, the five sepals are green, entire or glandular toothed
and usually persistent around the mature fruit, five stamens, single pistil, often with five stigmatic
lobes; fruit a 5 locular capsule splitting into 10 segments; seeds usually flat with a reticulated
surface, to 3 mm long.
Recognition: Five species are listed for use as wetland indicators.
L. carteri Small, annual, 1-6 dm tall with smooth or hairy stems. Leaves alternate throughout, linear-
subulate, 1-2 cm long, some of the upper leaves may be glandular-toothed. Flowers in terminal
cymes, corolla yellow-orange, sepals glandular toothed. Capsule ovoid, 3-4 mm wide, sepals usually
lost when capsule is mature.
L.floridanum (Planch.) Trel., annual, 2-12 dm tall with smooth stems. Leaves opposite below, alternate
above, linear-lanceolate, 10-15 mm long with entire margins. Flowers in terminal cymes, corolla
yellow, sepals entire, persistent. Capsule oblate, 2-3 mm wide.
L. medium (Planch.) Britt., perennial, 1-5 dm tall, stems smooth and angled. Leaves opposite below,
alternate above, numerous and closely set, lance-linear to linear-subulate, 1-2.5 cm long, margins
entire. Flowers in terminal cymes, corolla yellow, innermost sepals with stalked glands, persistent.
Capsule globose, broader than long, 2 mm wide.
L. striatum Walt., perennial, 3-12 dm tall, with smooth and striate-angled stems. Leaves opposite to
about mid-height then becoming alternate, narrowly elliptic 1-3 cm long, margins entire. Flowers
in terminal cymes, corolla pale yellow, sepals persistent usually entire, however some may be
glandular toothed. Capsule depressed globose, 2 mm wide, style bases persistent and forming a
point.
L. westii Rogers., perennial, 2-5 dm tall, stems smooth and narrowly wing angled, leaves opposite to
about mid-height then becoming alternate, linear-oblong or narrowly elliptic, to 1.5 cm long,
margins entire. Few flowered terminal cyme, corolla yellow, all sepals glandular toothed. Capsule
subglobose, coming to a point, 3 mm wide. Flowers in late afternoon.
Habitat: OBL. L. westii: Edges of cypress depressions and sloughs, depressions in hydric pine
flatwoods and ditches. FACW. L. striatum: Marsh, along streams, seepage slopes and edges of
swamps; L. carteri: Wetter areas of rocklands in south Florida, marshes and outer margins of
mangrove swamps. FAC. L.floridanum: Hydric pine flatwoods, savannas, bogs, ditches and well
drained longleaf pine sandhill and scrub; L. medium: Hydric pin flatwoods, savannas, bogs, ditches,
sloughs, cypress depressions, interdunal swales, marl prairies, rarely on well drained soils.
Distribution:
L. carteri: South Florida only, Dade County.

L.floridanum: Throughout the state.
L. medium: Throughout the state.
L. striatum: Northwest Florida only, from Jefferson County west to Escambia County.
L. westii: North Florida from Franklin and Gulf County north to Jackson County west to Okaloosa
County with a disjunct population in Baker County.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, spring-fall in north Florida.
DICOTS 455
Linum spp. (continued)
Linum westii Rogers OBL WEST'S FLAX

Mitreola spp HORNWORT
Description: Erect annual herbs; leaves opposite; stipules connecting leaf pairs; flowers small, sessile,
disposed along one side of branches; calyx 5-lobed, 1-1.5 mm long; corolla white to pink, exceeding
the calyx, 5-lobed, tube globose-funnelform, lobes oblong elliptic, 1 mm long; 5 stamens, shorter
than the corolla tube; ovary subglobose, two carpellate, separating during maturity except at the
base, distal parts strongly incurving leaving the center open; inflorescence stalked cymes, terminal
and/or terminating axillary branches; fruit small seeds, numerous.
Recognition: Erect annuals with opposite leaves and small white to pink, five-lobed flowers. The
flowers are born on the inside of the branches of stalked cymes. Cymes are born terminally or on
the tips of lateral branches arising from leaf axils. The ovaries are 2-3 mm long, composed of two
carpels which separate distally at maturity, strongly incurving resembling horns.
M. angustifolia (T.& G.) J. B. Nelson, 10-50 cm tall, leaves sessile and simple up to the inflorescence,
narrow, lance-elliptic, oblanceolate, to linear. Larger leaves up to 4 times longer than broad with
only slight tapering to a truncate base. Mature capsules are smooth but sometimes minutely
tuberculate on faces towards tips.
M. petiolata (J. F. Gmel.) T.& G., 10-80 cm tall, usually several branched, with leaves 2 to 8 cm long,
1-3.5 cm wide, basally narrowing to petiolar or subpetiolar, sometimes sessile bases. The nodes at
midstem are usually fasiculated with small leaves arising from the axils of the main leaves. Seed
capsules are smooth to sparsely papillate.
M. sessilifolia (T.& G.) J.B. Nelson, 10-50 cm tall, simple to several branched. The leaves are ovate,
suborbicular, to elliptic, to 2 cm long, and not more than twice as long as broad, with rounded
bases. The mature seed capsules are obviously papillate or warty.
Habitat: UPL, M. angustifolia: Edges of cypress-gum depressions and wet flatwoods. FACW. M.
petiolata: Forested floodplains, bogs, disturbed wetlands, wet flatwoods; M. sessilifolia: Marl
prairies, pond margins, savannas, bogs, and wet flatwoods.
Distribution:
M. angustifolia: North Florida.

M. petiolata and M. sessilifolia: Throughout Florida.
Flowering: Summer - early fall.
DICOTS 457
Mitreola spp. (continued)
Mitreolapetiolata (J. F. Gmel.) T. & G. FACW STALKED MITERWORT

Ammannia spp TOOTHCUPS
Description: Herbaceous annual with almost succulent stems, to 1 m (3 ft.) tall; stems simple to
freely branched, circular to 4-sided in cross section; leaves opposite, simple, linear, linear-lan
ceolate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, to 10 cm long; flowers sepals arranged into a flora tube, 4 purple
to pink petals, 1 mm long, quickly deciduous, 4 sepals are short, often with 4 small intersepalar
appendages; 4 or 8 stamens and a single pistil; inflorescence an axillary cyme with 1-10 flowers,
often appearing whorled; fruit a dark red to reddish brown capsule, enclosed within the persistent
floral tube; seeds many, minute, triangular.
Recognition: Two species are known to occur in Florida.
A. coccinea Rottb., syn: A. koehnei Britt., A. teres Raf. Stems to 10 dm tall, quadrangular and some
what winged. Leaves linear to linear-lanceolate with a sessile to auriculate leaf base. Flowers in
sessile to subsessile axillary cymes, petals purple to rose, sepal lobes triangular. Fruit a capsule
surrounded by the persistent floral tube which is suffused with reddish-purple.
A. latifolia L. Stems to 9 dm tall, rounded or only slightly four angled. Leaves linear elliptic to oblan
ceolate or spatulate, sessile and auriculate at the base. Flowers in short stalked axillary cymes.
Habitat: OBL. Open wet areas, tidal marshes, shorelines of ponds and lakes, swales, ditches, and
edges of swamps.
Distribution: A. coccinea. Throughout Florida.
A. latifolia. Throughout Florida, especially in coastal areas.
Flowering: Summer-early fall.
Ammannia coccinea Rottb. PURPLE AMMANNIA
Ammannia latifolia L. TOOTHCUP
DICOTS 459
Cuphea aspera Chapm. COMMON WAXWEED
synonymy: Parsonsia lythroides Small.
Description: Herbaceous perennial, 2-4 dm tall, with slender rhizomes and tubers near some root
tips; stems simple to few branched; leaves sessile, whorled or sometimes opposite, simple, lan
ceolate to linear-elliptic, 1-2.5 cm long with an acute tip; flowers 6 unequal, lavender petals much
longer than sepals; 6 purple, hairy, triangular sepals alternating with bristle-tipped intersepalar
appendages forming the floral tube, floral tube 7-9 mm long; 10-12 stamens; on a stalk 5-15 mm
long, subtended by 2 small bracts; inflorescence a raceme, terminating branches; fruit an elongate
capsule enveloped by the floral tube; seeds usually 3, dark brown, obovate, 2 mm long.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with whorled leaves, and flowers with a purple corolla. Flowers
have 6 petals extending beyond the floral tube. Upper stems, flower stalks, and floral tube are
sticky with elongated purple glandular hairs and numerous, shorter, white hairs.
Habitat: FACW. Seepage areas of hydric pine flatwoods and bogs.
Distribution: Endemic to northwest Florida, found only in Franklin, Gulf, and Calhoun Counties.

Cuphea carthagenensis (Jacq.) Macbr. COLUMBIA WAXWEED
synonymy: Parsonsia balsamona (Cham. & Schlect.) Small
Description: Herbaceous annual, 1-6 dm tall; stems usually branched, upper portions with glandular
hairs; leaves opposite, elliptic, oval, or ovate, 2-6 cm long, stalked, leaf surfaces rough; flowers,
solitary, small, in leaf axils or at branch tips; floral tubes, 5-7 mm long, green to purplish; 6 pink to
purplish, linear-elliptic petals, 2-3 mm long; 6 small, bristled, broadly triangular sepals, intersepalar
appendages; 10-12 stamens; fruit a narrow capsule; seeds, olive brown, lens-shaped, 2 mm long.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous annual with small purple flowers. Flowers have 6 purple petals
extending beyond the floral tube. Leaves are opposite and rough to the touch. Stems are hairy and
sticky.
Habitat: FAC. Hydric and mesic pine flatwoods, marshes, wet pastures, swales, ditches, and edges of
lakes and ponds, and disturbed areas.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, spring-summer in north Florida.

Decodon verticillatus (L.) Ell. SWAMP LOOSESTRIFE, WATER-WILLOW
Description: Colonial shrubs of sprawling habit, woody below, herbaceous above; main branches
spreading, arching, to 3 m (9 ft) long, often rooting at tips; stems angled, densely hairy when young;
bark below water often with thick spongy tissue (aerenchyma); thin, cinnamon-colored above
water; leaves opposite or in whorls of 3 or 4; short-petioled, 5-20 cm long; blades lance-shaped,
short-hairy, with margins entire, tips pointed; flowers bisexual, 4-7 sepals forming a short tube,
upper edge with sepal lobes and incurved horns; 4-7 (usually 5) deep pink, petals, 10-14 mm long,
with crinkled edges; stamens usually 10; produced in showy clusters at uppermost leaf axils; fruit a
3- to 5-celled, spherical capsule within the sepal tube; seeds somewhat pyramidal, about 2 mm
broad, olive-green or tan.
Recognition: Sprawling shrub, often in water, with long arching branches. Leaves are opposite or
whorled and lance-shaped. The deep pink flowers, are produced in showy clusters from the upper
leaf axils. Usually 5 petals and 10 stamens per flower. The fruit is a round capsule within the sepal
tube. Seeds are pyramidal in shape.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, marshes, lakes, ponds. Seeds eaten by ducks and mammals.
Distribution: Frequent in the north and northwest regions; occasional in central Florida..

Lythrum spp. LOOSESTRIFES
Description: Herbaceous perennials; stems generally erect, thin; leaves all opposite or both opposite
and alternate; linear-oblong, oblong, elliptic, linear- lanceolate, or linear-oblong; flowers a cylindric
or turbinate floral tub with 8-12 lines or ribs, 6 white to purple, crinkled petals, and 12 stamens;
produced in the upper leaf axils, fruit a two valved capsule; seeds numerous, small and winged.
Recognition: Erect herbaceous perennials with opposite or both opposite and alternate leaves. The
axillary flowers have purple to white, crinkled petals and a narrow, cylindric floral tube, with 8-12
ribs. Seeds are numerous, minute, and winged.
Habitat: OBL.
L. alatum Pursh var. lanceolatum (Ell.) T. & G. ex Rothr. Marshes, depressions in pine flatwoods, edges
of ponds and lakes and ditches.
L. curtisii Fern. Floodplains and edges of streams, open depressions in pine flatwoods.
L.flagellare Shuttlew. ex Chapm. Swamps, marshes and depressions.
L. lineare L. Coastal marshes in brackish and saline soils.
Distribution:
L. alatum var. lanceolatum. Throughout Florida

L. curtisii. Endemic to the northwest Florida region; Gadsden, Liberty, and Franklin Counties.
L.flagellare. South Florida north to Orange and Hernando Counties.
L. lineare. Coastal areas throughout the state.
DICOTS 463
Lythrum spp. (continued)
Lythrum lineare L. SALTMARSH LOOSESTRIFE

Liriodendron tulipifera L. TULIP POPLAR, YELLOW POPLAR
Description: A large canopy tree to 30 m (100 ft) tall, of floodplains, bottomlands, and wet to moist
fertile slopes; branches tend to be slightly ascending, thick and stiff; bark grayish and smooth with
vertical striations when young, becoming thickened with interlacing ridges and furrows as the tree
matures; leaves deciduous, alternate; petiole long; leaf blade simple, commonly 4-lobed, 10-15 cm
long, as wide or slightly wider than long, broadly "V" notched or flattened across terminal lobes,
margins entire, pinnately veined, upper surface dark green and glabrous, lower surface paler, grayish
green, pubescent only along major veins if at all; flowers bisexual, cup shaped, 3-6 cm long, 6 petals
in two whorls of 3 each, greenish with an orange band at the base, tulip-like, solitary, borne termi
nally on upper branches; fruit 2 seeded samaras congregated into an erect cone-like structure, 6-8
cm long, the central core of the conelike structure persisting for an extended period after all the
seeds have fallen.
Recognition: A large deciduous tree with broadly truncate, 4-lobed, alternate leaves and bark of
interlacing ridges and furrow, with lighter colored fissures. The showy, tulip-like greenish flowers,
with an orange base are typically produced in the uppermost branches. The terminal winter buds
are flattened (duck-bill shaped).
Habitat: FACW. Wet and moist forests; floodplains, bottomlands, wet to moist fertile slopes, and
bluffs adjacent to streams. Often more associated with uplands outside Florida where fertile
uplands are also more common.
Distribution: Primarily northwest and north Florida but extending south to Pasco, Lake, and Orange
Counties.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 465
Magnolia virginiana L. SWEET BAY
Description: A medium sized canopy tree to 25 m (80 ft) tall primarily of bayheads and hydric
seepage slopes, occasionally confined to shrub size; branches slender, terminal winter buds covered
by a fine silky pubescence; bark thin, light gray, nearly smooth; leaves alternate, evergreen; petiole
short, often pubescent; leaf blade leathery, oblong to elliptical, 10-15 cm long, 2-8 cm wide, margin
entire, tips blunt-pointed, upper surface bright light green and glabrous, lower surface light gray to
silvery-white; flowers bisexual, cup-shaped, 3-6 cm long, fragrant, 9-12 creamy white petals, 5-8 cm
across, solitary at branch tips; fruit a terminal, subglobose or ovoid, conelike cluster of follicles, 3-5
cm long, 5 cm in diameter, each follicle producing a red seed; conelike structure persisting after all
seeds have fallen but eventually deciduous as a unit.
Recognition: A medium sized evergreen tree with alternate, leathery leaves that are typically bright
light gray or silvery-white on the lower surface. The bark is smooth and light gray in color. Fra
grant, white showy flowers are produced in spring. A stipular scars that encircles the twigs. Often
found growing with Gordonia lasianthus (loblolly bay) and Persea palustris (swamp bay), both of
which can be similar. The silvery-white pubescence on the lower surface of the leaf and the smooth
often whitish bark distinguishes Magnolia virginiana from both. Both Persea and Magnolia have
leaves that are aromatic when crushed. Florida plants are all assignable to Magnolia virginiana var.
australis Sargent.
Habitat: OBL. Bayheads, seepage swamps along small to moderate sized streams, hydric seepage
slopes, hydric to occasionally mesic flatwoods, and floodplains; typically in areas that are saturated
or shallowly inundation for extended periods; does not tolerate extended deep inundation of the
trunk. Flatwood plants often restricted to shrub size because of fire. Becoming more common in
non-wetland pine flatwoods with the suppression of the natural fire regime but to a much lesser
extent than Gordonia lasianthus.
Flowering: Spring.

Hibiscus spp, MALLOWS, MARSH-MALLOWS, ROSE MALLOWS
Description: Large herbaceous perennials or trees; stems hairy with stellate hairs, often velvety and
wearing off the older stems; leaves large, ovate, trilobed or palmately divided in outline, typically
palmately veined, often covered with stellate hairs and rough on the surface; flowers large, showy;
corolla of 5 broad white, pink, purple, yellow and maroon petals, each flower with 7-15 narrow
involucral bracts below the sepals; sepals fused, with 5 triangular lobes; stamens produced in a tube
that surrounds the elongated stigma; the single pistil is superior; produced in the leaf axils or in
terminal panicled racemes with reduced leaves; fruit a 5-valved capsule that is surrounded by the
persistent calyx which grows with the capsule; seeds numerous, about 1 cm long, smooth or hairy,
ovoid, brown to nearly black.
Recognition: Six species of Hibiscus are commonly found in Florida wetlands.
H. aculeatus Walt. Herbaceous perennial with erect stems to 1 m tall; leaves deeply 5 lobed with
reduced three lobed leaves associated with the flowers; corolla yellow becoming pinkish, dark
purplish at the base; capsule ovoid, 12-14 cm long, with an obtuse apex, exceeded by the calyx lobes;
seeds dull brown, surface minutely pitted.
H. coccineus Walt. Herbaceous perennial with erect stems, 1-3 m tall; leaves deeply 5 lobed, lowermost
leaves small and unlobed; corolla deep red, darker reddish-purple at the base; capsule ovoid, 7-10
cm long with a blunt apex; seeds densely clothed with short brown pubescence.
H. laevis All. = H. militaris Cav. Herbaceous perennial with erect stems to 2 m tall; leaves palmately
three lobed, the middle lobe the largest, leaves of the mid stem hastate; corolla pink to white with a
darker purple base; capsule oblong, 3-4 cm long with a blunt apex, exceeded by the calyx; seeds
densely clothed by stiff, reddish-brown hairs.
H. moscheutos L. Herbaceous perennial with erect stems to 2.5 m tall; leaves ovate in outline, margins
toothed; corolla white to cream with a reddish to red-purple base; capsule ovoid, pubescent, 2-3 cm
long with a short beak, exceeded by the pubescent calyx; seeds with scattered small papillae.
H. tiliaceus L. Evergreen tree or shrub to 12 m (40 ft) tall; leaves heart-shaped, palmately veined, 10-15
cm long; corolla yellow fading to maroon, usually with a darker reddish base; capsule 2-3 cm long,
pointed; seeds smooth, brown.
Habitat: FAC. H. tiliaceus-. Brackish wetlands and mangrove swamps. Although found throughout
the tropics may have been introduced in Florida.
FACW. H. aculeatus-. Hydric and mesic pine flatwoods, edges of sloughs, savannas, bogs, and ditches.
OBL. H. coccineus-. Strands, sloughs, swamps, brackish and freshwater marshes; commonly in water.
OBL. H. grandiflorus: Pine flatwoods depressions, brackish and freshwater marshes, edges of lakes
and ponds, along rivers, swamps, canals, and ditches.
OBL. H. laevis: Associated with rivers and floodplains.
OBL. H. moscheutos: Wet pine flatwoods, edges of sloughs, swamps, bogs, brackish and freshwater
marshes, and ditches.
Distribution: H. aculeatus: North Florida south to Lake County.

H. coccineus: Throughout Florida.
H. laevis: Northwest Florida east to Leon County.
H. moscheutos: North Florida south to Lake County.
H. tiliaceus: South Florida north to Manatee and St. Lucie Counties.
Flowering: All species summer flowering. Earlier flowering can be expected on those species
reaching south Florida. H. tiliaceus flowers sporadically throughout the year.
DICOTS 467
Hibiscus spp. (continued)
Hibiscus coccineus Walt.
Hibiscus moscheutos L.

Hibiscus grandiflorus Michx. BIG ROSE-MALLOW, SWAMP HIBISCUS
Description: Large herbaceous perennial to 3 m tall, with few to several stems from the base, all
stems hairy with branched stellate hairs, velvety, wearing off the older stems; leaves alternate,
stalked, stalks to 10 cm long, blades 10-18 cm long and to 16 cm wide at the base, ovate in outline,
mostly 3-lobed, margins with irregular, blunt teeth, densely hairy above and below; flowers axillary,
each flower with about 10 narrow bracts (epicalyx) below the sepals, sepals fused with 5 deltoid
lobes, 3-4 mm long; 5 petals, pink (rarely white), red-purple at bases, 10-12 cm long, narrow at bases,
rounded at apex; fruit a capsule, splitting into 5 parts, ovoid or rounded, 3-4 cm long, long, with a
short point, hairy with a mixture of shaggy and branched hairs; seeds numerous, about 1 cm long,
smooth, ovoid, dark brown to nearly black.
Recognition: Large herbaceous perennial with several woody stems from base; leaves alternate, large,
hairy on both surfaces, usually 3-lobed, margins with irregular teeth; stems with branched hairs;
flowers large, pink to white with red-purple spot in center; fruit a 5 valved capsule with a persistent
calyx and ring of epicalyx bracts below this, the mature capsules splitting to release the round,
smooth, dark brown seeds.
Habitat: OBL. Brackish and freshwater marshes, marshy shores of ponds, lakes, streams, swamps,
glades, sloughs, ditches, canals, commonly in water.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south and central Florida, June to September in north Florida.
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DICOTS 469
Kosteletzkya spp
Description: Herbaceous perennials; stems 1 to several from the base, each branched in the upper
portion, to 2 m tall; all parts stellate pubescent; leaves alternate, ovate to triangular or lanceolate,
or variously lobed, base may be deeply notched, squarish or rounded, margins with irregular teeth;
flowers stalked, with 5 white or pink petals, 10-30 mm long, 7-10 narrow bracts below the sepals;
sepals united, with 5 lobes; produced solitary in leaf axils; fruit a 5-angled capsule about 12 mm
wide, covered with stiff bristles, containing up to 5, smooth, dark brown seeds.
Recognition: There are two species recognized in Florida.
K. pentasperma (Bert, ex DC.) Griseb., petals white, about 1 cm long; sepal lobes shorter than width of
capsule.
K. virginica (L.) Presl. ex Gray., petals pink, 2-4 cm long; sepal lobes longer than width of capsule.
Habitat: OBL. K. virginica: salt, brackish or freshwater marshes, edges of swamps, lakes and ponds.
FAC. K. pentasperma: borders of mangrove swamps.
Distribution:
K. virginica: common, throughout coastal areas of Florida.
K. pentasperma: south Florida.
Flowering: Summer-early fall in north Florida, spring-early winter in south and central Florida.

Thespesiapopulnea (L.) Sol. ex Corr. SEASIDE MAHOE
Description: Tree to 7 m (23 ft) tall, sometimes shrubby; branches stout, with small thin scales; bark
tan; leaves evergreen, alternate; petiole to 10 cm long; leaf blade ovate-orbicular, 5-12 cm long,
cordate base, acute tip, slightly fleshy, glandular pores beneath; flowers bisexual, solitary, stalked; 5
sepals forming a cup, 8 mm high; 5 yellow changing to purple petals, 4-7 cm long; 3 narrow, decidu
ous bracts; borne in leaf axils fruit a leathery, globose capsule, 3-5 cm in diameter, with pubescent
seeds.
Recognition: T. populnea is a small tree or shrub with alternate, heart-shaped leaves having glandular
basal pores. Flowers are showy, turning from yellow with a purple base to reddish-purple.
Habitat: FAC. Mangrove swamps, edges of marshes, beach areas, and disturbed sites. Native of India
and naturalized in south Florida.
Distribution: Throughout coastal areas of south Florida, north to Lee and Brevard Counties.
DICOTS 471
Rhexia spp. MEADOW BEAUTY
Description: Perennial herbs with erect, 4-angled, (mostly) hairy stems ranging in height from 1 dm
to 1 m; leaves opposite, each pair held at right angles to the next lower or next higher pair, usually
with three primary veins, petiole short or absent; flowers showy, with four spreading, easily
detached petals and a distinctive, urn-shaped floral tube, petal color ranging from white through
varying shades of pink, purple, and lavender, one species with yellow flowers, anthers typically quite
conspicuous and held at nearly right angles with the supporting filament, usually with a small,
hook-like appendage at the point at which they join the filament; fruit a capsule enclosed by the
urn-shaped floral tube.
Recognition: Erect, showy herbs with four, easily detached, flower petals, urn-shaped floral tubes and
hook-like appendages on the anthers near where they join the filament. Ten species are commonly
recognized in Florida: R. virginica, R. lutea, R. salicifolia, R. parviflora, R. nuttallii, R. nashii, R.
mariana, R. petiolata, R. cubensis, and R. alifanus.
Rhexia alifanus Walt.
Recognition: An erect herb to about 1 m (3 ft) tall with mostly lanceolate to lance-ovate leaves,
showy, lavender-rose flowers and large, glandular-hairy, deep lavender floral tubes to about 1 cm
long. Both stems and leaf surfaces are without hairs. One of the taller, more common, and easier to
recognize of the Rhexia species.
Habitat: FACW. Flatwoods, savannas, bogs, and ditches.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida extending southward primarily along the east
coast to Orange County.
Flowering: Summer.
I—
o

Rhexia cubensis Griseb
Recognition: An erect clonal herb, 3-6 dm (12-24 in) tall, with an unequal, four sided (two quite
narrow, the other two obviously wider) stem, linear to narrowly linear-elliptic leaves with only the
midvein conspicuous, flower petals that are bright lavender but shading to nearly whitish at the
base, and a floral tube to about 1.5 cm (0.63 in) long, with few to no glandular hairs and a narrowed
neck that is longer than the body. Distinguished from the similar R. nashii by lacking copious hairs
on the flower petals.
Habitat: FACW. Savannas, flatwoods, bogs, ditches, and wet, weedy roadsides.
Distribution: Widespread, probably throughout Florida.
Flowering: Summer.
Rhexia lutea Walt.
Recognition: An erect, herb to about 4 dm (16 in) tall with a hairy, four-angled stems, typically elliptic
to spatulate leaves, with stiff, yellowish pubescence and toothed margins, and golden yellow
flowers. The golden flowers distinguish this species from all of Florida's other Rhexia species.
Habitat: FACW. Wet savannas, flatwoods, hillside seeps, and bogs.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida but apparently more concentrated west of Jefferson County
and in northeast Florida south to Volusia County.
DICOTS 473
Rhexia mariana L.
Recognition: An erect, branched, rhizomonous herb to about 1 m (3 ft) tall with an unequal, four
sided stem, sparsely to copiously hairy, narrow, linear to elliptic leaves, and white or more rarely
lavender flowers. Distinguished from R. parviflora, the other white-flowered species, by the flowers
typically exceeding 2 cm across and by the mid-stem leaves lacking a distinct petiole. The lavender-
flowered specimens of this species are similar to R. cubensis but differ by the length of the flower
tube being generally less than 1 cm long.
Habitat: FACW. Bogs, savannas, wet flatwoods, ditches, wet roadsides, and edges of ponds.
Distribution: Throughout Florida with the possible exception of the lower east coast.
Flowering: Spring-early fall.
Rhexia nashii Small
Recognition: An erect herb often forming clonal patches by rhizomes to 2-15 dm (8-60 in) tall, with
an unequal, four sided stem, (two quite narrow, the other two obviously wider and darker green),
elliptic to ovate leaves with both leaf surfaces copiously hairy, lavender flowers with hairs on lower
surface of the petals, and floral tubes without hairs. Distinguished from the similar R. cubensis by
having hairs on the lower surfaces of the petals and lacking hairs on the floral tube.
Habitat: FACW, Bogs, swamps, ditches, wet flatwoods, and edges of cypress-gum ponds.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida, southward to Lake Okeechobee area (Glades County).
Flowering: Summer.

Rhexia nuttallii James
Recognition: A slender, herb usually not exceeding about 3 dm (12 in) tall, with sessile leaves that
have finely toothed margins, lavender-rose flowers, solitary or in clusters of up to eight, and floral
tubes not exceeding about 7 mm long with glandular hairs. In general respects very similar to R.
petiolata, from which it is most easily distinguished by possessing glandular hairs on the body of
the floral tube.
Habitat: FACW. Wet savannas and flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout most of Florida.
Flowering: Summer.
Rhexia parviflora Chapmn. WHITE MEADOW BEAUTY
Recognition: An erect, rhizomonous herb to about 4 dm (16 in) tall, with a subequal, four-angled
stem, sparsely hairy elliptic to ovate leaves that are finely toothed along the margins, and white
flowers. Distinguished from R. mariana, the other white-flowered species, by the flowers typically
being less than 2 cm across and by the mid-stem leaves having a petiole.
Habitat: OBL. Edges of Hypericum ponds, shrub bogs, and Ilex myrtifolia depressions.
Distribution: Uncommon, restricted to the panhandle; Franklin, Liberty Counties westward to Santa
Rosa County.
Flowering: Summer.
DICOTS 475
Rhexia petiolata Walt.
Recognition: A stiff, erect herb to about 5 dm (20 in) tall with a four-angled glabrous, (except at the
leaf nodes) stem, sparsely pubescent (upper leaf surface), sessile leaves that have finely toothed
margins and appear ciliate due to bristles at the apices of the marginal teeth, lavender-rose flowers,
and floral tubes with only a few long hairs, typically along the rim. Very similar in overall appear
ance to R. nuttallii but differing from it by generally being taller, and by having only a few hairs on
the floral tube.
Habitat: FACW. Wet flatwoods, savannas, bogs, ditches, edges of pineland marshes.
Distribution: Throughout north Florida, southward to DeSoto and Highlands Counties.
Rhexia salicifolia Krai & Bostick PANHANDLE MEADOW BEAUTY
Recognition: A stiff, erect, bushy-branched herb with a hairy, subequal, four-angled, narrowly-winged
stem, glandular-pubescent, narrowly elliptic to somewhat linear leaves typically twisted on the
stem so as to be at right angles to the ground, deep lavender-rose flowers, and floral tubes with only
scattered glandular hairs. The twisted leaf blades in conjunction with the deep lavender flowers are
diagnostic for this species.
Habitat: OBL. Shores, edges, and exposed bottoms of lime sinks and sandhill ponds, also in
interdunal swales.
Distribution: Uncommon, restricted to the panhandle; Leon and Wakulla Counties westward to
Okaloosa County.

Rhexia virginica L
Recognition: An erect, stiff, unbranched to sparingly-branched herb to about 1 m (3 ft) tall with a
subequal four-angled stem that is winged near the mid-stem, typically lanceolate leaves that are
finely toothed along the margins and strongly ascending on the stem, bright lavender-rose flowers,
and floral tubes to about 1 cm long, with or without glandular hairs.
Habitat: FACW. Savannas, bogs, flatwoods, pond edges, and ditches.
Distribution: The panhandle and across northern Florida to the east coast and southward coastally
to Flagler County.
DICOTS 477
Nymphoides spp. FLOATING-HEARTS, BANANA LILIES
Description: Perennial herbs from rhizomes; stems underground except flowering stems, these
flaccid, slender, petiolelike, usually held aloft by floating leaves; leaves alternate, with petioles
appearing as extension of flowering stems; blades ovate to nearly round, notched at base, to 15 cm
long, often with red-purple blotches or spots; flowers functionally unisexual, small, stalked,
clustered at node just below leaf, often accompanied by a cluster of tuberous roots; 5 white petals
(in ours), 5 stamens; fruit a small, many-seeded capsule held below the water surface.
Recognition: Perennial herbs usually with floating leaves like water-lilies but smaller and often
spotted with red-purple. The flowers are small, stalked, in clusters just below leaves. There is often
a banana-like cluster of tuberous roots at the same node as the flowers.
Habitat: OBL. Ponds, lakes, quiet streams, ditches, and canals. Fruits eaten by wildfowl; leaves and
stems providing shelter and forage space for fish.
Distribution: Two native species in Florida: N. aquatica, frequent throughout, and N. cordata,
infrequent, mostly in Panhandle; both white-flowered with petals entire. Occasionally, species from
Europe or Africa (yellow flowers) or tropical America or Asia (white fringed flowers) are found as
escapees from cultivation. [Note: Genus sometimes placed in gentian family, Gentianaceae.]
Nymphoides aquatica (S.G. Gmel.) Kuntze

Ficus aurea Nutt. FLORIDA STRANGLER FIG
Description: A tree, to 15 m (50 ft) tall, which often starts as an epiphyte (particularly in deeper
swamps) and eventually engulfs (and kills) the host; branches thick, not numerous, eventually with
adventitious aerial roots that may become accessory trunks; bark smooth and gray, becoming scaly
with age; leaves alternate, evergreen, simple; petioles short, less than half the width of the leaf blade
in length, with milky sap; leaf blade dark green, leathery, elliptical to oblong, 5-12 cm long, 2-8 cm
wide, conspicuously pinnately veined, bases cordate, margins entire, upper and lower surfaces
glabrous, paired glabrous stipules which shed early, leaving ring-scars on twigs; flowers small,
unisexual on the same plant, without true petals, borne inside a fruit-like receptacle (syconium);
fruit sessile, globose, red to purple and fleshy, a "fig", 1-2 cm diameter.
Recognition: An evergreen tree with milky white sap, an irregularly fluted trunk, or when originating
as an epiphyte, with multi-trunks and aerial roots that wrap around (strangle) the host tree which
is eventually killed by competition for light, water, and nutrients. The fruit are fleshy, red to purple,
globose, sessile, figs. Leaves are simple, alternate, and leathery with smooth margins. In the
extreme southern areas of the state, another similar native fig, F. citrifolia (short-leaf fig), is also
present however, this species has light green leaves, rounded leaf bases, stalked figs, pink, hairy
stipules, orange-yellow fruit, and leaf petioles exceeding half the width of the leaf blade in length.
Habitat: FAC. In both wetland and upland forest communities; semi-tropical and tropical mesic
hammocks, cypress swamps, bayheads, banks of sloughs, and borders of mangrove swamps.
Distribution: All of south Florida, extending north coastally to Brevard and Hillsborough Counties.
DICOTS 479
Morus rubra L, RED MULBERRY
Description: Typically a subcanopy tree, to 20 m (65 ft) tall, of mesic forests and upper floodplains;
branches weak, brittle, twigs brown, dotted with lighter colored lenticels; bark reddish brown to
grayish brown, separating into irregular plates with superficial scales, inner bark fibrous and prone
to rip when cut or broken; leaves alternate, deciduous, simple; petioles long with a milky sap; leaf
blade, broadly ovate or oval to orbicular, 7-12 cm long, 5-8 cm wide, unlobed (heart shaped when
unlobed) or with 2-3 deep lobes, subpalmately veined, with 3 main veins, margins coarsely toothed,
upper surface scabrid, lower surface shaggy pubescent; flowers unisexual, on different plants or on
different branches of the same plant, individually small and inconspicuous, greenish; borne on
hanging, stalked catkins; fruit a congregation of individual achenes each enclosed in a fleshy
persistent calyx, the composite structure being the "mulberry," dark purple at maturity, red when
immature, edible.
Recognition: A deciduous, subcanopy tree with alternate, heart shaped or 2-3 lobed, subpalmately
veined leaves that have coarsely serrate margins and are rough to the touch on the upper surface,
and dark purple, composite "berries." The leaves of the similar Tilia americana (basswood) are
never lobed, are not scabrid, and do not have milky sap. Another similar species, Morus alba L.
(white mulberry), an exotic of east Asian origin, has naturalized in some areas of north Florida. In
general the mature leaves of Morus alba are not scabrid.
Habitat: FAC. Mesic forests and hammocks, and the upper zone of wet floodplains.
Distribution: Throughout Florida except for the southernmost peninsula.
Flowering: Winter - spring.

Myrica cerifera L. SOUTHERN BAYBERRY, WAX MYRTLE
synonymy: Morella cerifera (L.) Small, Cerothamnus ceriferus (L.) Small
Description: Evergreen shrub, or a small tree, to 12 m (40 ft), usually multi-stemmed and colonial;
bark is pale, grayish-brown, splitting into broad thin plates, plants growing in inundated areas often
with expanded lenticels and adventitious roots; leaves alternate, aromatic, elliptic to oblanceolate,
3-10 cm long, margins may be entire or sharply and coarsely toothed, usually toward the tip,
glandular-dotted on both surfaces, becoming glabrous, yellowish-green and resinous beneath,
tapering at bases, pointed at tips; flowers unisexual (male and female flowers produced on separate
plants occasionally the same plant); male flowers densely packed among fan-shaped bracts 1-1.5
cm long, female flowers inconspicuous; fruit a round, knobby drupe covered by gray wax, 2-3 mm
in diameter, clustered on small branchlets.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub; leaves alternate, aromatic, usually with teeth on the margins, surface
rough, from a distance, the leaves appear brownish yellow; fruit knobby, covered with a waxy
coating; bark gray. This species resembles M. heterophylla which has larger greenish-gray drupes, 4-
5 mm in diameter, and leaves that are often glaucous beneath and lack glands on the upper surface,
and M. inodora which has black to dark brown drupes, 5-7 mm in diameter, and leaves with entire
margins.
Habitat: FAC. Common in both wetland and non-wetland communities; swamps, lake margins; pine
flatwoods, savannas, pastures, fertile mesic forests, fence rows, and ruderal on disturbed soils.
Distribution: Throughout Florida and the Florida Keys.

Myrica heterophylla Raf. EVERGREEN BAYBERRY
synonymy: Morella carolinensis (Mill.) Small, Cerothamnus carolinensis (Mill.)
Tidestr., Cerothamnus heterophylla (Raf.) Moldenke
Description: Evergreen to semi-deciduous shrub 1-3 m (10 ft) tall; bark gray and smooth, becoming
mottled and breaking into large thin plates; stems covered in black hairs; leaves aromatic, elliptic,
oblong, oblanceolate or obovate, 2-10 cm long, tips rounded or pointed, margins usually with a few
teeth toward the tip, entire near the base, lower leaf surface may appear glaucous and dotted with
glands, these often covered in brownish fluid; petioles usually 5 mm long, rarely to 1 cm long;
flowers green, inconspicuous; male flower clusters 1-1.5 cm long, female flowers much smaller;
fruit a greenish gray, globose drupe, 4-5 mm in diameter, containing oblong seeds; produced on
stalked remnants of the inflorescence.
Recognition: Evergreen to semi-deciduous shrub with aromatic, alternate leaves that are serrate
toward the tip, and often glaucous beneath. The fruit is a greenish-gray drupe. Most commonly
confused with M. cerifera, which has yellowish-green foliage, smaller fruit (2-3 mm in diameter),
and glands on both the upper and lower leaf surfaces.
Habitat: FACW. In sandy wet soils; baygall swamps, bogs and seepage slopes, depression swamps,
wet pine flatwoods, and wiregrass savannas.
Distribution: Central and north Florida.

Myrica inodora Bartr. ODORLESS WAX-MYRTLE
synonymy: Morella inodora (Bartram) Small, Cerothamnus inodorus (Bartram)
Small
Description: A shrub or small tree to 6 m (20 ft) tall, bark whitish-gray; leaves evergreen, alternate;
petioles short, partially winged; leaf blade leathery, oblong-obovate, elliptic-obovate, or sometimes
spatulate, 4-8 cm long, tip rounded or blunt, margins usually entire and somewhat revolute, shiny
above, bright green beneath; flowers; unisexual (male and female flowers produced on separate
plants), in dense catkins; fruit a knobby, dark brown or nearly black, globose drupe, 5-7 mm in
diameter, on short stalks, usually solitary.
Recognition: Shrub or tree with leathery, evergreen, alternate leaves that are widest near the rounded
tips. Leaf margins are smooth and often slightly rolled under. Leaves are odorless when crushed.
The fruit is black and usually solitary. This species resembles M. heterophylla which has larger
greenish-gray fruit, 4-5 mm in diameter, and leaves that are often glaucous beneath. It is also
similar to M. cerifera which has smaller fruit, 2-3 mm in diameter, and greenish-yellow foliage that
is usually coarsely toothed toward the apex.
Habitat: FACW. Sandy wet soils of bogs, baygall swamps, seepage slopes; depression swamps, wet
pine flatwoods and wiregrass savannas.
Distribution: Northwest Florida.
DICOTS 483
Ardisia spp. MARLBERRY
Description: Shrubs or small trees to 6 m (20 feet); bark gray and smooth to white and scaly; leaves
alternate, evergreen, and somewhat leathery, elliptic, lanceolate, oblanceolate or obovate, generally
less than 15 cm long, margins entire, undulate or crenate, base cuneate, apex obtuse to acute;
flowers bisexual, corolla of 5 separate petals, whitish with purple lines and dots; white or pinkish,
calyx of 5 segments, generally deltoid; 5 stamens with large pointed anthers on short filaments, and
single pistil; produced in densely flowered axillary cyme or terminal panicles; fruit a somewhat
fleshy, one-seeded, globose drupe that are shining black, red or dark purple-black in color, immature
fruit are often speckled with darker spots.
Recognition: Three species are found in Florida.
A. escallonioides Cham. & Schlecht. Shrub or small tree to 6 m tall with white, scaly bark. Leaves
obovate or elliptic to 15 cm long with entire margins. Corolla white with purple lines, flowers in
terminal panicles. Fruit a shiny black drupe.
A. crenata Sims. Shrub to 2 m tall. Leaves elliptic with crenate margins. Corolla white, flowers in
axillary cymes. Fruit a shiny red drupe.
A. solanacea Roxb. Shrub or small tree to 5 m tall. Leaves oblong-obovate or elliptical-oblong with
entire margins. Corolla white, flowers in axillary cymes. Fruit a shiny black to dark purple drupe.
Habitat: FAC. A. escallonioides: in tropical hammocks and pine rocklands. A. solanacea and A.
crenata: ruderal species found in various disturbed habitats, usually in uplands.
Distribution:
A. crenata: Naturalized and spreading throughout north Florida from Escambia County south to
Franklin County and southeast to Orange and Pasco Counties, also Highlands County. Native to
Japan and southeast Asia.
A. escallonioides: Flagler County southwest to Pinellas County and south to the Keys. Our only native
Ardisia species.
A. solanacea: Naturalized and spreading throughout south Florida. Native to the east Indies.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, spring-summer in north Florida.
Ardisia escallonioides Cham. & Schlecht

Myrsine guianensis (Aubl.) Kuntz. MYRSINE
synonymy: M.floridana A.DC., Rapanea guianensis Aubl., R. punctata (Lam.)
Lundl.
Description: Shrub or small tree to 6 m (20 ft) tall, usually; bark smooth, dark gray; leaves alternate,
evergreen, leathery, bright green, oblong-ovate to oblanceolate, 6-10 cm long, 4 cm wide, rounded
apex, cuneate base, prominent midvein; generally clustered near twig tips; flowers unisexual,
typically on the separate plants (dioecious), short thick-stalked, 4 mm long; petals usually 5, elliptic,
2-3 mm long; 5 greenish white, ovate sepals, 1 mm long; 5 reflexed stamens attached to the corolla;
single pistil; produced in condensed lateral clusters of 3-7 flowers on twigs beneath leaf clusters;
fruit in clusters, globose, dry and berrylike, dull black, 4 mm in diameter.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub or small tree with smooth gray bark. Flowers and fruit are in lateral
clusters on leafless sections of twigs beneath the spirally arranged clusters of leaves at the twig tips.
Vegetatively similar to Ardisia escallonioides but differs in the placement of fruit in terminal
paniculate sprays on A. escallonioides and along the stem, in clusters below the leaves, in M.
guianensis. Also A. escallonioides tends to hold its leaves upright on the stem and the leaves are
lighter green whereas the leaves of Ardisia are more lax and often darker green.
Habitat: FAC. Hammocks, pinelands, sloughs and in seasonally flooded marshes in pine rocklands.
Distribution: South and central Florida from Dixie and Volusia Counties south to the Keys.
Flowering: Mostly from mid winter-summer.
DICOTS 485
1 INVASIVE EXOTIC
Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cav.) Blake. PUNK TREE, BOTTLEBRUSH TREE,

synonymy: M. leucadendra of authors not L. PAPER-RARK TREE, MELALEUCA,
CAJEPUT
Description: A medium sized canopy tree, to about 20 m (65 ft) tall; branches often drooping; bark
thick, whitish or pale buff, spongy, peeling to many layers; leaves alternate, evergreen, simple,
pungent, coriaceous, smooth, short-stalked, narrowly elliptic, 4-12 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, main veins
somewhat parallel; flowers sessile; sepals 5, united, with short, blunt lobes, deciduous; 5 white,
obovate or circular petals, 3 mm long; many stamens, 10-15 mm long; inflorescence a many-
flowered, bottlebrushlike spike at branch tips, spikes often clustered; fruit a short, cylindric or
squarish, woody capsule with many tiny seeds.
Recognition: An exotic evergreen tree with narrow leaves and a spongy, peeling bark that is whitish
to light pinkish-brown. The crown may be narrow with drooping branches or broader in full sun.
Flowers are white and borne in a bottlebrushlike inflorescence that matures into many woody
capsules, each containing numerous minute, brown seeds.
Habitat: FAC. Disturbed and natural habitats, pine flatwoods and seasonally flooded, shallow
wetlands. Native to Australia. A highly adaptive, invasive species that seeds profusely and often
forms dense stands.
Distribution: Mostly confined to southern half of Florida peninsula, found north to Pasco and
Brevard Counties.
Flowering: Peak flowering summer; some individuals can be found flowering throughout the year.
-
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Psidium cattleianum Sabine STRAWBERRY GUAVA

synonymy: Psidium littorale Raddi
Description: Shrub or small tree, to 7 m (20 ft); bark smooth, peeling in small patches to reveal gray
and brown bark; leaves evergreen, opposite, smooth, coriaceous, elliptic to obovate, generally to
6 cm long and 4 cm wide; flowers with 4-5 white, oval petals, a 5-lobed calyx, numerous stamens,
and a single pistil; fruit a fleshy, globose, reddish berry, with many seeds, 2.5-3 cm in diameter.
Recognition: An introduced evergreen shrub or small tree with smooth bark and opposite leaves.
Flowers have a whitish corolla and many stamens. The fruit is a reddish berry with sweet to sour,
acidic pulp. Can be confused with the also introduced commercial Guava, P. guajava L. Generally
the latter species is a larger tree with leaves that are pubescent below and greater than 6 cm long,
and a cinnamon brown inner bark. The fruit of P. guajava is usually yellow and 3-6 cm in diameter.
Habitat: FAC. Found in disturbed areas. Associated with hydrologically altered depression wetlands
and in moist soils of pastures and flatwoods. Native to Brazil.
Distribution: Naturalized and locally common in disturbed areas in south and central Florida, north
to Seminole County and Pinellas County.
Flowering: Sporadically throughout the year, mostly during the warmest months.
DICOTS
Syzygium spp.
Description: Large trees to 25 m (80 ft) tall, branches often pendulous; bark brown and peeling or
flaking off in irregular patches; leaves opposite, evergreen, glabrous, oblong, ovate, oblong-lan
ceolate or broadly elliptic, base cuneate, apex pointed; flowers corolla of 4 whitish, greenish to
yellowish petals, a 4 - 5-lobed calyx, numerous stamens, and a single pistil; produced axillary or
terminal, singularly or in few flowered clusters; fruit a dark purple, reddish or yellow, fleshy berry,
with a few large seeds.
Recognition: Two species have been naturalized in south Florida.
S. cumini (L.) Skeels, (jambolan plum). Large trees to 25 m tall; leaves broadly oblong, elliptic or ovate,
6-11 cm long; flowers white, 2 cm wide; fruit, oblong, about 4 cm long, dark purple-red.
S.jambos (L.) Alston, (rose apple). Smaller tree to 9 m tall; leaves oblong-lanceolate, 13-20 cm long;
flowers greenish-white, 8 cm or more wide; fruit round, 4-5 cm long, yellow to yellow-green.
Habitat: FAC. Both trees are cultivated, however S. cumini tends to naturalize around plantings
and has been found in disturbed areas associated with wetlands, especially those have been
hydrologically altered.
Distribution:
S. cumini: South Florida, north to Martin and Lee Counties.

S.jambos: South Florida, north to Martin and Sarasota Counties.
Flowering: Throughout the year, with peak flowering occurring from late spring.
Syzgium cumini (L.) Skeels JAMBOLAN PLUM
I—
o

Nelumbo lutea Willd. AMERICAN LOTUS, YELLOW LOTUS, DUCK ACORN
Description: Perennial herb from slender rhizomes, usually forming large colonies; stems horizontal
in mud, rooting at nodes, often producing banana-size tubers; leaves alternate, bluish green; long,
stout petioles attached to blade centers; blades round, to 6 dm (2 ft) across, floating or emergent
(often cup-like); flowers bisexual, showy, solitary on long stalks, with many pale yellow petals and
stamens; fruit a small, one-seeded nutlet; many embedded together in top of cone-shaped fleshy
receptacle at center of each flower.
Recognition: Perennial herb with large round bluish-green blades on stout petioles attached at center.
Flowers are large and yellow with many petals and stamens. The fruit is a cone-shaped receptacles
holding many nutlets. (Similar plants with pink flowers, seen rarely in Florida, are N. nucifera
Gaertn. (sacred lotus), introduced from Old World.)
Habitat: OBL. Usually in shallows of lakes, ponds, quiet streams, and marshes. Provides shelter for
fish; seeds a favorite of wildfowl. (TV. nucifera also OBL.)
Distribution: One of two species worldwide: N. lutea, native to New World, found in Florida mostly in
north and northwest regions; N. nucifera, native to Asia and north Africa, rare in Florida, escaping
from cultivation in a few localities of north and central regions.
Flowering: Summer.
DICOTS 489
Guapira discolor (K. Speng.) Little BLOLLY; BEEFWOOD, PIGEON-BEBBY
Description: A shrub or small tree to 6 m (20 feet) tall; branches are opposite, smooth, upright and
brittle; bark tan and smooth; leaves evergreen, opposite, thin, somewhat fleshy, narrowly oblong,
elliptic or oblanceolate, 2-9 cm long, rounded to obtuse at the apex; flowers unisexual, small,
greenish, perianth is campanulate, pistillate flowers with a single pistil, staminate flowers with 6-8
spreading stamens; produced in a terminal corymbose arrangement; fruit is clustered on terminal
branchlets, red, juicy and drupelike, obovoid to ellipsoid, 4-9 mm long and dimpled at the apex,
becoming ribbed when dried; seed a cylindrical nutlet.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub with smooth tan bark and opposite, somewhat fleshy leaves. Flowers
greenish, small, and unisexual. Fruit is a bright red and drupelike, with a single seed.
Habitat: FAC - Keys only. Tropical hammocks, pine rocklands, coastal rock flats and coastal
hammocks.
Distribution: Coastal south Florida, north to Brevard County
490
Pisonia rotundata Griseb PISONIA
Description: Evergreen to semi-deciduous (during dry winters) shrub or small tree to 5 m (16 feet)
tall; branches opposite, smooth and unarmed; bark gray and rough; leaves mostly opposite, stiff,
dull olive-green, obovate to oblong-elliptic, 4-9 cm long, rounded or notched at the apex, leaf veins
conspicuous, yellow-green, margins undulate; flowers unisexual, small, greenish-yellow, perianth is
fused, campanulate with five lobes, pistillate flowers with a single pistil, staminate flowers with 10
stamens; produced in terminal flat-topped cymes, 2-6 cm wide; fruit is oblong, clustered on axillary
branchlets, dry, angled to 7 mm long with five rows of glands toward the apex.
Recognition: Evergreen to semi-deciduous shrub with rough, gray bark and opposite, stiff leaves.
Flowers in terminal, flat-topped cymes, each is greenish, small, and unisexual. Fruit is an
inconspicuous small, brown, dry structure, with five rows of glands in the upper half.
Habitat: FAC - Keys only. Pine rocklands and coastal rock flats.
Distribution: South Florida, primarily in the rocklands of the lower Florida Keys.
491
DICOTS
Nuphar spp. YELLOW COW-LILIES, SPATTER-DOCK
Description: Perennial heibs from rhizomes, often forming large colonies; stems horizontal in mud;
leaves alternate, submersed, floating, or emergent; petioles long; blades green, usually distinctly
longer than broad, to 4 dm (16 in) long, deeply notched with basal lobes rounded; submersed leaves
very thin, lettuce-like; flowers bisexual, solitary on long stalks; 6-9 yellow sepals, some petaloid;
petals i educed, scalelike, crowded along with many stamens at base of ovary (immature fruit); fruit
a many-seeded, green berry, with a flat top usually tinged red or yellow.
Recognition: Perennial herb, with large notched leaves somewhat like those of water-lily but with
blades usually longer than broad and basal lobes rounded (not pointed as in Nymphaea). The
solitary flowers, each with 6-9 yellow sepals, are produced on a long stalk. The oval, flat-topped
fruit contains many seeds.
Habitat: OBL. Lakes, ponds, slow streams, marshes, swamps, and springs. Seeds eaten by wildfowl;
leaves and stems providing shelter and forage space for fish.
Distribution: One variable native species, N. lutea (L.) Sibth. & Sm. (also native to Eurasia), with 3 or
so subspecies; current molecular work likely to result in new species names for North American
taxa. Nuphar is common throughout Florida, with a few subspecies restricted to north and
northwest regions.
492
Nymphaea spp WATER-LILIES
Description: Perennial herbs from rhizomes (and sometimes stolons); stems usually elongate, horizontal
in mud; leaves alternate; petioles long; blades usually floating, broadly ovate to nearly round, to 4.5 dm
(18 in) wide, deeply notched at base, with lobes pointed, green above, often red-purple below; flowers
bisexual, showy, sometimes fragrant, solitary on long stalks, floating or emergent; 4 greenish sepals;
petals many (white, yellow, or blue to lavender); stamens many; fruit a many-seeded berry, not often
seen; flower stalk coiling after fertilization to submerge developing fruit.
Recognition: Perennial herb from submerged rhizomes with large, roundish, usually floating leaf
blades, these deeply notched, with basal lobes pointed. The showy white, yellow or blue to lavender
flowers have 4 sepals and many petals and stamens. Old flower stalks coil beneath the water.
Habitat: OBL. Ponds, lakes, and quiet streams; locally common in canals, ditches, sloughs, and
swamps. The floating leaves and submerged petioles provide shelter and forage space for a variety
of aquatic animals.
Distibution: In Florida, about 7 species plus a few hybrids; only one species common in most of state,
the native N. odorata; other natives infrequent (e.g., N. mexicana, yellow petals) or rare (e.g., N.
elegans Hook., pale blue petals); a few species introduced and escaping cultivation, such as N
capensis Thunb. (petals blue-lavender).
Nymphaea odorata Ait. FRAGRANT WATER-LILY
Nymphaea mexicana Zucc. YELLOW WATER-LILY
DICOTS 493
Nyssa aquatica L. WATER TUPELO
Description: Medium to large canopy tree to about 30 m (100 ft) tall, of deep swamps and flood-
plains, tiunk typically with a swollen buttressed base; branches stout with moderately stout,
reddish-brown twigs; bark brown to grayish brown and furrowed into narrow, scaly plates; leaves
deciduous, alternate, simple; petioles elongated, 3-6 cm long; leaf blade ovate in shape, 6-30 cm long
(usually nearer the longer end of this range), margins entire or with a few, relatively large, marginal
teeth; flowers typically unisexual on the same plant, male flowers greenish yellow, borne in
rounded, compact clusters, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, female flowers stalked and solitary; fruit a dark
blue to purple drupe, 1.5-4 cm long, borne singly on a relatively long stalk.
Recognition: Medium to large tree typically with a swollen buttressed base, large deciduous leaves
with a few large teeth on the margin and relatively long petioles, and blue fruit with a stalk as long
oi longei than the fruit. The length of the leaf petiole will separate N. aquatica from all other native
Nyssa.
Habitat: OBL. Riverine floodplains and swamps, and lake margins. Often inundated for long periods.
Distribution: Chiefly from about Leon and Wakulla Counties westward and along the Big Bend
region to the lower Suwannee River; disjunct in Duval County.
Flowering: Spring.
494
Nyssa ogeche Bartr. ex Marsh OGEECHEE TUPELO, OGEECHEE LIME
Description: A small to medium tree or very large shrub, potentially to about 20 m (65 ft) tall, with
several leaning or distorted trunks and greatly enlarged bases, often forming dense stands in
wetlands with prolonged inundation; branches thin and spreading; bark dark brown and fissured;
leaves deciduous, alternate, simple, leaf blade, with a soft texture, margins entire (rarely with a few
large teeth), elliptic, 8-15 cm long, 5-8 cm wide; flowers unisexual on the same plant; male flower
borne in rounded, compact clusters, female flowers solitary and short stalked; fruit a large, single-
seeded, reddish, elongated, fleshy drupe, 2-4 cm long.
Recognition: A small tree with relatively large, dark green, short-petioled, deciduous leaves and a
relatively large, reddish fruit on a short fruit stalk. Typically growing with multiple trunks that have
enlarged, often hollow, bases.
Habitat: OBL. Riverine swamps and floodplain ponds, gum ponds (often in association with N.
sylvatica var. biflora), lake and pond margins, and bayheads.
Distribution: Across north Florida from Walton County eastward and south to Dixie, Alachua, and
St. Johns Counties.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST
DICOTS 495
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora (Walt.) Sarg. SWAMP TUPELO, BLACKGUM
synonymy: Nyssa biflora, Nyssa ursina Small
Description: Medium to large canopy tree, to about 35 m (115 ft) tall, inhabiting wetland flats and
depressions, and typically exhibiting a buttressed trunk and swollen base; branches moderately
stout with thin, grayish twigs; bark dark brown to blackish, with deep interlacing furrows; leaves
deciduous, alternate, simple; leaf blade narrowly elliptic, 3-10 cm long, margins entire (mature
leaves rarely toothed), young leaves pale green, older leaves often darkly spotted, some leaves
reddish to purplish in color, especially in fall; flowers typically unisexual on the same plant; male
flowers small, greenish-yellow, borne at the leaf axils in small, stalked clusters, female flowers
typically in pairs or on a conspicuous stalk; fruit a single-seeded fleshy drupe, green at first, turning
dark blue, 8-10 mm long; typically borne in pairs (or singularly) on the fruit stalk.
Recognition: Large tree, often with a buttressed trunk and swollen base. Leaves are relatively small,
typically with entire margins, and often purple-spotted by late summer and fall. The fruit is often
borne in pairs. Often multi-trunked and/or shrub-like when occupying pine flatwoods because of
the impact of fire. Potentially difficult to separate from Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica, a tree of
upland soils, except by habitat. In general, N. s. var. sylvatica does not exhibit a swollen, buttressed
base.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, cypress-gum ponds, lake and pond margins, floodplains, hydric seepage
slopes, bay heads, depression marshes and pine flatwoods.
Distribution: All of Florida except the peninsula south of Lake Okeechobee.
Flowering: Spring.

Forestiera acuminata (Michx.) Poir. in Lam. SWAMP PRIVET
Description: A straggly shrub or small tree to 13 m (43 ft) tall; branches thin and arching; bark dark
brown with small ridges; leaves deciduous, opposite, simple; petiole slender, 5-20 mm long; leaf
blade lanceolate or narrowly diamond shaped, 4-12 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide, conspicuously tapering
both at the base and to a long-pointed tip, margins serrate, especially from the mid-region towards
the tip; flowers unisexual on the same plant, yellowish or greenish; borne in small, axillary clusters;
fruit a fleshy, ovoid to ellipsoid, wrinkled, brownish to purple drupe, 10-15 mm long, 7-10 mm wide,
containing 1 or 2 seeds.
Recognition: An opposite-leaved multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with arching branches and
leaves with a long-tapering base and distinctly sharp-pointed tips, and partially serrated margins.
Habitat: FACW. Riverine swamps and floodplains, stream banks, and wooded sloughs where water
levels fluctuate.
Distribution: Throughout the panhandle and eastward generally to the Suwannee River and south to
Dixie and Gilchrist Counties. Also reported from Alachua and Citrus Counties.
Flowering: Early spring, prior to the emergence of leaves.
DICOTS 497
Forestiera segregata (Jacq.) Krug & Urban FLORIDA PRIVET
Description: An evergreen to tardily deciduous shrub or small tree seldom exceeding 3 m (10 ft) tall;
branches thin, brownish gray and with conspicuous lenticels; bark brownish gray; leaves opposite
to subopposite, simple; leaf blade elliptic to oblanceolate, 1.5-5 cm long, 1.2-2 cm wide, margins
entire, upper and lower surfaces without hairs; flowers unisexual on the same plant, small, greenish
yellow; borne in clusters from the leaf axils; fruit a black, rounded drupe, 5-7 mm in diameter.
Recognition: Shrub or small tree with blunt-tipped leaves that have entire margins and many fine
dots on the lower leaf surfaces.
Habitat: FAC. Coastal hammocks, marshes, pinelands, scrub, and thickets.
Distribution: Primarily coastal; from Dixie County on the west coast and Nassau County on the east
coast, southward through the Keys.
Flowering: Spring.
Fraxinus americana L. WHITE ASH
Description: A large, canopy tree, to about 25 m (80 ft) tall, of fertile uplands; branches thick with
stout, glabrous twigs; bark gray, thick, rough, deeply furrowed with interlacing ridges when mature;
leaves deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, overall leaf 20-30 cm long; leaflets numbering five
to nine per leaf and ovate in shape, 6-15 cm long, 3.5-7.5 cm wide, lower surfaces whitish, margins
entire or bluntly serrate; flowers unisexual on separate plants, small, purplish, and without petals;
borne in clusters on the previous year's growth and opening before the new leaves; fruit a winged
samara, 2.5-6.5 cm long.
Recognition: A large tree with opposite, pinnately compound leaves that may be distinguished from
the other native ash trees by the lower surfaces of leaflets being whitish in color, and the wing of the
samara not extending along the sides of the seed. The only ash typically found in Florida uplands.
Habitat: UPL. Generally inhabiting rich upland soils in association with other deciduous hardwoods.
Distribution: From about Walton County eastward to the Suwannee River drainage and south to
Lake County.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 499
Fraxinus caroliniana Mill. CAROLINA ASH, POP ASH
Description: A small to medium sized tree of seasonally, deeply inundated wetlands, to about 12 m
(40 ft) tall, typically multi-trunked and often crooked; branches with slender twigs that are
flattened at the leaf nodes; bark gray, shallowly fissured, scaly; leaves deciduous, opposite, pin-
nately compound, 16-30 cm long; leaflets 5-7, commonly ovate or oval to elliptic, 2.5-15 cm long, 2-8
cm wide, margins usually entire but sometimes serrate, stalks of lower leaflets winged; flowers
unisexual on separate plants, very small; borne in panicles before the new leaves appear; fruit a
winged samara 2-5 cm long, 0.5-3 cm broad, variable in shape but at least some being much the
widest toward the middle and appearing diamond shaped.
Recognition: A tree with opposite, pinnately compound leaves, and twigs that are flattened at the
nodes. The fruit is a flat, diamond-shaped samara. The trunk is often buttressed at the base and
may have adventitious roots. The opposite, compound leaves are usually enough to distinguish this
species from other wetland plants except F. profunda (Bush) Bush (pumpkin ash), which produces a
narrower samara with a truncate base.
Habitat: OBL. Most frequent in areas of prolonged deep inundation; riverine swamps and flood-
plains, wooded sloughs, wet depressions in flatwoods, ponds.
Distribution: Throughout most of Florida except the lower east coast; southward into Monroe
County on the west coast, Martin and Palm Beach Counties on the east.
DARST

Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh. GREEN ASH, RED ASH
synonymy: F. darlingtonii Britt., F. smallii Britt.
Description: A large, canopy tree of regularly inundated floodplains, to 30 m (100 ft) tall, often with
the base of the trunk enlarged; branches thick, irregularly spreading, with stout, grayish-green
twigs; bark gray-brown and characterized by narrow fissures with interlacing ridges; leaves
deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 20-30 cm in overall length; leaflets 5-9, elliptic to
lanceolate, 4-15 cm long, 2-6 cm wide, margins entire to short serrate; flowers unisexual on
separate plants, very small; borne in clusters, similar to F. americana; fruit a winged samara, 3-6 cm
long, 4-8 mm wide, mostly oblanceolate to spatulate, narrow at the seed, then abruptly widening,
tip mostly tapering to a dull point.
Recognition: A large tree of floodplains with opposite, pinnately-divided leaves and oblanceolate
samaras. Distinguished from other wetland ash trees by the shape of the fruit (samara).
Habitat: OBL. Swamps and floodplains.
Distribution: Throughout northern Florida, southward to Hernando, Sumter, Lake, and Brevard
Counties.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST
DICOTS
Fraxinus profunda (Bush) Bush PUMPKIN ASH
synonymy: /. michauxii Britt.
Description: A large, canopy tree of regularly inundated floodplains, to 30 m (100 ft) tall, often with
the base of the trunk enlarged; branches thick with stout, light gray twigs; bark thick, gray, with
interlacing ridges and furrows; leaves deciduous, opposite, pinnately compound, 12-30 cm in
overall length; leaflets numbering five to nine and extremely variable in size, ovate to lanceolate,
4-15 cm long, 2-10 cm wide, margins entire, lower surfaces pubescent along the midveins, stems of
lower leaflets not winged; flowers unisexual on separate plants, small; borne in clusters prior to the
new leaves; fruit a winged samara, 4-8 cm long, to about 12 mm wide, typically these are uniformly
wide for most of their length, tip often truncate.
Recognition; A large tree with opposite, pinnately compound leaves. Distinguished from the other
wetland ash trees by the stems of lower leaflet lacking wings and the samara body being generally
rounded in cross section with a truncate apex. Some authors regard this species as included within
F. pennsylvanica.
Habitat: OBL. Riverine swamps, floodplains and backwater ponds.
Distribution: From Walton County, east and south to Marion County.
Flowering: Spring.

Ludwigia spp. LUDWIGIAS, WATER-PIMROSES, SEEDROXES
Description: Annuals, or more often, perennial herbs (usually) or subshrubs (woody at base) to 2 m (6
ft) tall; stems erect or sometimes creeping, usually branched; leaves alternate or opposite, usually
longer than broad; petioles absent or very short (sessile/subsessile); stipules present as tiny reddish
glands at stem/leaf-base juncture; flowers bisexual, yellow (when petals present), often showy,
sepals and petals attached to top of ovary, sepals usually persistent, petals easily falling; floral parts
4 or 5 each (rarely 6 or 7); stamens 4 or 8-10; usually produced solitary in upper leaf axils, or in a few
species appearing on terminal inflorescence (raceme or spike); fruit a many-seeded, angled capsule
forming below the sepals, opening lengthwise or by terminal pore; seeds usually buff to light brown.
Recognition: Branched herbs or subshrubs with leaves longer than broad and tiny glandular stipules.
The flowers are yellow and in parts of 4s or 5s. The fruit is a many-seeded capsule produced below
the sepals.
Habitat: OBL (except 4 FACW species shown on next page). Acid to calcareous soils, sometimes in
shallow water; marshes, bogs, swamps, floodplains, flatwoods, ditches, and coastal swales. (FACW
species in flatwoods, bogs, swamp edges, pond and stream banks.) Seeds eaten by ducks and other
wildfowl.
Distribution: About 30 species in Florida, nearly all native; about 1/3 found throughout the state,
with many others occurring in north and northwest regions and a few restricted to the northeast,
or central and south regions.
Flowering: Summer-fall for most species.

Ludwigia spp. (continued)
Ludwigia peruviana (L.) Hara OBL WATER-PRIMROSE
Ludwigia hirtella Raf. FACW HAIRY SEEDBOX, SPINDLE-ROOT
Ludwigia maritima F. Harmper FACW SEASIDE or COASTAL

PLAIN SEEDBOX

Ludwigia virgata Michx. FACW SAVANNA SEEDBOX
DICOTS 505
Ludwigia leptocarpa (Nutt.) Hara OBL LUDWIGIA
Ludwigia arcuata Walt. OBL LUDWIGIA

Platanus occidentalis L. AMERICAN SYCAMORE, RUTTONRALL TREE,
PLANETREE
Description: A potentially very large tree to 35 m (115 ft) tall, of large river floodplains; bark typically
of mottled appearance in whites and browns produced by the bark peeling in thin irregular patches,
bark of mature trunk brown with oblong irregular plates; branches coarse, eventually massive;
leaves deciduous, alternate; petiole pubescent, 1-5 cm long; leaf blade palmately or subpalmately 3
veined, 3-5 lobed with a few large coarse marginal teeth, broadly ovate to suborbicular in outline, 8-
25 cm wide, nearly as long, upper surface glabrous, lower surface initially pubescent over the entire
surface, eventually pubescent only along major veins; flowers individually tiny, in separate stalked
unisexual spherical clusters on the same plant; fruit a spherical cluster ( buttonball ) of many
small achenes, 2.5 cm or greater in diameter, which dangle from 8-15 cm long stalks; individual
achenes approximately 8 mm long, with many long, basal hairs.
Recognition: A large deciduous tree with bark peeling in a brown and white mottled pattern, and
broad, palmately veined, alternate leaves, with 3 to 5 lobes. The fruit are produced in spherical ball
like clusters.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains and bottomlands of larger rivers and adjacent tributaries.
Distribution: Of natural distribution in Florida only in the northwest region, west of and including
the Apalachicola River drainage; naturalizing in other areas of north Florida because of widespread
use as an ornamental shade tree. As an ornamental, frequently planted on non-compatible sites,
with the tree often failing to thrive.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST
DICOTS 507
Limonium carolinianum (Walter) Britton SEA-LAVENDER
Description: Herbaceous perennial, with a stout, woody rhizome; leaves alternate, mostly basal, long-
stalked, leathery, linear-oblanceolate, elliptic or obovate, 3-30 cm long, to 3 cm wide, tapering
toward the base, apex pointed or blunt; flowers each with a united 5-lobed, whitish calyx, a 5-lobed,
pale to dark blue or lavender, tubular corolla fused at the base, 5 stamens, and a single pistil;
produced in a fan-like panicle; fruit a utricle, a 1-seeded structure with a loose membranous
covering; seeds shiny, brownish-red.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with a basal rosette of leathery leaves. Inflorescent much-
branched, fan-like. Flowers are papery with a purplish corolla and a whitish calyx.
Habitat: OBL. Primarily in salt or brackish marshes, also in salt flats, interdune swales, open margins
of mangrove swamps, saline ditches and shores.
Flowering: Summer-early winter.

Polygala spp MILKWORTS
Description: Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, 3 to 120 cm tall; stems leafy, branched or unbranched;
leaves alternate, opposite or whorled, sessile to short petiolate, spatulate, lanceolate, linear oblong,
linear oblanceolate, or filiform, 0.5 -14 cm long, 0.2-3 cm wide, with entire margins, many times in a
basal rosette which is often withered or not present at the time of flowering; flowers bisexual,
greenish white, purple, pink, orange or yellow; 5 sepals (inner two are much larger than others, colored
like petals, and called wings), corolla tubular below, with 3 principal lobes, central lobe clawed and
often apically fringed, other 2 lobes similar to one another and quickly deciduous, each flower
subtended by a small bract with 2 smaller bractlets, 8 stamens (sometimes 6), clustered on indetermi
nate racemes, 0.5-8 cm long, 1.5-14 mm wide, racemes loose, compact, or in terminal cymes; fruit a
loculicidal capsule which ripens basally on the raceme as new flowers form apically.
Recognition: Annual, biennial or perennial herbs with leafy stems 3 to 120 cm tall bearing white,
pink, purple, yellow or orange flowers in compact or loose, indeterminate racemes that are solitary
or group in a terminal cyme. Flowers tubular with three lobes and subtended by bracts. Two lateral
lobes are quickly deciduous. While 23 species are currently recognized as occurring in Florida, only
the most common or conspicuous species will be discussed in detail.
P. cruciata L. A short annual typically with stem divided into several branches close to the base, leaves
sessile, linear to linear-elliptic, 1-4 cm long, with punctate dots and primarily in whorls, and purple
or rose-purple flowers in dense racemes at the apex of branches.
P. rugelii Shuttleworth ex Chapman. Multi-stemmed annual or biennial to 8 dm tall with an irregular
basal rosette of spatulate leaves with petiole-like base which is often withered or not present at the
time of flowering and numerous, alternate, linear-lanceolata stem leaves. Flowers are bright yellow
in dense racemes.
P. nana (Michaux) de Candolle. A solitary stemmed or several branched annual or biennial, commonly
only to 10 cm tall with few oblanceolate stem leaves, and a persistent basal rosette of subsucculent,
spatulate leaves with petiole-like base. Flowers are greenish yellow to lemon-yellow in dense
racemes.
P. lutea L. Similar to P nana but more robust with bright orange flowers in large, dense racemes.
P. setacea Michaux. A perennial to 3.5 dm tall with a single, slender stem that has several branches
near the apex. Stem leaves are alternate, and very small and scalelike. Flowers are cream-white to
pink in compact, conical racemes. Branches exceed the height of the primary terminal raceme.
P. ramosa Elliott. A single stem annual to 3 dm tall with a sparse basal rosette of spatulate leaves with
petiole-like base which is typically not present at the time of flowering. Stem leaves are alternate,
sessile, narrow spatulate to linear, and reducing in size apically. Flowers are bright yellow in
panicled terminal cymes.
P. cymosa Walter. Similar to P. ramosa but more robust and taller (to 12 dm), with a basal rosette of
numerous lanceolate to linear-lanceolate leaves that persist through the time of flowering, and
relatively inconspicuous stem leaves. Flowers are bright yellow in panicled terminal cymes.
Habitat: FACW except P. cymosa (OBL). Savannas, hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods, seepage
slopes, margins of ponds and wetlands, wet roadsides and ditches, cypress swamps and depres
sions.
Distribution: Predominantly throughout Florida but several species are restricted to the north and
northwest regions and P. rugelii is endemic to the peninsula.
DICOTS 509
Polygala spp. (continued)
Polygala cruciata L. FACW DRUMHEAD
^ JDT
Polygala rugelii Shuttleworth ex Chapman FACW MILKWORT
Polygala nana (Michaux) de Candolle FACW MILKWORT
Polygala lutea L. FACW RED-HOT-POKER
BNC

Polygala spp. (continued)
Polygala setacea Michaux FACW MILKWORT
Polygala cymosa Walter OBL TALL MILKWORT
DICOTS 511
Polygonum spp SMARTWEEDS
Description: Annual or perennial herbs, to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, often of sprawling habit; stems swollen at
nodes, usually branched, viney in a few species; leaves alternate, with papery tubes (ocreae)
sheathing the stem above the leaf bases; blades unlobed, usually narrow and lance-shaped,
unstalked (a few with short petioles); flowers small, bisexual, on jointed stalks in spike-like clusters
at or near stem tips; 4-6 partly joined sepals, some petallike (pink, green, or white), outer lobes
larger than inner ones; no petals; 3-9 stamens; fruit a 2- or 3-sided achene hidden within persistent
sepals.
Recognition: Herbs with alternate leaves at swollen nodes and papery tubes sheathing stems at the
nodes. Leaves are generally narrow, unlobed, lance-shaped, with little or no petiole. Flowers, each
with petallike sepals (outer ones larger), are produced in spike-like clusters. Fruit is a 2- or 3-sided
achene.
Habitat: OBL (except P. virginianum, FACW). Swamps, marshes, and floodplains; P. virginianum in
moist hammocks and floodplains. Achenes eaten by birds and mammals.
Distribution: Twenty species in Florida, about a third introduced (nonnative) in scattered localities;
several native species found throughout the state, others primarily in the north and northwest
regions, including state-listed endangered Polygonum meisnerianum Cham. & Schlecht.
Flowering: Spring-fall for most species.
Polygonum virginianum L. FACW JUMPSEED

(= Tovara virginiana (L.) Raf.)

512
Polygonum spp. (continued)
Polygonum densiflorum Meis. SMARTWEED
513
DICOTS
Rumex spp DOCKS
Description: Annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, to 1.5 m (5 ft) tall, usually of erect habit; stems
swollen at nodes, little branched; leaves alternate, with papery tubes (ocreae) sheathing the stem
above the leaf bases; blades unlobed or lobed, longer than broad, lower ones usually long-petioled;
flowers many, small, bisexual or unisexual, on jointed stalks in branched clusters at stem tips; 6
sepals, outer 3 smaller than inner 3; no petals; 6 stamens; fruit a 3-sided achene hidden within
enlarged, inner sepals.
Recognition: Herbs with alternate leaves at swollen nodes and papery tubes sheathing stems at
nodes. Lowest leaves usually with long petioles. The flowers are produced in terminal clusters,
each small flower has enlarged inner sepals (often red-brown or pinkish) that cover the 3-sided
achenes.
Habitat: FACW. Coastal swales, beaches, ditches, stream banks, swamps, marshy shores, exposed
lake and river shores, and wet meadows.
Distribution: About 11 species in Florida, most of them introduced (nonnative) in scattered

localities; the two native species shown below.
Flowering: Late winter-early summer for most species.
Rumex hastatulus Baldw. ex Ell. SOUR DOCK
Rumex verticillatus L. SWAMP DOCK

Samolus spp WATER PIMPERNELS
Description: Perennial herbs, 10-60 cm (4-24 in) tall; stems erect, often with ascending branches,
wholly glabrous or glabrous below; leaves simple, alternate and basal, lower ones usually with short,
straplike petioles; blades entire, oval-oblong, mostly 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) long; flowers many, small,
bisexual, stalked, in loose elongate clusters from stem tips; 5 persistent sepals; 5 white or pinkish
petals; 5 stamens, attached to petal lobes; ovary partly below petals (seated tightly in sepal tube);
fruit a globose, 5-celled capsule with many angular seeds.
Recognition: Small, mostly glabrous herbs, usually with some leaves in a basal rosette. Leaves are
alternate along stems. The small, white or pinkish flowers are produced singularly or in clusters.
(S. ebracteatus with unbranched inflorescences, pinkish flowers, and no bractlets on flower stalks;
S. parviflorus with smaller white flowers in branched inflorescences, each flower with a tiny bractlet
on stalk.)
Habitat: OBL. Stream banks, marshy shores, swamp edges, wet pinelands, and ditches.
(S. ebracteatus usually in brackish marshes and swamps.)
Distribution: Two species, S. ebracteatus, frequent in coastal areas, and S. parviflorus (also called
Pineland pimpernel), frequent throughout.
Flowering: Spring-summer, in north Florida. Throughout the year in central and south peninsula.
Samolus ebracteatus Kunth
CR
Samolus parviflorus Raf.

(= S. valerandi ssp. parviflorus (Raf.) Hulten)
t
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DICOTS 515
INVASIVE EXOTIC
Colubrina asiatica (L.) Brongn. ASIAN SNAKEWOOD
Description: Sprawling shrub to 5 m long, with slender branches; leaves alternate; petiole to 1.5 cm
long; leaf blade ovate, 4-8 cm long, 5-6 cm wide, dark shiny green above, lighter green below,
margins serrate, tip acute, three main veins at the base; flowers bisexual, star-shaped, 3-5 mm
across with 5 yellowish-green petals that are cupped or "hooded" around the 5 stamens, and 5
triangular, flaring, green sepals; produced in few-flowered, stalked (7 mm long), axillary clusters;
fruit a hard capsule, spherical, 8 mm in diameter; seeds smooth, grayish with 2 flat inner faces.
Recognition: Weedy scrambling shrub with slender branches. Leaves are alternate, dark green and
ovate. Flowers are small, star-shaped, and yellowish green. The petals are cupped around the
stamens and the sepals are broadly triangular forming the star-shape. The related Colubrina
elliptica (Sw.) Briz. 8c Stern, is a native Florida plant of upland hammocks and pine rocklands. The
leaves of this species are dull green, pinnately veined and have two glands at the base.
Habitat: FAC. Coastal hammocks, sandy and rocky shores, spoil and other disturbed areas along the
coast.
Distribution: Native to southeast Asia, naturalized in southeastern Florida from Martin County
south to Monroe County.

Rhizophora mangle L RED MANGROVE
Description: A medium sized tree to 20 m (65 ft) tall or at times a shrub, of coastal tidal swamps,
often in pure stands; branches stout, spreading, lower ones, along with the trunk, developing aerial
prop-roots; bark gray to brown and thickening with age; leaves opposite, evergreen; petioles short;
leaf blade leathery, elliptic to oblong, 4-15 cm long, 1.5-5 cm wide, margins entire, upper surface
dark green shiny, lower surface paler and dull; flowers bisexual, pale yellow with 4 hairy petals
subtended by 4 thickened sepals arranged alternate to the petals; flowers stalked, in clusters of 2-4,
borne on a stalked inflorescence originating from leaf axils; fruit egg shaped and containing a
single seed, this germinating while still attached to the plant and developing into an elongated
seedling which drops from the tree ready to produce leaves.
Recognition: A medium sized evergreen tree with opposite, leathery leaves and distinctive, conspicu
ous "stilt like" prop roots.
Habitat: OBL. Coastal tidal, saline and brackish water swamps, often inundated daily or for extended
periods. Additionally, near-coast fresh to brackish flats, especially in the southern peninsula, where
plants are often stunted shrubs.
Distribution: Mostly coastal and primarily in the southern half of the peninsula; from approximately
Levy County on the Gulf to Volusia County on the Atlantic with a disjunct record for Wakulla
County in the panhandle.
Flowering: Year round.
517
DICOTS
Aronia arbutifolia (L.) Ell. RED CHOKEBERRY
synonymy: Photiniapyrifolia (Lam.) Robs. & Phipps, Pyrus arbutifolia (L.) L.f.,
Sorbus arbutifolia (L.) Heynhold
Description: A medium sized colonial shrub to 3 m (11 ft) tall, of stream banks and the ecotones of
wet flatwoods; branches relatively few, flexible; bark light gray; leaves alternate, deciduous;
petioles very short; leaf blade thin, elliptical, oval, oblanceolate, or obovate, 4-10 cm long, 1.5-4 cm
wide, variable in size on the same plant, margins finely toothed, each tooth tipped by a tiny red-
purple gland, upper surface dark green and glabrous with irregularly spaced, red-purple glands
along the midrib and immediately adjacent lateral veins, lower surface pale green; flowers bisexual,
initially pinkish becoming white, 5 petals; borne in many flowered (25 or more) terminal branched
corymb on new growth; fruit a subglobose bright red berry-like pome, 6-9 mm long.
Recognition: A deciduous colonial shrub, with alternate leaves that have gland tipped, fine toothed
margins, and red-purple glands on the upper surface along the midrib and immediately adjacent
lateral veins. The flowers are produced in a flattened corymb. The fruit are bright red and berry
like. These often persist into winter, turning a dark red or reddish-black. Listed by some authors as
Photinia pyrifolia (Lam.) Robs. & Phipps.
Habitat: FACW. Overflow areas along streams and sloughs that are not subject to extended inunda
tion, seepage slopes, and wet flatwoods where it is often most abundant along the ecotone between
wetlands and mesic flatwoods.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida and south in the peninsula to central Florida
(Manatee, Hardee, Highlands Counties).
DARST

Crataegus aestivalis (Walt.) T. & G. MAY HAW
Description: A shrub or small tree to 8 m (26 ft) tall of swamps and floodplain ponds; branches
slender, often but not always with thorns 1.5-4 cm long, originating from leaf axils; bark thin, light
gray, occasionally flaking on older specimens revealing a reddish inner bark; leaves alternate,
deciduous; petioles short 0.5-1.5 cm long; leaf blade stiff, variable, those on flowering short shoots
unlobed, oblanceolate, obovate, or spatulate, 2-5 cm long, 1.5-2 cm wide, leaves of elongation shoots
similar to above proximally but larger, distal leaves tending to 3-5 lobed, margins coarsely crenate to
serrate, upper surface lustrous, bright green and glabrous, lower surface pale green, dull, with
variable gray to rusty pubescence; flowers bisexual, five 5 white or pinkish-white petals, short
stalked; borne terminally on short shoots, solitary or in a small, unbranched cluster of 2-4; fruit a
subglobose pome, 1 cm in diameter, red at maturity, and containing 1-5 single-seed nutlets.
Recognition: An often thorny deciduous shrub or small tree with alternate leaves that vary in size
between fertile short shoots and elongation shoots. Leaves of elongation shoots often 3-5 lobed. A
gray to rusty pubescence is present on the lower leaf surfaces. Produces white flowers early in the
spring with subsequent red fruits also ripening early.
Habitat: OBL. Most frequently in areas with extended inundation; ponds, sloughs, floodplain ponds,
and swamps.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, south along the east coast to Volusia County.
Most abundant in central northern Florida.
DICOTS 519
Crataegus marshallii Eggl. PARSLEY HAW
Description: A shrub or small understory tree of forested floodplain wetlands, to 8 m (26 ft) tall;
branches typically horizontal with many small twigs, often but not always with thorns, 1-3 cm
long, originating from leaf axils (larger specimens may exhibit enlarged leafy thorns to 5 cm long,
along the trunk); bark thin and scaly, light gray to tan; leaves deciduous, alternate, similar on both
elongation and flowering shoots; petioles slender and pubescent, 5-35 mm long; leaf blade roughly
triangular in overall outline but highly dissected, multi-lobed, with irregularly and coarsely serrate
margins giving a frilly appearance (parsley-like), 1-5 cm long, upper and lower surface variously
pubescent to glabrous; flowers bisexual, 5 petals, white to pink or tinged with pink, conspicuous
red colored anthers; a few to many borne on a terminal branched cluster from short shoots of the
season; fruit a bright red (at maturity) rounded, berry-like pome, 5-7 mm long, 5 mm in diameter,
containing up to 5 nutlets; remains of the sepals evident on the distal end.
Recognition: A small, often thorny, deciduous tree with alternate, highly dissected, multi-lobed,
frilly , leaves and clusters of white to pink flowers. The fruit is berry-like and bright red. The
characteristic leaves make this species the easiest of all Crataegus to identify.
Habitat: FACW. Riverine floodplain forests, stream banks, seepage slopes, and moist wooded slopes
and ravines.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, south (less commonly) into the central and
western peninsula to Polk and Hillsborough Counties.

Crataegus viridis L. GREEN HAW
synonymy: Crataegus arborescens Ell., C. paludosa Sarg.
Description: A shrub or small tree to 8 m (26 ft) tall of swamp and floodplain; branches slender, rigid,
often but not always with long slender thorns 1.5-4 cm long, originating from leaf axils; bark thin,
light gray, in irregular exfoliating plates revealing a cinnamon-brown inner bark; leaves alternate,
deciduous; petioles slender, 1-3 cm long; leaf blade 3-7 cm long, 2-5 cm wide, many often 3-5 lobed,
variable and differing between short shoots, which are potentially flowering, and elongation growth
shoots produced after flowering, margins serrate and often coarsely toothed, lower surface with
hairs in some vein axils; flowers bisexual, 5 white or pinkish-white petals; borne terminally on short
shoots, in clusters of 5-20; fruit a subglobose to oblongish pome 5-8 mm in diameter, red to orange-
red at maturity, and containing 1-5 single-seed nutlets.
Recognition: A deciduous, often thorny shrub or small tree with alternate leaves that have serrate
and often toothed margins. The leaves are variable, differing in size and/or shape between fertile
short shoots and elongation shoots. Leaves of elongation shoots often 3-5 lobed. The flower/
fruiting clusters are branched.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, sloughs, floodplain forests, sinks, and forest depressions.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, southward to Levy, Marion, and Volusia
Counties.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST
DICOTS 521
Rosa palustris Marsh SWAMP ROSE
Description: Shrub to 2 m (6 ft) tall, spreading by underground runners, stems with broad, downward
curving, hooked thorns; leaves alternate, deciduous, pinnately compound with 5-9 leaflets, leaflets
1-5 cm long, 5-20 mm wide, margin finely and sharply saw-toothed, base of leaf with narrow lobes
(stipules) attached to stalk, their tips free; flowers bisexual, with obovate, pink petals 2-3 cm long,
5 narrow sepals 1-2 cm long, numerous stamens and a glandular-hairy, urn-shaped base; borne
solitary or in few-flowered clusters at and near stem tips; fruit a cluster of nutlets enclosed in a
fleshy red or orange-red "hip", often persisting through the winter.
Recognition: Thorny shrub with deciduous, alternate, pinnately compound leaves having 5-9 leaflets
and stipules at the leaf bases united to the leaf stalk. The flowers are showy, pink, "roses" with 5
petals and a glandular-hairy base. The "rose hip" fruit persists through the winter. In Florida, when
not in flower, R. palustris may be confused with R. laevigata Michx., Cherokee rose, which has white
flowers and leaves with 3 leaflets. In addition, R. Carolina L„ wild rose, is similar, has pink petals,
and 5-9 leaflets, but has straight, narrow thorns in contrast to the broad, downward curving,
hooked thorns of R. palustris. Further, these similar Rosa species are not typical of the wetland
habitat of R. palustris.
Habitat: OBL. Floodplains, marshy or swampy shores, swamps, wet ditches and wet thickets; often in
shallow water.
Distribution: North and central Florida south to Polk County.
Flowering: Spring.

Rubusspp BLACKBERRIES, DEWBERRIES
Description: Perennial shrubs, varying from very low and prostrate, to 3 m (10 ft) tall; stems multiple,
arising from a common base, prostrate or erect and arching, some species rooting from the tips,
bearing numerous thorns; leaves alternate, palmately compound, the number of leaflets varying
from 3-5; petioles long, slender, and often bearing fine thorns; leaflet have a serrate margin; flowers
white to pink, having 5 petals, 1-2.5 cm long, these spreading to ascending, sepals 5, spreading to
reflexed, and many stamens; flowers solitary on long stems or occasionally borne on racemes, the
flowering stems may bear fine thorns; fruit a fleshy aggregate of drupelets, up to 3 cm long and 1.5
cm broad, dark red to black in color.
Recognition: Sprawling shrubs forming dense thickets from, low and prostrate, or tall and arching
stems covered with hooked thorns. Leaves are palmately compound. The fruit ( blackberry ) is a
dark red to black aggregate of drupelets.
Habitat: FAC. Disturbed areas, old fields, pastures, ditch banks, fence rows, edges of marshes,
lakeshores, swamps, mesic woodlands, xeric woodlands, in both poorly drained and well drained
locations. There are several species of blackberries listed for Florida, however, blackberries readily
hybridize and exhibit polyploidy and attempts to speciate these are not within the scope of this
manual.
Distribution: Statewide, in all habitats except aquatic.
DICOTS 523
Cephalanthus occidentalis L. BUTTONBUSH
Description: An understory shrub to 3 m (10 ft) tall; branches arching and often contorted; bark
reddish brown and smooth becoming ridged and furrowed with age, often with raised corky
lenticels; leaves deciduous, opposite or in whorls of 3-4, simple, elliptic or ovate to oblong-ovate,
7-15 cm long, 3-10 cm wide; flowers bisexual, fragrant, radially symmetrical, sessile; corolla white,
4-lobed, funnel-form, 5-10 mm long; 4 united sepals; 4 stamens; a single pistil with a style extending
beyond the flower; inflorescence a long stalked, globose head of many whitish flowers, 3-4 cm in
diameter; fruit a dense ball, 5 mm long, splitting into 2 or 4 nutlets.
Recognition: Shrub or rarely a small tree, with arching branches that bear characteristic raised
lenticels. Leaves are elliptic or ovate, and opposite or whorled. Ball-like clusters of small white
flowers hang on long stalks below the leaves. The fruiting structure is round, brown, and usually
persists throughout much of the year. Flooded plants produce adventitious roots, these often
becoming black upon drying.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, sloughs, stream banks, depressions, marshes, and edges of ponds and lakes.
Flowering: Winter-summer.
DARST
524
Chiococca alba (L.) Hitchc, SNOWBERRY
Description: Erect evergreen shrub often growing up through or climbing over other plants to about
3 m (10 feet); branches glabrous, round or angled, with stipules, 2-3 mm long; bark is yellowish-
gray; leaves simple, opposite; petiole to 1 cm; stipules, 2-3 mm long; leaf blade ovate, oblong-ovate
or lanceolate, to 12 cm long and 4 cm wide, margins entire; flowers bisexual, fragrant. 5 sepals,
united at base, 5-lobed, bell-like, corolla, to 1 cm long, greenish white to golden yellow; inflores
cence a many-flowered, branched, lax, axillary raceme, to 10 cm long; fruit a white, leathery, globose
drupe, 4-5 mm in diameter; seeds brown, 4 mm long.
Recognition: Evergreen scrambling shrub usually supported by other plants by means of wide angled
branches. Leaves are simple, opposite and lanceolate, with 2-3 mm long stipules at the base of the
petiole. Flowers are fragrant, greenish white to golden yellow and produced in axillary racemes.
Fruit is a white drupe.
Habitat: FAC. Coastal hammocks, pine rocklands, coastal flats and disturbed edges of forests.
Distribution: Coastal areas in south and central Florida north to Duval County and Dixie County.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, spring - fall elsewhere.
DICOTS 525
Diodia virginiana L. BUTTONWEED
synonymy: D. hirsuta Pursh, I), harperi Small, I), tetragona Walt.
Description: A prostrate perennial herb, generally branched near base; stems reddish green, with a
few hairs, main branches, 20-80 cm long; leaves opposite, sessile, linear to lanceolate, 2-10 cm long,
1 cm wide, leaf bases connected by a stipular membrane, margins with a few flat bristles; flowers
bisexual, a white, hairy, 4-lobed corolla, 3-4 mm long, a hairy, 2-lobed calyx, 4-6 mm long; borne
sessile and typically solitary in leaf axils; fruit an oval capsule, 5-9 mm long, splitting into 2 equal
parts, each half with 1 seed and 3 broad ribs on the outer surface.
Recognition: A prostrate herb with reddish green stems and opposite, sessile leaves. Flowers are
white and hairy; small but conspicuous. D. teres is similar but has erect stems, tubular flowers with
a 4 lobed calyx, many stipular bristles, and is common in dry areas.
Habitat: FACW. Shallow pools, ditches, borders of ponds and depressions, swamps, wet prairies, wet
savannas, and hydric to wet mesic pine flatwoods.

Erithalis fruticosa L. BLACK TORCHWOOD
Description: A shrub or small tree to 3 m (10 ft) tall; branches jointed; bark smooth grayish-brown;
leaves evergreen, opposite, erect, clustered at tips of branches; petiole to 2 cm long; stipular sheath
is rounded to cuspidate; leaf blade obovate to elliptic, 2-5 cm long, rounded at the apex; flowers
star-shaped, 4-8 mm across; 5 white, spreading petals; 5 green sepals; 5-6 stamens; a single pistil;
inflorescence axillary, cymose-paniculate; fruit a shiny, globose berry, 6 mm diameter, green
ripening to dark purple or black.
Recognition: Evergreen shrub with many-branches or small tree with a distinct trunk. Bark is
smooth and grayish. Leaves are opposite, erect, and clustered at the tips of jointed shoots. Flowers
are star-shaped and the fruit is a black, shiny berry.
Habitat: FAC. Edges of hammocks, pine rocklands and coastal flats.
Distribution: Southeastern Florida, north to Martin County.
DICOTS 527
Ernodea littoralis Swartz GOLDEN-CREEPER
Description: Small shrub to 1 m tall; branches prostrate and spreading; leaves opposite; short
stalked to sessile; stipular sheath toothed with about three triangular teeth; leaf blade lanceolate to
linear lanceolate, 4 cm long, 1 cm wide, leathery, tip acute; flowers bisexual, a whitish, tubular
corolla, 1 cm long, with 4 pinkish-red, linear lobes tightly curled at the tips, a 4 - 6-lobed calyx, 4
stamens, and a single pistil; solitary and borne in leaf axils; fruit a round to oval, thin-fleshy, 1-
seeded drupe, 5 mm long, yellow at maturity, with a persistent calyx.
Recognition: E. littoralis is a small shrub with branches that are prostrate and spreading. The
lanceolate leaves are leathery and commonly have a golden cast. The small, pinkish flowers with 4
tightly curled lobes, have the style and the stamens exerted beyond the corolla.
Habitat: FAC - Florida Keys only. Pine rocklands, hammock edges, coastal dunes, rocky flats, and
disturbed soils.
Distribution: Coastal south Florida, primarily the Florida Keys, also north along the coast to Volusia
and Pinellas Counties.

528
Galium tinctorium L. STIFF MARSH BEDSTRAW
synonymy: G. claytonii Michx., G. obtusifolium var. flo rid(in mil (Wieg.) Fern.
Description: Short-lived perennial herb; stems erect or reclining, scaberulous or glabtous, leaves
whorled, 4-6 per node, oblanceolate to linear, 5-20 mm long, 1-3 mm wide, margins entire, tips
rounded; flowers bisexual, stalked, tiny, a white corolla, with 3-4 lobes, 2 mm long, 4 stamens;
inflorescence usually a stalked, 3-flowered cyme, borne in leaf axils; fruit dry, smooth, black, 2-3
mm wide, eventually splitting into 2,1-seeded parts.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with erect or reclining branches, often in dense tangles. Leaves
are in whorls of 4-6. Flowers are small, with 3-4 white petals, and typically are produced in
3-flowered clusters arising from the leaf axils. The fruit is smooth, black and 2-parted.
Habitat: FACW. Bogs, edges of swamp, ditches and lakes, floating organic islands, and disturbed
sites.
Flowering: Spring - summer.

Pinckneya bracteata (Bartr.) Raf. FEVER-TREE, PINCKNEYA,
synonymy: Pinckneya pubens Michx. MAIDENS-BLUSHES
Description: A large shrub or small tree to 10 m (20 ft) tall; branches opposite, bark reddish-brown
to gray; leaves deciduous, opposite or whorled; petiole 1-3 cm long, soft pubescent; leaf blade oval,
elliptic or ovate, 4-20 cm long, 2-12 cm wide, soft and hairy, margins entire; flowers bisexual,
tubular, basally united distally spreading greenish yellow lobes mottled with brown or purple, 1.5-
2.5 cm long, 5 sepals some becoming very large, ovate and leaflike, pale pink to yellowish, to 7 cm
long and 5 cm wide, other sepals united at bases, narrow, 1-2 cm long; borne in a loose, few-
flowered cymes, at stem tips or from upper leaf axils; fruit a 2-parted, hard, brown, subglobose
capsule, 2-3 mm long, with many seeds; often persisting until the next flowering season.
Recognition: Shrub or small tree with large, simple, soft-hairy, opposite leaves. Striking plant when
flowering with an inflorescence of showy pale pink, leaflike sepals associated with the few flowered,
loose cymes. Fruit is a dark brown capsule.
Habitat: OBL. Edges of bayheads, sloughs, swamps, and bogs.
Distribution: North Florida from Jefferson County west to Washington County, also Marion and Clay
Counties.

Psychotria spp WILD COFFEE
Description: Erect shrubs to 3 m (10 ft) tall; branches thin and opposite; leaves opposite, evergreen,
simple, petiolate, margins entire, upper surface with conspicuously depressed veins; flowers
bisexual, white to greenish-white, 4-5 petals; borne in sessile or stalked clusters from the axils of the
upper most leaves; fruit rounded to ellipsoid, somewhat fleshy drupes that are mostly red at
maturity but also orange or yellow in one species, two (2) seeded.
Recognition: Erect evergreen shrubs with opposite leaves that have the veins sunken into the upper
surface, upper axillary clusters of white to greenish-white flowers, and reddish to yellow berry-like
fruits. We recognize four species (three native and one introduced of tropical origin) as occurring
in the state;
P. nervosa Swartz. (syn. P. undata), is distinguished by bright, shiny green leaves that exhibit extremely
depressed veins which produces a highly textured undulating surface, sessile clusters of white
flowers and red fruit.
P. sulzneri Small, is readily identified by dark green leaves with a satin appearance and depressed veins,
sessile clusters of greenish-white flowers and red, orange, or yellow fruit.
P. ligustrifolia (Northrop) Millsp., differs from the other native Psychotria by having a stalked flower
cluster. The fruit is red.
P. punctata Vatke., is an exotic species from Africa which has a stalked flower cluster similar to P.
ligustrifolia but also exhibits obvious dots on the lower leaf surface not present in the latter species.
Habitat: FAC.
P nervosa: higher areas of swamps, hydric and mesic hammock, coastal shell mounds, pine flatwoods.
P. sulzneri: higher areas of swamps, hydric and mesic hammock, coastal shell mounds, pine flatwoods.
P. ligustrifolia: hammocks and pine flatwoods of southern Florida.
P. punctata: disturbed hammocks.
Distribution: P. nervosa and P. sulzneri have similar distributions throughout southern Florida
however P. sulzneri is apparently absent from the Keys; P. nervosa extends farther northward to
northeast Florida (Duval County) in protected conditions while P. sulzneri reaches only north-
central Florida (Volusia to Citrus Counties); P. ligustrifolia is restricted to the southern most
counties (Dade and Monroe); P. punctata is sporadically distributed primarily in the Keys.
DICOTS
Psychotria spp. (continued)
Psychotria nervosa Swartz.

Randia aculeata L. BOX BRIAR
synonymy: R. mitis L.
Description: Tropical shrub to 3 m (10 ft) tall; branches dense, often horizontal with paired thorns to
1-2 cm long, wide angled; leaves evergreen, opposite, mostly clustered at branch tips; paired
triangular stipules (2 mm long) at the leaf base; leaf blade obovate, 1-6 cm long, 0.5-3 cm wide;
flowers unisexual, 1 cm across, 5 white petals, 5 sepals, 5 green stamens, single pistil; clustered in
leaf axils or solitary and sessile; fruit an ovoid, yellowish-white berry with a bluish-black pulp and 2
brownish-black seeds.
Recognition: A densely branched evergreen shrub or rarely a small tree with paired thorns. The
opposite obovate leaves are clustered at the ends of branches and have paired triangular, stipules at
the base of the leaf stalk.
Habitat: FAC - Florida Keys only. Edges of hammocks, pine rocklands, rocky flats and in other non-
saline conditions.
Distribution: Primarily the Florida Keys, (Monroe County), but also coastal north to Hillsborough
County on the Gulf and Brevard County on the Atlantic.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 533
Populus spp, COTTONWOOD
Description: Potentially large canopy tree, to 30 m (100 ft) tall, of riverine floodplains; branches
ascending and brittle; bark grayish, rough with irregular fissures and ridges; leaves alternate,
deciduous; petiole long, enlarged adjacent to the leaf and flattened in a plane 90 degrees to the leaf;
leaf blade leathery and stiff, smooth, pinnately veined, deltoid (triangular), to subcircular-ovate,
5-15 cm long, base truncate to cordate, tips long-pointed to rounded, margins round-toothed or
serrate (saw-toothed); flowers small, unisexual, male and female flowers in separate catkins; fruit a
small capsule filled with numerous, minute seeds, each with a tuft of silky hairs ("cotton-like");
fruits maturing before leaves have fully expanded.
Recognition: A large deciduous floodplain tree with long petioled, broadly triangular to ovate,
alternate leaves, that have serrate to round-toothed margins. The fruit is a capsule that splits to
release the white, cottony seeds. Leaves have a flattened and distally expanded petiole that allows
them to sway in a light breeze. Two species are locally common in Florida: P. deltoides Bartr. ex
Marsh, (eastern cottonwood), has triangular leaves with large round teeth on margins and a
truncate base, while P. heterophylla L. (swamp cottonwood), has oval to triangular leaves with
crenate margins, a rounded apex and a cordate base.
Habitat: FACW. P. deltoides, floodplains and wet disturbed areas. OBL. P. heterophylla, swamps and
floodplains of blackwater streams.
Distribution: P. deltoides is found in north and central Florida south to Hernando County. P.
heterophylla is limited to north Florida.
Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.
capsule
534
Populus spp. (continued)
Populus heterophylla L. OBL

Salix spp, WILLOWS
Description: Trees or shrubs, often forming thickets; bark on larger trees, brown, ridged and fur
rowed; leaves alternate, deciduous, stalked; leaf blade often whitish beneath, in most species
narrowly lanceolate (broadly lanceolate to elliptic-oblong in S.floridana), margins toothed (margins
smooth or with only few teeth near tip in S. humilis); flowers unisexual, male and female on
separate plants; in dense catkins, produced before the leaves emerge; fruit a small, 2-parted capsule
(clustered in a catkin), usually maturing before the leaves are fully developed, with many minute
seeds, each seed with a cluster of cottony white hairs.
Recognition: Trees or shrubs that frequently grow in dense colonies. Five species: S. caroliniana
Michx. (Carolina willow), S. eriocephala Michx., S.floridana Chapm. (Florida willow), S. humilis
Marsh, (prairie willow), S. nigra Marsh, (black willow). Leaves alternate, usually lance-shaped
(except in S.floridana), margins usually with teeth (except in S. humilis), usually white beneath.
S. caroliniana with mature leaves whitish-glaucous beneath, usually sparsely pubescent, especially
along the midrib. Leaves of S. nigra are green and glabrous. Branchlets and young twigs are densely
pubescent in S.floridana.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, stream banks, sand and gravel bars, ditches and wet thickets; S. caroliniana
and S. nigra frequently colonize disturbed wet areas; S.floridana found along calcareous spring-fed
streams.
Distribution: S. caroliniana occurs throughout Florida; S. nigra is found in northwest Florida; S.

eriocephala and S. humilis are found in north Florida and S.floridana is an endemic species and
restricted to spring runs in north and central Florida.
Flowering: S. caroliniana usually flowers during the winter months (December-January) in south
Florida and in spring (late February-early April) in north Florida. All other species flower and fruit
in early spring.
Salix caroliniana Michx. CAROLINA WILLOW
DARST

Salix nigra Marsh. BLACK WILLOW
DARST
DICOTS
537
Cupaniopsis anacardioides (A. Rich.) Radkf. CARROTWOOD
Description: A slender, usually single-trunked tree, to 10 m (33 ft) tall; bark dark gray, with inner bark
often orange (hence its common name); leaves alternate, evergreen, pinnately compound (usually
even pinnate); petiole with a swollen base; leaflet pairs opposite, 4-12 per leaf, leaflet blades stalked,
leathery, oblong, 4.5-19 cm long, 1.5-7.5 cm wide, yellowish green, with margins entire and tips
blunt; flowers bisexual or unisexual, white to greenish yellow, 5 sepals and petals, 6-8 stamens, and
a single pistil (or absent); in many-flowered, branched, axillary clusters to 35 cm long; fruit a
stalked woody capsule with 3 prominently ridged segments, to 2.2 cm across, yellow-orange when
ripe, drying to brown and splitting open to expose 3 shiny oval black seeds covered by a yellow-red
crust (aril).
Recognition: A slender evergreen tree usually with even-pinnately compound leaves that bear 4-12
opposite pairs of leathery, yellowish green, oblong leaflets that have entire margins. The flowers are
greenish-yellow; the many-flowered axillary clusters being quite conspicuous. The fruit is a ridged,
stalked woody capsule that is yellow-orange when mature but turns brown when dried. An
introduced, weedy ornamental from Australia.
Habitat: FAC. In a variety of dry, moist, and wet habitats, primarily near the coast including
undisturbed coastal hammocks and mangrove forests.
Distribution: Rapidly spreading on the coasts of the central and southern peninsula; naturalized
north to Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Brevard Counties but may be able to withstand winters above
the frost line and may expand farther north. Cultivation is locally prohibited by several counties
and cities.
Flowering: Late winter.

Bumelia celastrina Kunth SAFFRON PLUM
synonymy: Sideroxylon celastrinum (Kunth) Pennington
Description: An evergreen shrub or small tree to about 6 m (20 ft) tall, with milky sap; branches
slender and spreading, with thorny twigs; bark dark gray to blackish and furrowed; leaves ever
green, alternate but borne in fascicles and appearing opposite, simple; leaf blade slightly leathery,
oblanceolate in shape, 1-4 cm long, 0.5-3 m wide, quite variable in size from tree to tree, margins
entire and thickened, upper surfaces dull green, lower surfaces pale; flowers bisexual, small, white,
with five petals; borne in clusters; fruit a black berry, 10-25 mm long, sweet and edible.
Recognition: An evergreen shrub typically with thorny twigs and fascicled, glabrous to sparsely hairy
leaves.
Habitat: FAC. Coastal hammocks and salt flats.
Distribution: Coastal counties including the Keys: Levy County south on the Gulf and Brevard
County south on the Atlantic.
Flowering: Year round.
DICOTS 539
Bumelia lycioides (L.) Pers. BUCKTHORN
synonymy: Sideroxylon lycioides L.
Description: A tardily deciduous tree, ordinarily to about 9 m (30 ft) tall but potentially reaching
heights of 20 m (65 ft); branches thorny, crooked to slightly zigzag; bark scaly, grayish brown to
reddish brown; leaves deciduous, alternate, simple; leaf blade oblong-elliptic to elliptic, 8-15 cm
long, 1-5 cm wide, margins entire, upper surfaces bright green and glabrous; flowers bisexual, small,
white, bell shaped, calyx without pubescence; borne in sessile clusters; fruit a black, egg-shaped
berry, 1-2 cm long, about 1 cm in diameter.
Recognition: Typically a small tree with scaly grayish-brown to reddish-brown bark and thorny
branches.
Habitat: FAC. Predominantly found on natural silt levees along rivers, especially along the eastern
floodplain of the Apalachicola River.
Distribution: Primarily the central panhandle: Jackson County eastward to Jefferson and Wakulla
Counties. Also present but much less frequent in the western panhandle and the north central
peninsula from Dixie and Clay Counties south to Orange County.
Flowering: Spring.

Bumelia reclinata (Michx.) Venten. SMOOTH BUMELIA
synonymy: Sideroxylon reclinatum Michx.
Description: Ordinarily a shrub but sometimes treelike in unburned pinelands of southern Florida,
then reaching heights of 5 m (16 ft); branches thin and often bearing thorns at the leaf axils and at
the tips of leafy shoots; bark grayish; leaves deciduous, alternate but sometimes crowded at the
tips of leafy shoots and appearing opposite or fascicled, simple; leaf blade oblanceolate to spatulate,
1-6 cm long, 0.4-2 cm wide, margins entire, surfaces glabrous, tips rounded; flowers bisexual, small,
white; appearing in late spring and early summer and borne in few to many-flowered clusters; fruit
a shiny, black, elongated berry, 5-8 mm long.
Recognition: A deciduous shrub with small, alternate, sometimes fascicled leaves. The upper
surfaces of the leaves are glabrous. Thorns are often present at both the tips of leaf shoots and at
the leaf axils.
Habitat: FAC. Bluffs, hammocks, ravines, and riverbanks, often where limestone is close to the
surface.
Distribution: Throughout Florida, but most frequently encountered in the northern and central
peninsula, southward generally to Highlands Hammock State Park (Highlands County).
Flowering: Late spring - early summer.
DARST
DICOTS 541
Manilkara bahamensis (Baker) Lam & Meeuse WILD DILLY
synonymy: M.jaimiqui (Wright) Dubard ssp. emarginata (L.) Cronquist,Achras
emarginata (L.) Little, Mimusops emarginata (L.) Britt.
Description: Typically a low, dense, salt-tolerant shrub, sometimes a small tree to about 13 m (42 ft)
tall, milky sap; branches thin, spreading, grayish; bark reddish-brown to grayish; leaves evergreen,
alternate but crowded near the ends of branches, simple; leaf blade leathery, dull grayish green,
elliptic, 5-10 cm long, margins entire, lower surfaces covered with brownish pubescence, tips
conspicuously notched; flowers yellowish, arising in drooping clusters at the leaf axils; fruit a large,
fleshy, brownish, globular, berry to about 4 cm in diameter, edible.
Recognition: A densely branched evergreen shrub or small tree with milky sap, pale, grayish-green,
apically notched, elliptical leaves clustered near branch tips, and fleshy, brownish, rounded fruit.
Habitat: FAC. Coastal zone and along the edges of coastal hammocks.
Distribution: Cape Sable and the Keys.

Sarracenia spp PITCHER-PLANTS
Description: Perennial, insectivorous, rhizomatous herbs; leaves alternate, clustered, erect or

spreading, forming hollow tubes (pitchers) when mature which usually contain water and function
as an insect traps, pitchers taper basally with a flat ridge or keel on the inner side, top ol leaf forms
a flap or hood that may or may not cover the mouth; flowers solitary, persistent, long-stalked, 5
petals, yellow, maroon, red or pink, somewhat fiddle-shaped, stamens many, pistil large, umbrella
like, persistent; fruit a 5-parted capsule with many tiny seeds.
Recognition: Perennial, insectivorous herbs with erect or sprawling leaves to 9 dm long, which at
maturity form pitchers that usually contain water. Florida has six (6) species;
S.flava L„ trumpet-leaf pitcher plant: has yellowish green, narrow, erect, pitcher leaves usually to 9 dm
tall, hoods with a maroon inner neck, raised, not covering pitcher mouth and flowers yellow, with a
musty odor.
S. leucophylla Raf., white top pitcher-plant: has erect, green, pitcher leaves to 9 dm tall, with the upper
tubes and ruffled hoods white with purple veination, flowers, deep maroon.
S. minor Walt., hooded pitcher-plant: has erect, greenish to reddish, pitcher leaves to 3.5 dm tall that
are completely covered by bronze-red hoods with prominent white spots, flowers, yellow, drooping,
and odorless.
5. psittacina Michx., parrot pitcher-plant: has sprawling, green pitcher leaves in a rosette pattern with
the upper tube and strongly arched hood exhibiting areas of pale green, white and purple reticula
tion, flowers maroon.
S. purpurea L„ pitcher-plant: has sprawling, bulbous, urn-like pitcher leaves that are green with purple
to purplish-red veination, with erect, notched hoods which leave the pitchers open to the sky,
flowers, deep maroon to rose pink.
S. rubra Walt., sweet pitcher-plant: has erect, green to reddish, pitcher leaves, often with purple
veination above, to 7 dm tall, with small, nearly erect, hoods that leave the pitchers open to sky,
flowers red, maroon, or dull purple.
Habitat: OBL. except for S. minor FACW.
S. leucophylla, S. rubra, S. purpurea, S.flava, and S. psittacina-. bogs, wet savannas, swamps, edges of
pond cypress and titi flats, and hydric pine flatwoods. S. minor, as previous, but more frequent in
the flatwoods.
Distribution: S. rubra, Walton County west to Escambia County; S. leucophylla, Franklin County west
to Escambia County; S.flava, Alachua County west to Escambia County; S. psittacina, Leon County
west to Escambia County and Nassau County and Baker County; S. purpurea, Liberty County west
to Escambia County; S. minor, the southernmost pitcher-plant, Highland County north and west to
just west of the Apalachicola River.
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 543
Sarracenia spp. (continued)
Sarracenia leucophylla Raf. OBL WHITE TOP PITCHER-PLANT
Sarracenia rubra Walt. OBL SWEET PITCHER-PLANT
Sarracenia purpurea L. PITCHER-PLANT

Sarracenia spp. (continued)
Sarraceniaflava L. OBL TRUMPET-LEAF PITCHER-PLANT
Sarracenia minor Walt. FACW HOODED PITCHER-PLANT
DICOTS 545
Saururus cernuus L. LIZARD S TAIL
Description: Herbaceous perennial, forming colonies by underground rhizomes; stems pubescent to

1 m tall; leaves stalked, alternate, heart-shaped to 20 cm long, leaf margins entire; flowers tiny,
without sepals or petals, subtended by a bract; 6-8 stamens; inflorescence stalked, white, slender
raceme, to 30 cm length, curved and nodding distally; fruit 1-seeded nutlet.
Recognition: Erect herb with zigzag stems and alternate heart-shaped leaves. Plants are aromatic.
The long, slender, bottlebrushlike, clusters of white flowers, curve downward, hence the common
name "lizard's tail". The fruit is clustered along the inflorescence stalk.
Habitat: OBL. Shallow water of streams, ditches, lake margins and swamps.
Flowering: Spring-early summer, earlier in south Florida.

Itea virginica L, VIRGINIA WILLOW
Description: An understory shrub, to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall, of swamps and floodplains; bark thin, brownish
in color; branches slender and open, often arching; leaves alternate, deciduous, simple; petiole
short and sparsely pubescent; leaf blades variable in shape, elliptic, oblong, oval, to oblanceolate,
5-10 cm long, 2-4 cm wide, margins finely toothed, upper surface glabrous, lower surface sparsely
pubescent, venation prominent; flowers bisexual, individually small, 6-7 mm long, 5 white linear
petals; borne bottlebrush-like on stalked, terminal, cylindrical racemes, 3-10 cm long, about 1.5 cm
wide; fruit a conic-cylindrical capsule with several small seeds.
Recognition: A very common understory shrub with simple, alternate, deciduous leaves that have
fine toothed margins and prominent veins beneath. The small, white flowers are produced in
bottlebrush shaped racemes that terminate leafy shoots. The capsular fruit persists through most
of the year.
Habitat: OBL. Swamps, bayheads, cypress domes and strands, hydric seepage slopes, and inundated
floodplains.
Flowering: Spring.
DARST
547
DICOTS
Penthorum sedoides L. DITCH-STONECROP
Description: Perennial stoloniferous herb; stem prostrate near the base, becoming erect, with leaves
along entire length of the stems; leaves alternate, simple, finely serrate, subpetiolate, lanceolate to
elliptic with pointed tips; flowers greenish white, with 5 sepals, no petals; 10 stamens; flowers
arranged loosely in spikes along the upper side of terminal cyme branches; axes of the cyme with
stipitate glands; fruit a circular 5-lobed capsule producing numerous tiny reticulate rust colored
seeds.
Recognition; Easily overlooked when not in flower; characterized by weakly ascending leafy
branches. The flowering spike-like cymes are easily identified as well as the 5-parted flower with
prominent stamens.
Habitat: OBL. Floodplain forests, ditches, shores of marshes.
Distribution: North Florida westward through the panhandle.

Agalinis spp FALSE-FOXGLOVE
Description: Perennial or annual herbs, 5-120 cm tall; stems thin, erect, few to many branched;
leaves and bracts opposite, sometimes becoming alternate on the upper and flowering branches;
leaves linear, linear-oblanceolate, linear-filiform, linear-elliptic, or triangular-subulate, 1 mm to 5
cm long, to 3 mm wide; inflorescence variable, solitary flowers in leaf axils or terminal or in a
raceme, few to 30-flowered, terminating branches; flowers; stalked to 15 mm long, showy; corolla
purple to pink, rarely white, 1-4 cm long, somewhat 2-lipped, 5-lobed; lobes nearly equal, commonly
margins ciliate fringed; 3-lobed lip, lobes spreading, arched, curved backwards; 2-lobed lip, lobes
projecting, curved downwards; corolla throat often with 2 yellow lines and purple or pink spots,
hairy at base; calyx a bell-shaped tube, 5-lobed, 1-5 mm long; stamens 4, in 2 pairs, unequal; fruit
capsule, oblong to spherical, 3-8 mm long.
Recognition: There are 12 species of Agalinis recognized in Florida: 2 OBL, 3 FACW, and 7 unlisted
species.
A. linifolia (Nutt.) Britt., is the only perennial of this genus in Florida. It has a slender rhizome and an 8
to 20-flowered raceme with light purple to pink flowers with pale spots but no lines on the corolla
throat. The flower stalks are twice the length of the corolla.
A. aphylla (Nutt.) Raf., has scale-like leaves to 2 mm in length that are strongly appressed to the non-
glaucous stem. Flower stalks are 1-2 mm long and the many-flowered raceme is 5-20 cm long.
A.filicaulis (Benth.) Pennell, has leaves that are similar to A. aphylla except flowers are usually singly
borne, flower stalks are 5-10 mm long and the stems are glaucous. The rest of the genus has linear
to filiform leaves that are ascending or spreading.
A. maritima (Raf.) Raf., is subsucculent and is restricted to saline habitats.
A. purpurea (L.) Pennell, and A. pinetorum Pennell, have a non-leafy appearance since axillary fascicles
are absent or poorly developed. The corollas are also greater than 2 cm long and the flower stalks
are less than 1.5 times the length of the mature calyx or capsule. A. purpurea has widely spreading
branches and is many-branched, while A. pinetorum has erect branches and is commonly few-
branched.
Habitat: OBL. A. linifolia-. Sloughs, marshes, edges of ponds and lakes, depressions, and hydric pine
flatwoods; A. maritima: Brackish and salt marshes, salt flats, and mangrove swamps. FACW. A.
aphylla: Savannas, hydric pine flatwoods, bogs, edges of cypress-gum sloughs, ponds, and ditches;
A. pinetorum: Savannas, hydric pine flatwoods, bogs, and ditches; A. purpurea: Savannas, hydric
pine flatwoods, depressions, bogs, and seepage areas.
Distribution:
A. aphylla: Northwest Florida east to Leon County and disjunct to Duval County.
A. pinetorum: Northwest Florida east to Taylor County.
A. purpurea: Northwest Florida east to Jefferson County.
A. linifolia: Throughout Florida.
A. maritima: Throughout coastal areas of Florida.
Flowering: Spring-fall, primarily in late summer and early fall.
DICOTS 549
Agalinis linifolia (Nutt.) Britt. OBL FLAX-LEAF FALSE-FOXGLOVE

Agalinis spp. (continued)
Agalinis aphylla (Nutt.) Raf. FACW SCALE-LEAF FALSE-FOXGLOVE
Agalinis purpurea (L.) Pennell FACW LARGE PURPLE

FALSE-FOXGLOVE
DICOTS 551
Bacopa spp WATER-HYSSOPS
Description: Low growing, mat-forming, perennial herbs, generally succulent, found on saturated soil
or shallowly inundated; leaves opposite, subsessile or sessile, and glandular punctate; flowers
solitary, occurring in leaf axils with stalks longer or shorter than subtending leaves; calyx with 4-5
dimorphic sepals; corolla tubular, composed of 3-5 spreading lobes of equal length to the corolla
tube; fruit a capsule.
Recognition: Three species are typically encountered in Florida. B. caroliniana (Walt.) Robins., (blue-
hyssop or lemon bacopa), has a bright blue flower with 4 stamens, lemon-scented, aromatic,
clasping leaves, pubescent aromatic stems, and is rhizomatous, forming extensive mats in saturated
or shallowly inundated peat or sandy soils; B. monnieri (L.) Pennell, (coastal water hyssop), has
oblanceolate, non-aromatic, succulent leaves, without hairs, and flowers that are generally white
but may be light purple, or blue to light pink, with 4 stamens; B. innominata (Gomez Maza) Alain, is
less frequently encountered, has leaves with 3-5 palmate veins that may be pubescent or glabrous
and are generally triangular in outline, being widest near the clasping base,and flowers that are
white, with 2 stamens.
Habitat: OBL. Ponds, streams, forested wetlands, marshes, wet prairies, and brackish habitats.
Distribution: B. caroliniana and B. monnieri occur throughout Florida, B. innominata occurs from
Hillsborough County, northward.
Flowering: Summer.
Bacopa caroliniana (Walt.) Robins WATER-HYSSOPS

Bacopa spp. (continued)
Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell SMOOTH WATER-HYSSOPS
DICOTS
Gratiola spp HEDGE-HYSSOPS
Description: Annual and perennial herbs 10-70 cm tall; stems slender, pubescent or glabrous, erect or
decumbent, often rooting at nodes, simple to many branched, some mat forming; leaves are
opposite, sessile to shortly stalked, blades linear, lanceolate, elliptic or ovate, 1-5 cm long, tips
rounded or pointed, smooth to glandular pubescent, some sticky, margins smooth to toothed;
flowers solitary, borne in the axils of leaves, stalked, usually with two sepal-like bracts; corolla a
yellowish to whitish, tube, often with distinct, yellow, brownish-yellow, or purplish veins within, to 2
cm long, 2-lipped and 4-lobed; 5 narrow, unequal sepals, 3-6 mm long; 2 stamens; a single pistil;
fruit a capsule, ovoid to ovate, 1-10 mm long; seeds cylindrical or pyramidal, reticulate, brownish-
yellow to black, to 0.8 mm long.
Recognition: In Florida, 10 species are recognized in this genus. G. pilosa Michx. and G. hispida
(Benth. in Lindl.) Pollard, both have fruit and flowers that are sessile or nearly so. G. pilosa has
ovate leaves with a corolla slightly longer than the sepals. G. hispida has linear leaves and a corolla
at least twice the length of the sepals. The remaining species have definite stalked flowers and fruit.
Habitat: FACW except G. hispida (FAC). Hydric pine flatwoods and savannas, edges of lakes, streams
and ditches, floodplains, seepage slopes, swamps, and depressions. G. hispida is commonly found
in pine flatwoods, savannas, bogs and scrub areas.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida and spring-fall in north Florida.
Gratiola pilosa Michx. FACW SHAGGY HEDGE-HYSSOPS

Limnophila spp. MARSHWEEDS, AMBULIA
Description: Small, soft perennial herbs, usually at least partially submersed; often forming mats;
stems lax, with aerial flowering tips erect, to 4 dm (16 in) high; leaves whorled, simple, glabrous,
5-30 mm long, of two forms, those submersed highly dissected into linear-filiform segments, those
emersed strongly toothed or lobed to nearly entire, punctate; flowers small, bisexual, single at
upper leaf axils (usually aerial), sessile or stalked; sepals fused, with 5 lobes; petals 5, lavender or
pinkish yellow, partially fused, lobes weakly 2-lipped; stamens 4, unequal in length; fruit a tiny 4-
valved, short-globose, dark brown capsule; seeds numerous.
Recognition: Small soft herb, usually in water, with whorled leaves; submersed leaves highly dis
sected; small, single, weakly 2-lipped, flowers at upper leaf axils. (May be confused with native
Cabomba caroliniana Gray, both with submersed leaves spreading fanlike in water, but Cabombas
leaves all opposite, all highly dissected.)
[L. sessiliflora (Vahl) Blume most commonly seen, its aerial stems powdery-hairy, with longer hairs
near tips; its flowers sessile, lavender. L. indica (L.) Druce, rarely seen, its aerial stems glandular; its
flowers stalked, pink-yellow, with 2 bractlets at base of sepals.]
Habitat: OBL. Lakes, ponds, swamps, ditches, and canals; usually in shallow water.
Distribution: L. sessiliflora in scattered localities of central and south Florida and in 2 coastal
counties of Panhandle; L. indica recorded only for Pinellas County; all species native to Old World,
these introduced from Asia, having escaped cultivation as aquarium plants. L. sessiliflora is a state
PROHIBITED plant and federal NOXIOUS WEED.
Flowering: Summer-fall, or all year below the frostline.
DARST
DICOTS 555
Lindernia spp FALSE-PIMPERNELS
Description: Low annual herbs, rarely perennial, to 2.5 dm (10 in) tall, some mat-forming; stems
branched or unbranched; sprawling, creeping, or erect; glabrous or sparsely hairy (L. Crustacea)-,
leaves opposite, simple, usually entire, mostly sessile, oval to oblongish or round, to 3 cm (1 in) long;
flowers small, bisexual, slender-stalked, solitary in upper leaf axils; 5 sepals; 5 whitish lavender to
blue or deep violet, petals, often dark streaked, partly joined to form a tube with 2 lips; the upper lip
smaller, 2-lobed, erect; the lower lip spreading, 3-lobed; fertile stamens 2 or 4 (L. Crustacea)-, fruit a
glabrous, oblong-elliptic, 2-celled capsule, to 6 mm long; seeds tiny, numerous, yellow, tan, or brown.
Recognition: Low annual herbs with small opposite, sessile, simple leaves and lax or creeping stems.
The lavender to bluish violet flowers are stalked and 2-lipped, with 5 sepals and 2 or 4 fertile
stamens. Fruit is a small, glabrous, 2-celled capsule, with many seeds. [L. monticola Nutt.,
piedmont false-pimpernel, perennial from a basal rosette.]
Habitat: FACW except L. Crustacea (FAC). Swamps, floodplains, lake shores, stream banks, wet
depressions, and moist woods; L. crustacea also in upland disturbed areas.
Distribution: 5 or 6 species in Florida, L. anagallidea and L. crustacea-. scattered throughout; L.

grandiflora: mostly on peninsula; L. dubia: in north and northwest only; L. monticola-. in 5
northeast counties.
Flowering: Spring-fall for most species.
Lindernia dubia (L.) Pennell SHORT-STALKED FALSE-PIMPERNEL
Lindernia grandiflora Nutt. LARGE-FLOWERED FALSE-PIMPERNEL

556
Mecardonia spp.
Description: Hairless perennial herbs, with unbranched or branched, erect or creeping, leafy, 4-angled
stems to 0.6 m tall; leaves opposite, simple, stalkless or nearly so, elliptic to ovate or obovate,
toothed near the tip; flowers fairly small, solitary at end of a stalk arising from each leaf axil, the
stalk with 2 bracts at its base; 5 sepals separate, nearly equal or 3 larger and 2 smaller; corolla white
or yellow, nearly cylindrical, with 5 blunt lobes, 3 larger and 2 smaller; stamens 4, 2 long and 2 short;
fruit a rather narrow capsule, splitting into 4 sections; seeds numerous, cylindrical, with a network
of ribs on their surface.
Recognition: Hairless herbs with 4-angled stems, opposite elliptic leaves toothed near the tip, and
single, small stalked flowers, the stalks with two small bracts at the base; corollas tubular, 5-lobed,
white or yellow. Species of Mecardonia look like species of Bacopa or Gratiola, but have two bracts
at the base of each flower stalk. Bacopa and Gratiola have either no bracts or two bracts just under
the flower.
There are two species in Florida.
Mecardonia acuminata (Walter) Small: Stems usually stiffly erect; sepals nearly equal in size and
shape; corolla white with purple veins.
Mecardonia vandellioides (Humboldt, Bonpland, & Kunth) Penned, (synonyms: M. procumbens
(Miller) Small, M. tenuis Small, M. peduncularis (Bentham) Small): Stems usually spreading or
horizontal; three sepals broad, ovate to lanceolate, overlapping two narrow ones; corolla bright
yellow.
Habitat: FACW. Mecardonia acuminata-. Mesic to wet flatwoods, seepage slopes, wet prairies, dome
swamps, disturbed areas like borrow pits and ditches; M. vandellioides: Ditches, ponds, streams,
marl prairies, often in water.
Distribution:
M. acuminata-. Throughout Florida.
M. vandellioides-. Dade, Broward, Collier, and Monroe Counties.
Flowering M. acuminata: spring-fall. C. vandellioides: generally summer.
DICOTS 557
Micranthemum spp BABY TEARS
Description: Small creeping, mat-forming, annual or perennial herbs; stems slender, flaccid, often
rooting at nodes, elongate when submersed; leaves opposite (or 3- to 4-whorled in M glomeratum
when submersed), simple, sessile, entire, 2-9 mm long emersed, 10-15 mm when submersed; round
(M. umbrosum) or narrow (M. glomeratum)-, flowers minute (less than 2 mm long), bisexual, single
at leaf axils; sepal tube 4-lobed, petals white to pinkish, fused, with 3-4 lobes, stamens 2; fruit a
1-celled capsule; seeds several to many.
Recognition: Tiny mat-forming herbs, with opposite leaves (except M. glomeratum when submersed).
Stems elongated and leaves enlarged when plants submersed. Flowers are minute and whitish,
barely visible at leaf axils (usually on emersed stems). M. umbrosum with round leaves; M.
glomeratum with narrow leaves wider at tips.
Habitat: OBL. Stream and river banks, lake and pond shores, and swamps (often on logs or cypress
knees); sometimes in floating mats in shallow water.
Distribution: Two species in state. M. umbrosum-. found throughout, south to Lee County; M.
glomeratum: endemic to Florida, mostly in the peninsula, south to Collier County.
Flowering: Mostly spring-summer.
Micranthemum glomeratum (Chapm.) Shinners

Scoparia dulcis L. GOAT-WEED, SWEET-BROOM
Description: Perennial, solitary herb, typically growing on disturbed areas and characterized as
having an undesirable odor; stems erect, solitary, glandular punctate from 20 to 60 cm tall; leaves
opposite or whorled, petiolate to 4 cm long, glandular punctate on both surfaces, broadest at the
distal tip where serrations occur; generally largest toward the base of the stem, being gradually
reduced from stem base to tip; flowers axillary with white corollas, occurring on slender peduncles
3-5 mm long, flowers small with 4 stamens; fruit a globose capsule, 1.5 to 2.5 mm long, producing
numerous minute seeds.
Recognition: An erect, perennial herb, light green in color; typically in fruit throughout the growing
season. When crushed, leaves and stem have an unpleasant odor. Flowers are generally small and
white.
Habitat: FAC. Occurs in a wide variety of ruderal wetland habitats, also in ditches and depression
wetlands.
DICOTS 559
Seymeria cassiodes (Gmel.) Blake, BLACK SENNA
synonymy: Afzelia cassiodes Gmel.
Description: Annual herb parasitic on pine roots; stems squarish, purplish, hairy, many branched, to
1 dm tall; leaves opposite, sessile, pinnatifid, 1-2 cm long, divided into linear segments, 4-7 per leaf,
reduced distally; flowers solitary, in axils of leaves or bract-like leaves; petals 5, yellow, often with
purple within, 6-8 mm long, stamens 4, single pistil; fruit an ovoid capsule, 4 mm long, becoming
flattened toward the tip.
Recognition: Herbaceous annuals, with squarish stems, yellow flowers, and finely divided leaves with
linear-filiform segments. Sepals and capsules are hairless. The related S. pectinata Pursh has
lanceolate leaf segments, a tomentose capsule, and glandular pubescent sepals. This latter species
is found in drier habitats of scrub, sandhills and coastal hammocks.
Habitat: FAC. Pine flatwoods, savannas, and open pinelands.
Distribution: Hillsborough to Brevard Counties north and west to Escambia County.

Lycium carolinianum Walt. CHRISTMAS BERRY
Description: A shrub of coastal marshes, to 3 m (9 ft.) tall; branchlets often with sharp thorns; leaves
tardily deciduous, alternate, simple, succulent, linear-oblanceolate, length variable to 2.5 cm;
flowers solitary, stalked, often in the leaf axils of newest leaves; calyx tube to 4 mm long; corolla 4-5
lobed, blue to lavender sometimes white, 5 mm long; 5 stamens; a single pistil; fruit a bright red,
ellipsoid berry, 8-15 mm long.
Recognition: Tardily deciduous shrub with thorns, and narrow, succulent, alternate leaves. The
showy, bright red berries are very lustrous.
Habitat: OBL. Coastal marshes.
Distribution: Coastally, throughout the state.
Flowering: Throughout the year in south Florida, summer-fall in north Florida.
*1
DICOTS 561
Solanum bahamense L. CANKER-BERRY and NIGHTSHADE SHRUB
Solarium erianthum D. Don.
synonymy: S. verbascifolium Britt. & Millsp.
Description: Shrubs or small trees to 3 m (10 ft) tall, with hairy stems, sometimes prickly; leaves
alternate, pubescent, stalked, to 12 cm long, margins smooth to wavy; flowers star-shaped, 1-3 cm
across, stalked, to 2-12 mm long, 5 ovate sepals, 5 blue to white petals, 5 stamens, and a single pistil;
produced in few to several flowered clusters on long stalked, axillary raceme or terminal cyme; fruit
a red or yellow, globose berry.
Recognition: There are about 25 species of Solanum in Florida. Both species treated here are shrubs.
S. bahamense, oblong to lanceolate leaves, 4-12 cm long; blue to white flowers in axillary racemes; red
berries.
S. erianthum, ovate-elliptic leaves, 10-25 cm long; white flowers in terminal cymes; yellow berries.
Habitat: FACW. S. bahamense: Edges of hammocks, coastal dunes, rocklands, disturbed areas and
seasonally flooded rocklands and marshes; S. erianthum-. Pine rocklands, rocky flats, edges of
hammocks, disturbed grounds.
Distribution: S. bahamense: The Florida Keys and Southeast Florida north to Martin County; S.
erianthum: Primarily the southeast coast of Florida, north to St. Johns Co., also in Polk County, and
south of Tampa Bay.
Solarium bahamense L. NIGHTSHADE SHRUB

Melochia corchorifolia L. CHOCOLATE-WEED
Description: Herbaceous annual with a tap root; stems pubescent to 2 m tall; leaves alternate, ovate
to lance-ovate, somewhat 3-lobed, to 7 cm long, pubescent; flowers in compact, head-like cymes
with many bracts; the 5-lobed corolla is purple; 5 sepals, united at the base; 5 stamens; a 5-parted
pistil; fruit a 5 parted capsule; seeds brown with darker brown to black markings.
Recognition: An erect herbaceous annual from a tap root. Leaves are alternate, slightly 3-lobed, to 7
cm long, and pubescent. Flowers have purple petals and are produced in compact head-like
inflorescences. The fruit is a 5-parted capsule, each locule with one brown and black seed.
Habitat: FAC. Ruderal; pine flatwoods, edges of depressions, and a variety of disturbed areas.
Flowering: Early summer in south Florida, late summer in north Florida.
DICOTS 563
Halesia diptera Ellis TWO-WING SILVERBELL
Description: A small to medium sized tree to 15 m (49 ft), typically smaller; commonly a component
of the subcanopy however larger individuals are canopy sized but often subordinate to the tallest
trees; branches spreading, somewhat ascending; bark gray, thin, finely, shallowly fissured; leaves
alternate, deciduous; petioles short and slender, sparsely pubescent; leaf blade broadly oval to
suborbicular, 9-16 cm long, 4-10 cm wide, margins, with irregular, mostly inconspicuous gland
tipped teeth, tip often abruptly pointed or with a tiny spine, upper and lower surfaces sparsely
pubescent, lower surface paler; turning yellow in fall; flowers bisexual, white, tubular, 4-lobed,
pendulous bells, 1-3 cm long; produced in clusters of 2-7 on fascicles or short racemes from axils of
leaf scars of previous years growth prior to or as new growth emerges in the spring; fruit indehis-
cent, with two conspicuous wings, green, becoming brown and dry at maturity, a single seed.
Recognition: A small to medium sized deciduous tree with alternate leaves that are typically nearly
as broad as long, with margins irregularly dentate-serrate, and a conspicuous two winged fruit.
Fruit of similar Halesia Carolina L. (little silverbell) is 4-winged, and the leaves are typically less
broad. Some individuals have leaves similar to Styrax americana (American snowbell). These can
be easily distinguished by the fruit when present, that of Styrax americana being a subspherical,
gray/green, pubescent capsule, or by comparison of the 2 uppermost axillary leaf buds which are
triangular in shape and not separate on Halesia diptera, while those of Styrax americana have the
upper one separate and enlarged (thumb shaped).
Habitat: FACW. Seepage slopes, floodplains with short-term inundation, stream banks, fertile mesic
slopes and ravines.
Distribution: Restricted to northwest Florida, eastward to Leon County.
Flowering: Spring.
Styrax americana Lam. AMERICAN SNOWBELL, STORAX
synonymy: S. pulverulentum Michx.
Description: A large shrub or small tree of the subcanopy understory to 5 m (16 ft) tall, most often
multi-trunked; branches stiff, with both short-shoots (often supporting flowers) and elongated
growth-shoots which tend to have a slight zigzag pattern; bark gray, smooth, usually with lichens;
leaves alternate, deciduous; petioles short; leaf blade varying in size between growth and short
shoots, those of growth-shoots to 8 cm long, 4 cm wide, elliptic, ovate or obovate with margins
variable, entire, wavy, or irregularly dentate-serrate (most conspicuous distally), apex rounded to
acutely pointed, upper surface dark green, glabrous to sparsely pubescent, lower surface lighter in
color, and either glabrous or with a sparse to dense pubescence of tiny star-shaped hairs, leaf blade
of short-shoots smaller; flowers bisexual, white, with 5 recurved petals, 5 small sepals; stamens and
pistils are conspicuous and yellow in color; borne on spring short-shoots, either solitary in leaf axils
or as a cluster of up to 4 at the shoot terminus; fruit a subspherical, gray/green, pubescent capsule
6-8 mm in diameter containing a single brown seed.
Recognition: Typically a multi-trunked, deciduous shrub or small tree with alternate, variable leaves
of two sizes and usually with at least some of the larger, mature leaves irregularly and conspicuously
toothed. Attractive white flowers with recurved petals are produced in late winter and spring. The
one seeded, pubescent fruit is subspherical and gray/green in color. Superficially similar to some
dwarfed forms of Nyssa spp. and Halesia diptera, but easily distinguished from these by the
presence on S. americana of superimposed axillary winter buds with the upper most largest and
thumb shaped.
Habitat: OBL. Subcanopy understory of overflow stream banks, riverine swamps, shrub swamps, and
cypress/hardwood depressions; most frequent where annually inundated or where water stands at
or above the soil surface for extended periods.
Distribution: All of north and central Florida, southerly to the lower Peace and Myakka River
drainages (Charlotte County).
Flowering: Spring.
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DICOTS 565
Gordonia lasianthus (L.) Ellis. LOBLOLLY BAY
Description: A medium sized canopy tree to 25 m (80 ft) tall primarily of bayheads and hydric
seepage slopes; branches relatively short, slightly ascending, resulting in a narrow upright colum
nar form; bark thick, with interlacing rough, flattened ridges and shallow furrows, gray to dark gray
in color; leaves alternate, evergreen; petioles very short; leaf blade thick and leathery, elongate-
elliptical, 8-16 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, margins crenate to broadly but shallow serrate, base cuneate,
upper surface dark green and glabrous, lower surface pale green often with widely spaced clumps of
short hairs; flowers bisexual, solitary and stalked, five crinkly-fringed white petals which are up
turned distally, numerous central, bright yellow stamens, overall somewhat "Magnolia like," 8 cm
across; flowers produced in axils of closely spaced leaves of the season; fruit, a pointed woody
capsule approximately 1.5 cm long, splitting apically into five shell-like parts at maturity, each part
holding 4-8 flattened winged seeds.
Recognition: An evergreen tree with alternate, leathery leaves that have blunt toothed margins, dark
green upper surfaces and pale green lower surfaces. Flowers bloom sequentially through the season
and are quite showy, with five white petals and conspicuous, numerous yellow stamens near the
center. Often found growing with Magnolia virginiana, sweet bay (Magnoliaceae) and Persea
palustris, swamp bay (Lauraceae); both of which can be similar. The former is distinguished by a
silvery-white pubescence on the lower surface of the leaf and a smoother bark, the latter by leaves
with an entire margin that are aromatic when crushed.
Habitat: FACW. Bayheads exhibiting very long term saturation and often extended but shallow
inundation; does not tolerate extended deep inundation. Frequently soils of these areas consist of
muck or mucky sands. Also common on hydric seepage slopes, often in pure stands or associated
with Pinus serotina (pond pine). Becoming much more common in mesic pine flatwoods with the
suppression of the natural fire regime.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, south in the peninsula to Lake Okeechobee
and slightly farther south along the east coast. Particularly common in bayhead wetlands of the
central Florida ridge and hydric seepage slopes within the overall St. Johns River system basin.
Flowering: Spring - summer.

Tilia americana L. AMERICAN BASSWOOD, LINDEN
synonymy: T. caroliniana Mill., T. creno-serrata Sarg., T. eburnea Ashe, T.
floridana Small, I georgiana Sarg., T. heterophylla Vent., T. lasioclada Sarg., T.
poracea Ashe
Description: A medium to large tree to 25 m (82 ft), typically much smaller, of the forest canopy or
subcanopy in fertile, moist to seasonally wet forests; branches stout, wide spreading, sap of
younger branches mucilaginous; bark gray to red-brown, thick, with furrows and/or small scales,
inner bark fibrous; leaves alternate, deciduous, 2-ranked, venation subpalmate; petioles one fourth
to one half the length of leaf blade, slender; leaf blade ovate to ovate-oblong (generally somewhat
heart shaped), highly variable in size, 5-20 cm long, 5-12 cm wide, margins serrate, base frequently
obliquely unequal, apex abruptly pinched to a point, lower surface with highly variable pubescence
or glabrous; flowers bisexual, cream to yellowish, small, 5 petals; clustered in long stalked cymes
that arise in leaf axils and eventually hang pendulously beneath the leaves, with a conspicuous,
oblong, wing-like bract partially united to the proximal end of the cyme stalk; fruit indehiscent, dry
and hard, nutlike, subglobose to ovoid, 5-7 mm in diameter, containing 1 or 2 seeds
Recognition: A medium to large deciduous tree with 2-ranked, somewhat heart shaped, alternate,
leaves frequently with an obliquely unequal leaf base. A unique, oblong, wing-like bract is present
on the flower/fruit stalks. May be distinguished from similar Morus spp. (mulberries), by leaves
that are never lobed, by the lack of milky sap and by exhibiting only 1-2 exposed bud scales as
compared to the 5-6 for Morus.
Habitat: FACW. Fertile moist woods; mixed hardwood uplands, mesic and hydric hammocks,
floodplains with shallow, short term to only occasional inundation, and seepage swamps. Occur
ring nearly exclusively in wetlands (or uplands in close proximity to the edge of wetlands) in the
southern portion of the range.
Distribution: Throughout northwest and north Florida, southward to the central peninsula
(Hillsborough, Polk, and Osceola Counties).
Flowering: Spring.
DICOTS 567
Celtis laevigata Willd. HACKBERRY, SUGARBERRY
synonymy: Celtis mississipiensis Spach
Description: Medium to large deciduous tree in low wet areas such as floodplains, to 27 m (90 ft);
branches thin and slightly zigzag; bark gray, smooth, usually becoming warty with corky projec
tions; leaves alternate, deciduous; petiole short; leaf blade ovate to lanceolate, typically the latter,
2.5-10 cm long, tapering to a point at the tip, with a pair of principal lateral veins arising from the
base, often asymmetrical at base, margins usually entire or with a few teeth near the tip; flowers
unisexual, greenish; the male flowers clustered on new branchlets, the female solitary or paired;
fruit a fleshy, dull orange to red, spherical drupe, 6-8 mm in diameter, containing a single seed.
Recognition: A deciduous tree with light gray bark that can be smooth or warty, and alternate leaves
that often have a lopsided base. The leaves have long-tapering tips, and margins that can be entire
or toothed. The basal pair of lateral veins often arise close to the origin of the midvein, giving the
leaf base a 3-veined appearance. Leaves of mature tree generally are smooth to the touch however,
those of young specimens or of vigorous sprouts are rather rough to the touch. Young specimens
often exhibit more oval leaf blades and may be confused in north Florida with C. tenuifolia Nutt.
(dwarf hackberry), whose leaves are rough to the touch and in general more ovate compared to C.
laevigata. C. tenuifolia is found on well drained soils of uplands.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains, along stream banks, in fertile mixed hardwood uplands, hydric and
mesic coastal hammocks, tropical hammocks in the Everglades, fence rows, and coastal spoil piles;
commonly on calcareous soils or where limestone is close to the surface, frequently a pioneer
species in such areas.
Flowering: Spring.

Planera aquatica Walter ex J. F. Gmelin WATER-ELM, PLANER-TREE
Description: Shrub or small tree, rarely to 18 m (50 ft) tall, often with a short trunk and spreading
crown; branches thin and brown; bark scaly and flaky or bumpy, peeling in long plates, inner bark
reddish brown; leaves alternate, deciduous; petiole short; leaf blade ovate, base often asymmetrical,
tips pointed or long-pointed, dark green above, paler beneath, margin irregularly saw-toothed or
doubly saw-toothed; flowers bisexual or usually unisexual; male small, clustered, with 4-5 stamens;
female with a single pistil and a 2 lobed, hairy stigma; fruit a soft, stalked nut about 1 cm long,
often knobby or bur-like.
Recognition: A shrub or tree with small, shallowly toothed, alternate leaves that are rough on the
upper surface, and have an asymmetrical base.
Habitat: OBL. Floodplain forests, stream banks, sand and gravel bars.
DI COTS 569
Trema spp. FLORIDA TREMA, WEST INDIAN TREMA
Description: Shrub or tree to 7 m tall (23 ft); stems strongly horizontal from the main trunk, stems
and leaves are pubescent; bark is slightly rough and grayish-brown; leaves evergreen, alternate,
1-12 cm long, base oblique, margins serrate, undersides velvety, upper surface rough; flowers small,
unisexual less commonly bisexual, whitish, pinkish to greenish, in axillary cymes; fruit a round
orange to pinkish drupe, roughly 3 mm long, with a persistent perianth at the base.
Recognition: Evergreen trees or shrubs with alternate leaves that have oblique leaf bases. The leaf
surface is rough to the touch. The small flowers are usually greenish, axillary and inconspicuous.
Fruit is a small, round, orange, pinkish to yellow drupe. There are two species of Trema recognized
in Florida. T. micranthum (F.) Blume, (syn. T. floridanum Britt.), has leaves greater than 5 cm long,
orangish drupes and greenish-yellow flowers. T. lamarckianum (Roem. & Schult.) Blume, has leaves
generally less than 5 cm long, pinkish drupes whitish to yellowish flowers.
Habitat: FAC. Mostly plants of disturbed areas, around hammocks, agricultural fields, and waste
places.
Distribution: South Florida and the Florida Keys, north along the east coast to Martin County and
north to coastal Pasco County on the gulf coast.
Flowering: Spring, but also sporadically throughout the year.

Ulmus alata Michaux WINGED ELM
Description: Small to large tree in uplands or sometimes along rivers and streams, to 21 m (70 ft);
branches thin to stout, spreading, reddish-brown becoming brown to gray, often with thin corky
"wings"; bark brown to reddish-brown to gray, smooth on twigs, becoming deeply furrowed with
wide ridges; leaves alternate, deciduous; short-stalked; blades ovate to lanceolate, tapering to a
point at the tip, 2.5-6 cm long, asymmetrical at base, margins doubly serrate; flowers campanulate,
unisexual, greenish, flowering in spring before the leaves emerge; in clusters on previous season's
branchlets; fruit 1-seeded, ellipsoid, with a papery wing, to 8-9 mm in diameter, and a deep notch at
the apex, covered with fine hairs often over 1 mm long.
Recognition: Deciduous tree with alternate leaves. The leaves have a lopsided base, pointed tip,
rough surface and pubescent underside. The bark is light gray, smooth or warty.
Habitat: FACW. Usually in fertile uplands, especially over calcareous soils, also found along rivers, on
upper floodplain terraces, and along streams.
Distribution: North central Florida to northwest Florida, absent along the eastern coastal areas.
DICOTS 571
Ulmus americana L. AMERICAN ELM
synonymy: Ulmus floridana Chapman
Description: Large tree to 30 m (100 ft) tall, often vase-shaped in outline; branches thin, with
dichotomous branching, usually without wings; bark brown to gray, thick, broad, flat plates
separated by deep furrows; leaves alternate, deciduous; short-stalked; blades elliptic, to ovate, 3-15
cm long, lateral veins equal, straight and parallel; margins doubly saw-toothed, asymmetrical at
base; flowers somewhat campanulate, unisexual, very small, in clusters, on twigs from the previous
season, appearing in spring before leaves are formed; fruit a 1-seeded, circular samara, with a
papery wing and a notch at the apex.
Recognition: Deciduous tree with alternate leaves. The leaves are doubly saw-toothed, with promi
nent parallel lateral veins, the base usually asymmetrical and the surface is often rough. Branches
rarely winged.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplain and wet forests.
Distribution: North and central Florida.
Flowering: January-February.

Ulmus crassifolia Nutt, CEDAR ELM
Description: Large tree to 25 m (82 ft) tall; branches thin, often winged; bark light brown to reddish
brown, broad flat areas are scaly separated by deep furrows; leaves alternate, deciduous; short-
stalked; blades elliptic, oval or ovate, 2.5-5 cm long, lateral veins of leaf equal, straight and parallel,
margins doubly saw-toothed, with an asymmetric leaf base; flowers unisexual, very small, in
clusters, on twigs from the previous season, appearing in fall; fruit a 1-seeded, circular samara, 6-12
mm long with a papery wing, and a deep notch at the apex, covered in long whitish hairs.
Recognition: Deciduous tree with alternate leaves that have doubly saw-toothed margins and an
usually asymmetrical base. Branches are sometimes winged as in U. alata, but the leaf tip is
rounded to obtuse as compared to pointed in U. alata.
Habitat: FACW. Limestone soils of floodplains along the Suwannee River drainage.
Distribution: North Florida along the Suwannee River drainage, disjunct to Texas and northern
Mexico.
DARST
DICOTS 573
Ulmus rubra Muhl. SLIPPERY ELM
synonymy: Ulmus fulva Muhl.
Description: Tree to 25 m (80 ft) tall; branches thin, not winged; bark ridged and furrowed; leaves
alternate, deciduous; short-stalked; blade oblong, oval, obovate, elliptic or ovate, up to 18 cm long,
and 5-8 cm in wide, base rounded or broadly tapering, often asymmetrical at base, tip abruptly
long-pointed, margin doubly saw-toothed; flowers bell-shaped, unisexual, very small, greenish, in
clusters, appearing in spring before leaves are formed; fruit 1-seeded, with a more or less circular,
papery wing, 1-1.5 cm in diameter, not notched at the tip.
Recognition: Deciduous tree with alternate leaves. The leaves are 8-18 cm long with a rounded, often
asymmetrical, base. The upper surface of mature canopy leaves feels rough, like sandpaper. The
fruit of this species is larger than other Florida Ulmus species and lacks a notch at the top. The
inner bark is mucilaginous and slippery. Leaves of young U. americana are also often rough to the
touch.
Habitat: UPL. Upper floodplains and low woods on moist, fertile soils.
Distribution: Northwest Florida from Jefferson to Jackson Counties.
Flowering: Late winter.
DARST

Boehmeria cylindrica (L.) Sw. FALSE NETTLE, BOG HEMP, SMALL-SPIKE
Description: Erect perennial herb, to 1.2 m (4 ft) tall; stems single or few branched above, hairy
(sometimes rough-hairy); leaves opposite; petioles nearly as long as blades; blades oval to lance-
ovate, 15 cm long, 4 cm wide, rough-hairy, with 3 main veins, margins strongly toothed; flowers
whitish, tiny, unisexual, in round clusters on long spikelike stalks from leaf axils; sepals and
stamens 4; no petals; fruit a flatfish achene hidden in sepal tube.
Recognition: Medium-height herbs with long-petioled, rough-hairy, opposite leaves that have
strongly toothed margins and 3 main veins. The flowers are produced in small, whitish clusters on
elongate spikes originating from leaf axils. (May be confused with related Pilea pumila, but its
stems are translucent, and its flowers are in lax, branched clusters.)
Habitat: OBL. Fresh and brackish marshes, swamps, floodplains, ditches, and canals.
Distribution: Common throughout. [Related B. nivea (L.) Gaud., (ramie), the Asian fiber plant, found
escaping cultivation in disturbed uplands of Dade, Orange, and Seminole Counties; its leaves
alternate, new ones densely white pubescent beneath.]
DICOTS 575
Laportea canadensis (L.) Wedd. WOOD NETTLE
Description: Erect herbaceous perennial; stems to about 1 m, covered with stinging hairs; leaves
alternate; petiolate; deciduous stipules; blades ovate, 5-15 cm long, 4-12 cm wide, margins serrate;
flowers unisexual in axillary or terminal panicles; male flowers with 5 sepals and stamens; female
flowers with 4 sepals and a single pistil; fruit an asymmetric achene.
Recognition: An erect herb that has stinging hairs on the stems and leaves. Leaves are simple and
alternate. The small greenish flowers are produced in unisexual clusters at leaf axils. The female
flowers have 1 enlarged, hoodlike sepal. (Related Urtica spp. also with stinging hairs, but their
leaves opposite.)
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains, stream banks, and in rich soils associated with limestone.
Distribution: In Florida, locally common in the Apalachicola and Chipola River floodplain and on
calcareous rock outcrops near the Marianna Caverns.
Flowering: Spring.
Parietaria spp PELLITORIES
Description: Low, taprooted annuals; stems branched and translucent; leaves alternate, petioled,
simple, to 6 cm (2.4 in) long, oval, softly pointed blades with margins entire or hairy; flowers small,
produced in clusters at leaf axils, bisexual or unisexual (in same cluster), with 4 sepals and 5
stamens; fruit a small, smooth, dark brown, hard-walled, 1-seeded achene, symmetrical.
Recognition: Four species are recognized in Florida. P. praetermissa Hinton, (is probably a form of P.
floridana), has palmately veined leaves and an achene 1.2-1.5 mm long, without a flanged tip. P.
floridana Nutt., is similar to P. praetermissa except that it has an achene less than 1 mm long with a
short flanged stipe, both species have palmately veined leaves. P. pensylvanica Muhl. ex Wild., has
pinnately veined leaves and achenes without a flanged stipe. P. judaica L., is introduced and has
black achenes.
Flabitat: FAC. Moist to well-drained hammocks (coastal and inland), floodplains.
Distribution: P. floridana and P. praetermissa-. in scattered localities throughout; P. judaica-. local in

Escambia County; P. pensylvanica: a piedmont species reaching into Escambia and Gadsden
Counties (its leaves lance- to diamond-shaped).
DICOTS 577
Pilea spp. CLEARWEED, ARTILLERY PLANT
Description: Low, usually annual, herbs of erect or sprawling habit, from fibrous roots (rarely a short
taproot); stems watery succulent, nearly translucent; single or several from same crown; leaves
opposite; short or long petioled; blades oval to broadly elliptic, about 10 cm and 6 cm wide, with
margins blunt-toothed or entire; flowers small, whitish, unisexual, in lax, branched clusters from
leaf axils; sepals 4 in male flowers, 3 in female; no petals; stamens 4; fruit an achene, light brown to
black, smooth or mottled.
Recognition: Low herbs with translucent stems (not hard, opaque stems as in Boehmeria cylindrical
opposite, petioled leaves with blunt-toothed or entire margins; tiny unisexual flowers in lax clusters
at leaf axils. Two species are recognized in Florida. P. pumila (L.) A. Gray, (clearweed), has broad,
ovate to elliptic leaves, to 10 cm long and 6 cm wide, petioles long, margins toothed. P. microphylla
(L.) Liebm., (artillery plant), has small leaves, usually less than 1.5 cm long and to 1 cm wide,
petioles short, margins entire.
Habitat: FACW. Floodplains, swamps, disturbed areas and mesic upland forests.
Distribution: P. pumila: restricted to northwest Florida and found in floodplains and swampy areas;
P. microphylla: an introduced species found scattered throughout the state, primarily in disturbed
areas, including wetlands. There are other escaped Pilea species but these are usually not found in
Florida's wetlands.
Flowering: Spring for P. pumila. Throughout the year for all other escaped species.

Phyla nodiflora (L.) Greene FROG-FRUIT
Description: Perennial herb, main stem creeping or procumbent, rooting at the nodes, flowering
branches to 1 dm tall, ascending; stems prostrate, creeping, rooting at the nodes, often streaked
with or entirely purple; leaves opposite, oblanceolate to spatulate or obovate, margins toothed with
3 to 5 teeth per side, petioles short to absent, blade often with a purple portion; flowers are 4-lobed
and very small, white, pinkish, or purple in color, borne on a bract-covered head which arises on a
peduncle 3 to 10 cm in length from the leaf axils or at the end of a stalk, bracts cuneate-ovate,
slightly rounded and coming to a point centrally; fruit dry, separating into 2 nutlets.
Recognition: Herbaceous perennial with prostrate stems, often forming extensive mats. The leaves
are marginally toothed and produced on short petioles. The small white flowers are produced in a
head-like inflorescence on a stalk from the leaf axils or at the end of a branch. All plant parts
streaked with purple. The similar Phyla lanceolata (Mich.) Greene, frog-fruit, has flowering
branches to 6 dm tall.
Habitat: Both P. nodiflora and P. lanceolata FAC. Usually at the edge of water in grassy areas, espe
cially ditches and wet lawns, in wet sands and peaty sands, mud flats, estuarine shores, beaches,
interdune swales, flatwoods depressions, disturbed areas. Phyla lanceolata in fresh to brackish
marshes, marshy shores, low woods, banks of streams, ditches, other watercourses.
Distribution: Statewide along coastal areas and inland in the peninsula. Phyla lanceolata restricted
to Northwest Florida.
DICOTS 579
Phyla stoechadifolia (L.) Small FROG-FRUIT
Description: Herb or very small shrub; stems reclining on the ground with ascending distal portions,
woody near base, the bark of older stems buff with a white cast, that of younger stems reddish
brown, strongly pubescent with straight appressed hairs; leaves lanceolate, margins evenly serrate
from base to tip, with numerous pronounced lateral veins, both surfaces heavily pubescent with
white hairs which give the leaves a gray appearance; flowers are 4-lobed and very small, purple in
color, borne on a bract-covered head which arises on a peduncle 2-10 cm in length from the leaf
axils or at the end of a stalk, bracts obovate, abruptly short-acuminate, pubescent; fruit dry,
separating into 2 nutlets.
Recognition: Small shrub, stem decumbent and woody near base. Leaves and stem pubescent
appearing gray in color. Leaves lanceolate, marginally toothed, petioles very short. Flowers
produced in a head-like inflorescence arising on a stalk from the leaf axils or at the end of a branch.
Habitat: FAC. Found in marl prairies, pastures, waste places, disturbed ground, and fill.
Distribution: Dade and Broward Counties.
I—
o

Viola spp VIOLETS
Description: Annual, or rhizomatous and/or stoloniferous perennial herbs, 5-15 cm tall; leaves
alternate, basal, closely set on a short erect caudex, or at the tip of a stout rhizome, early leaves with
shorter petioles and smaller blades; flowers bisexual, of two types, showy, 5 petaled, bilaterally
symmetrical spring flowers, and later, apetalous flowers which self fertilize in the bud without
opening; flowers borne singularly on two bracted stalks from leaf axils or directly from rhizomes or
stolons; fruit an oblong to elliptic, 3 valved capsule.
Recognition: A taxonomically complex group which may freely hybridize. For purposes of this
manual, taxonomy follows Godfrey & Wooten, 1981. All the Viola listed on the vegetative index are
perennial.
V affinis LeConte, lacks stolons, flower petals purple to pale blue with the base white, sometimes
bearded, flower stalk equal to or slightly surpassing the leaves, leaf blades are unlobed with crenate
to serrate margins, early leaves are ovate to reniform and cordate basally, later leaves are triangular-
ovate. Synonym: Violafloridana.
V esculenta Ell., lacks stolons, flower petals violet to pale blue with the base white, leaf blades have
crenate-dentate margins and are variable in shape, early leaves generally cordate and unlobed, later
leaves broadly 3 lobed with a triangular outline.
V lanceolata L., many slender stolons in summer (may form a dense mat), flower petals white with
purple veins on lower petals, leaf blades lanceolate to linear-lanceolate with base tapering into
distally winged petiole, margins slightly crenate, early leaves generally smaller then later leaves.
Vprimulifolia L„ slender stolons in spring, flower petals white with purple veins on lower petals, leaf
blades ovate to lance-ovate, rounded leaf base extending into distally winged petiole, margins
crenate to serrate.
Habitat: FACW. V affinis, V esculenta, and Vprimulifolia: Stream banks, seepage slopes, ditches,
depressions in flatwoods, and mesic woods. OBL. V lanceolata-. Bogs, hydric pine flatwoods,
depressions in flatwoods, and edges of ponds and streams.
Distribution: Throughout Florida as a genus.
Viola lanceolata L. Viola primulifolia L.
DICOTS
GLOSSARY
Abaxial. Away from an axis, such as the lower Campanulate. Bell-shaped.

surface of a leaf.
Capsule. A dry, dehiscent fruit produced by two or
Achene. A hard, dry, indehiscent, 1-seeded fruit in more fused carpels.
which the fruit wall is fused to the seed coat.
Carpel. The unit of structure of the female part of
Acuminate. Tapering to a pointed tip, with the the flower.
sides of the taper concave.
Catkin. A dense, scaly spike bearing unisexual
Acute. Sharply angled (the angle 90 degrees or less), flowers without petals.
with the sides of the angle straight.
Caudex. The thickened base of a stem, usually of an
Adaxial. Towards an axis, such as the upper surface herbaceous perennial.
of a leaf.
Chaff. Small, dry, thin scales or bracts.
Alternate. Occurring one at a node, as leaves or bracts.
Ciliate. Having hairs that form a fringe on the edge.
Annual. A plant that lives for one year.
Claw. The stalk-like base of some sepals or petals.
Anther. The part of the stamen that produces
Compound leaf. A leaf with two or more leaflets on
pollen.
a single leafstalk.
Apical. At the tip. Cordate. Heart-shaped: ovate with rounded lobes at
Ascending. Rising upward obliquely. the base. Often restricted to the base rather than
to the entire outline.
Attenuate. Gradually narrowed.
Corm. A bulb-like structure in which the fleshy
Auricle. An ear-like lobe. portion is predominantly stem tissue and covered
Awn. A stiff bristle, usually at the tip of a structure. with membranous scales.
Axil. The angle between two organs, especially Corolla. All the petals together.
between a leaf and stem. Corolla lobe. A petal-like portion of the tip of a
Axillary. In an axil. corolla tube.
Biennial. A plant that lives for two years, flowering Corolla tube. Tube formed by united petals.
and dying in the second year. Compare floral tube.
Bilaterally symmetrical. Divisible into equal halves Corymb. A flat-topped inflorescence with branches
in one plane only, as of a corolla, calyx or flower. arising at various levels along the stem. Compare
umbel.
Bisexual. Having both male and female parts.
Crenate. Scalloped.
Blade. The broad part of a leaf or petal.
Crown. The part of a stem at or just below the
Bract. A small leaf-like structure, often at the base surface of the ground; also, any crown-like
of a flower or inflorescence. structure, such as a ring of tissue at the top of the
Bristle. Stiff, strong but slender hair. achenes of some Asteraceae. Also a ring of
appendages of petals of the throat of a corolla,
Bulb. A short, underground, modified stem between the corolla and stamens, or of the
surrounded by hair or scales. stamens (as in milkweeds).
Calyx. All the sepals together. Culm. The stem of a grass-like plant.
"Calyx lobe. A sepal-like portion of the tip of a calyx Cuneate. Wedge-shaped.
tube.
Cyme. Inflorescence with a flower terminating
Calyx tube. Tube formed by united sepals. every branch, the flowers opening from the main
Compare floral tube. stem outward.
Glossary 583
GLOSSARY
Deciduous. Falling, as leaves. Not evergreen. Gland. A structure that secretes fluid. Glands often
appear as hairs with bulbous tips or glistening dots.
Decumbent. Lying on the ground and ascending
near the tip, as of stems. Glandular. Having glands.
Decurrent. Running downward; as of leaf blades Glandular-pubescent. Having hairs that secrete
that run down as two wings along a stalk or stem. fluid, often with bulbous tips.
Dehiscent. Opening and releasing contents, as Glaucous. Having a whitish or bluish waxy or
stamens or fruits. powdery coating.
Dentate. Toothed, with the teeth pointing outward, Glume. A bract at the base of a grass spikelet.
not forward.
Habit. The appearance or growth form of a plant.
Dioecious. Having male and female flowers on
Hastate. Arrow-shaped, with flaring basal lobes.
different individuals.
Head. A tight cluster of small flowers, as in
Disk flowers. Radially symmetrical flowers of the
Eriocaulon or the Asteraceae. In Asteraceae, the
head in the Asteraceae. Compare ray flowers.
typical head contains disk flowers, ray flowers,
Distal. Farther from the center or the point of and an involucre.
attachment.
Imbricated. Overlapping like shingles on a roof.
Drupe. A fleshy fruit, usually single-seeded, with
Indehiscent. Not opening, as of fruits that do not
the inner portion of the fruit wall forming a hard
shed their seeds.
"stone" enclosing the seed.
Inflorescence. The flowering part of a plant; a
Elliptic. Oval in outline, narrowed to rounded ends
flower cluster. See cyme, fascicle, head, panicle,
and widest near the middle (like the outline of a
raceme, spike.
football). Compare ovate, obovate.
Internode. The portion of a stem between two
Entire. Smooth, without any indentations, teeth, or
nodes.
lobes.
Involucre. A group of closely placed bracts at the
Even-pinnate. Having an even number of leaflets;
base of or enclosing an inflorescence.
said of pinnately compound leaves.
Keel. A ridge formed by a fold in a structure such as
Falcate. Curved like a sickle.
a leaf or petal.
Fascicle. A bundle or cluster, as of flowers.
Lanceolate. Broadest toward the base, narrowed to
Filament. The stalk bearing the anther. the tip, and several times longer than wide.
Compare oblanceolate.
Filiform. Thread-like, long and very slender.
Legume. A 1-locular fruit, usually dehiscent along
Fimbriate. Cut into regular segments and
two sutures, bearing seeds along one suture; also,
appearing fringed.
a plant that bears legumes.
Floral tube. Cup, saucer, or tube formed by the
Lemma. The lower bract at the base of each flower
joined bases of sepals, petals, and filaments.
in a grass spikelet. See palea.
Compare calyx tube, corolla tube.
Lenticel. Pits or corky spots on young bark.
Follicle. A 1-locular fruit developing from a single
carpel and opening along one suture. Lenticular. Lens-shaped.
Frond. Leaf of a fern or palm. Ligule. In the Poaceae, the membranous flange or
fringe where the leaf blade joins the sheath.
Glabrous. Hairless.
Linear. Long and slender with parallel sides.

GLOSSARY
Lip. The upper or lower part of a bilabiate calyx or Peduncle. The stalk of an entire inflorescence or of
corolla. a flower borne singly.
Locule. A compartment of an anther or an ovary Peltate. Attached at a point on the surface of the
(and fruit). plane; not attached marginally.
Membranous. Thin and soft. Perennial. A plant that lives three or more years.
Monoecious. Having male and female flowers on the Perfoliate. Joined into a collar-like structure around
same individual. the stem; said of opposite or whorled leaves.
Naturalized. Of foreign origin, but established and Perianth. The calyx and corolla together.
reproducing as though native.
Perigynium. The sac that envelops the pistil and
Node. A place on a stem that bears one or more the fruit in Carex.
leaves and bracts.
Persistent. Remaining after the normal function
Oblanceolate. Broadest toward the tip, tapered to has been completed.
the base, and several times longer than broad.
Petal. The unit of structure of the corolla, often
Compare lanceolate.
colored.
Oblong. In outline, longer than broad, the sides
Petiole. The stalk of a leaf.
nearly parallel for much of their length.
Pilose. Having scattered long, slender, soft hairs.
Obovate. Broadest at or near the tip but not much
longer than broad. Compare ovate. Pinna. A leaflet.
Obtuse. Broadly angled, the angle more than 90 Pinnate. Having a long axis, with branches, lobes,
degrees but less than 180. veins, or leaflets along either side.
Odd-pinnate. Having an odd number of leaflets. Pistil. The female organ of a flower, usually
composed of a stigma, style, and ovary. A pistil
Opposite. Occurring two at a node on opposite sides
may be made up of one to many carpels.
of the stem, as leaves or bracts.
Pistillate. Bearing pistils but not stamens; also,
Orbicular. Circular in outline.
having only pistillate flowers.
Ovate. Broadest at or near the base but not much
Pome. A fleshy, indehiscent fruit in which the fleshy
longer than broad; having the outline of an egg.
portion is derived largely from the floral tube
Compare elliptic, obovate.
rather than from the ovary; as apples, pears.
Ovoid. A three-dimensional object with an ovate
Pubescent. Hairy.
outline.
Punctate. With sunken dots scattered over the
Palea. The upper bract, often very thin, at the base of
surface.
each flower in a grass spikelet. See lemma.
Raceme. An unbranched inflorescence with stalked
Palmate. With three or more lobes, veins, or leaflets
flowers along a long axis. Compare spike.
arising from one point.
Radially symmetrical. Capable of being cut
Panicle. An open, much-branched inflorescence with
through the center into equal and similar parts
stalked flowers.
along two or more planes.
Pappus. In the Asteraceae, the scales, bristles, crown,
Radiate head. A head with ray flowers.
etc., at the tip of the ovary (or achene) and outside
the corolla. Ray flowers. Bilaterally symmetrical flowers of the
head in Asteraceae. They have flat, strap-shaped
Pedicel. The stalk of a flower in an inflorescence.
corollas and mimic single petals. See disk flowers.
Glossary 585
GLOSSARY
Receptacle. The broad tip of a flower stalk that Spur. A tube or sac projecting from a petal or sepal;
bears the flower parts. also, a short branch with closely spaced leaves.
Retrorse. Bent backwards and downwards. Stamen. The male organ of a flower, usually
consisting of a filament and an anther.
Revolute. Rolled under.
Staminate. Bearing stamens but no pistils; also,
Rhizome. A horizontal, underground, modified stem.
having only staminate flowers.
Rhombic. Diamond-shaped; having an outline with
Stellate. Star-shaped; radiating from a central point.
four equal sides, two oblique angles, and two
acute angles. Stigma. The part of the pistil that receives the
pollen.
Rosette. A radiating cluster of plant parts, crowded
around a common point of attachment, as of Stipule. Basal flange or small blade at the base of a
leaves. leaf stalk; often in pairs.
Rugose. Having a wrinkled surface. Stolon. Runner; a horizontal stem that trails along the
surface of the ground, usually rooting at the nodes.
Sagittate. Arrow-shaped with the basal lobes
pointing downward. Compare hastate. Striate. Marked with fine, parallel lines.
Samara. An indehiscent, winged fruit, as in Ulmus, Style. Stalk elevating the stigma over the ovary.
Fraxinus, and Acer.
Subulate. Tapering from the base to the apex.
Scabrous. Rough to the touch.
Succulent. Fleshy or juicy.
Scape. A leafless flowering stem arising from below
Suture. A seam in a dehiscent fruit.
the ground or from a very short, leafy stem.
Tendril. A slender, twining stalk by which some
Sepal. The unit of structure of the calyx, often green
plants climb.
and bract-like.
Tepal. The unit of structure of the perianth, when
Septate. Partitioned by walls.
sepals and petals are alike.
Serrate. Saw-toothed; having teeth pointing
Terete. Circular in cross-section. Cylindrical.
forward. Compare dentate.
Throat. The broader part of a corolla tube, below
Sessile. Not stalked.
the corolla lobes.
Sheath. The basal part of a lateral organ that closely
Tomentose. Densely covered with short, matted hairs.
surrounds or invests the stem.
Truncate. Cut off squarely, either at the base or tip
Simple. Not compound, as of leaves.
of an organ.
Spadix. A spike with a fleshy axis and flowers
Tuber. A thickened portion of an underground stem.
embedded in the axis.
Turbinate. Top-shaped: cone-shaped and widest
Spathe. A large leafy bract, usually open on one
near the tip.
side, enclosing a flower or an inflorescence.
Umbel. A flat-topped to spherical inflorescence
Spatulate. Shaped like a spatula; gradually widening
with branches arising from a common point (like
distally and with a rounded tip.
the rays of an umbrella). Compare corymb.
Spike. An unbranched inflorescence with stalkless
Unisexual. Having either male or female parts, but
flowers along a long axis. Compare raceme.
not both.
Spikelet. A small spike; the unit of structure of
grass and often sedge inflorescences.

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Index
anise, Florida 436 aster, savannah 279

A anise, ocala 437 aster, small white 281
Abildgaardia ovata 47 anise, star 437 Avicennia germinans 345

Acer negundo 231 Annona glabra 242 Avicennia nitida 345
Acerrubrum 232 Anthaenantia rufa 129 Axonopus affinis 134
Acer saccharinum 233 Ardisia crenata 484 Axonopus compressus 134
Acerates delticola 270 Ardisia escallonioides 484 Axonopus furcatus 134
Aceratesfloridana 270 Ardisia solanacea 484 Azalea serrulata 391
Achras emarginata 542 Arisaema dracontium 33 Azalea viscosa 391
Acmella oppositfolia 339 Arisaema quinatum 34 azalea, clammy 391
Acnida alabamensis 237 Arisaema triphyllum 34 azalea, swamp 391
Acoelorraphe wrightii 38 Aristida affinis 130

Aristida beyrichiana 132
Acrostichum aureum 2
Acrostichum danaeifolium 2 Aristida palustris 130 B
Aeschynomene indica 399 Aristida purpurascens 131 baby tears 558
Afzelia cassiodes 560 Aristida rhizomophora 132 Baccharis angustifolia 283
Agalinis aphylla 549,551 Aristida spiciformis 131 8accharis glomeruliflora 284
Agalinis linifolia 549, 550 Aristida stricta 132 Baccharis halimifolia 284
Agalinis maritima 550 Armoracia aquatica 354 Bacopa caroliniana 552
Agalinis purpurea 551 Arnoglossum diversifolium 276 Bacopa innominata 553
agarista 380 Arnoglossum ovatum 276 Bacopa monnieri 553
Agarista populfolia 380 Arnoglossum sulcatum 275 baldrush, Baldwin's 79
Agrostis stolonifera 122 Aronia arbutfolia 518 Balduina atropurpurea 285
alder, hazel 347 arrow-wood 361 Balduina uniflora 285
Aletris aurea 108 arrowfeather grass 131 bantam-buttons 98
Aletris farinosa 108,109 arrowhead 29 barbara's-buttons 323
Aletris iutea 108,109 arrowhead, grassy 30 barnyard grasses 139
Aletris obovata 108,109 arrowhead, lance-leaf 30 basket grass 161
alligator flag 115 arrowhead, variable-leaf 30 basswood, American 567
alligator-weed 236 artillery plant 578 bastard-indigo 400
alligator-weed, sessile 236 Arundinaria gigantea 133 Batis maritima 346
Alnus serrulata 347 Asclepias connivens 267 bay, loblolly 566
Alopecurus carolinianus 123 Asclepias incarnata 268 bay, swamp 450
Alternanthera maritima 235 Asclepias lanceolata 269 bay, swamp red 450
Alternanthera philoxeroides 236 Asclepias iaurfoiia 273 bayberry, evergreen 482
Alternanthera sessilis 236 Asclepias longifolia 270 bayberry, southern 481
alternanthera, beach 235 Asclepias pedicel lata 271 beakrush 82
Amaranthus australis 237 Asclepias perennis 272 beakrush, Chapman's 75
Amaranthus cannabinus 237 Asclepias rubra 273 beakrush, ciliated 79
Amaranthusfloridanus 237 Asclepias viridula 274 beakrush, clustered 75
ambulia 555 ash, Carolina 500 beakrush, few-flowered 78, 82
American snowbell 565 ash, green 501 beakrush, flattened 79
Ammania coccinea 459 ash, pop 500 beakrush, giant-fruited 83
Ammania latifolia 459 ash, pumpkin 502 beakrush, globular 80
ammannia, purple 459 ash, red 501 beakrush, Cray's 83
Amorpha bushii 400 ash, white 499 beakrush, Harper's 76
Amorpha croceolanata 400 Aster carolinianus 278,281 beakrush, horned 77
Amorpha curtissii 400 Aster chapmanii 278, 279 beakrush, large 77
Amorpha dewinkeleri 400 Aster dumosus 278, 279 beakrush, large headed 79
Amorphafruticosa 400 Aster elliottii 278,281 beakrush, long bristled 81
Amorpha tennesseensis 400 Aster eryngiifolius 278, 280 beakrush, millet 77
Amorpha virgata 400 Aster lateriflora 278, 280 beakrush, mingled 78
Amphicarpum muhlenbergianum 124 Aster spinulosus 278,280 beakrush, narrow 78
Amsonia rigida 257 Aster subutatus 278,282 beakrush, pinebarren 83
Amsonia tabernaemontana 257 Aster tenuifolius 278, 282 beakrush, plumed 82
Andropogon capillipes 128 Aster umbellatus 278, 279 beakrush, short-bristle 76
Andropogon glomeratus 125 Aster vimineus 278,281 beakrush, slender 80
Andropogon gyrans var. stenophyllus 127 aster, bog 280 beakrush, small headed 81
Andropogon liebmanii var. pungensis 126 aster, bushy 279 beakrush, southern 77
Andropogon maritimum 198 aster, calico 280 beakrush, spreading 76
Andropogon mohrii 126 aster, climbing 281 beakrush, swamp-forest 76
Andropogon perangustatus 127 aster, coyote-thistle 280 beakrush, Tracy's 78
Andropogon rhizomatus 199 aster, Elliott's 281 beakrush, tufted 81
Andropogon virginicus 128 aster, false 291 bedstraw, stiff marsh 529
Andropogon virginicus var. glaucus 128 aster, flat-top white 279 beefwood 490
Aneilema 46 aster, saltmarsh 282 beggar-ticks 286
Index 589
INDEX
beggar-ticks, marsh 287 bulrush, soft-stem 85 cedar, Atlantic white 20

beggar-ticks, white 288 Bumelia celastrina 539 Celtis laevigata 568
bellflower, Florida 356 Bumelia lycioides 540 Celtis mississipiensis 568
Benzoin aestivale 448 Bumelia reclinata 541 Centella asiatica 243
Betula nigra 348 bumelia, smooth 541 Centella erecta 243
8idens alba 288 bunchflower, Virginia 112 Cephalanthus occidentalis 524
Bidens bipinnata 289 bur-marigold 287 Cerothamnus carolinensis 482
Bidensfrondosa 287 burhead 28 Cerothamnus ceriferus 481
Bidens laevis 286, 287 burhead, creeping 28 Cerothamnus heterophylla 482
Bidens mitis 286, 287 burma reed 160 Cerothamnus inodorus 483
Bidens pilosa 288 bushfleabane 327 chaff-flower, beach 235
big carpet grass 134 bushy broom grass 125 chaffhead 294
Bigelowia nudata 290 butterweed 334 chain fern, dimorphic 5
birch, river 348 butterworts 451 chain fern, netted 5
bishop-weed, mock 255 button ball tree 507 Chamaecyparis thyoides 20
bitter-cress 352 buttonbush 524 Chamaesyce humistrata 394
bitterweed 315 buttonweed 526 Chaptalia tomentosa 296
black sedge 84 buttonwood 370 Chinese tallow-tree 396
black senna 560 Chiococca alba 525
black titi 375
blackberries 523 c Chloris glauca 148
chocolate-weed 563
blackgum 496 cajeput 486 Chondrophora nudata 290
bladderworts 453 Callitriche heterophylla 355 Christmas berry 561
blazing star 321,322 Callitriche pedunculosa 355 Chrysobalanus pilocarpus 368
Blechnum serrulatum 4 Callitriche peploides 355 Chrysobalanus icaco 368
blolly 490 Calopogon barbatus 116 Chrysobalanus interior 368
blue beech 349 Calopogon muttiftorus 116 chufas 59
blue-eyed grass, eastern 105 Calopogon pallidus 116 Cicuta mexicana 244
blue-flag, anglepod 104 Calopogon tuberosus 116 Cirsium lecontei 297, 298
blue-flag, southern 104 Campanula floridana 356 Cirsium muticum 297, 298
blueberry, Elliott 393 camphor-weed 325, 326 Cirsium nuttallii 297-298
blueberry, high bush 392 Campulosus aromaticus 136 Cladium jamaicense 53
bluestem 198 cane 133 clearweed 578
bluestem, gulf 198 canker-berry 562 Clethra alnifolia 369
bluestem, Mohr's 126 Cannaflaccida 44 Cliftonia monophylla 375
bluestem, slim 127 Canna x generalis 44 climbing heath 390
bluestem, South Florida 199 canna, golden 44 climbing pieris 390
Boehmeria cylindrica 575 Cardamine bulbosa 352 club moss 12
bog buttons 95 Cardamine pensylvanica 352 club moss, fox 12
bog hemp 575 cardinal flower 358 club moss, nodding 13
bogbutton, Engler's 96 Carex albolutescens 48 coast cockspur-grass 139
bogbutton, pineland 96 Carex atlantica 49 coco-grass 61
bogbutton, Small's 96 Carex comosa 50 cocoplum 368
bogbutton, southern 97 Carex crinita 50 coinwort 243
bogbutton, white-head 97 Carex crus-corvi 49 colic-root, golden 108
Boltonia apalachicolensis 291 Carex decomposita 50 colic-root, southern 109
Boltonia asteroides 291 Carex elliottii 51 colic-root, yellow 109
Boltonia diffusa 291 Carexfolliculata 51 colic-roots 108
boneset 310 Carex gigantea 52 Colocasia esculenta 35
boom grass 128 Carex glaucescens 48 Colubrina asiatica 516
Borrichia arborescens 292, 293 Carex howei 49 Commelina diffusa 45
Borrichia frutescens 292, 293 Carex hyalinolepis 51 Commelina erecta 45
Boston fern 10 Carex leptalea 50 Commelina virginica 45
bottlebrush tree 486 Carex louisianica 52 common carpet grass 134
box briar 533 Carex lupulina 52 Complaya trilobata 344
box-elder 231 Carex lurida 52 coneflower, cut-leaved 330
Brachiaria mutica 135 Carex stipata 49 coneflower, grass-leaf 329
Brachiaria purpurascens 135 Carex waiteriana 51 coneflower, Mohr's 331
brown-hair comb fern 8 carpet grasses 134 coneflower, orange 328
buckthorn 540 Carphephorus carnosus 294, 295 coneflower, shiny 332
buckwheat tree 375 Carphephorus odoratissimus 294, 295 Conocarpus erectus 370
bugle-weed 440 Carphephorus paniculatus 294, 295 Conoclinium coelestinum 299
bugle-weed, Virginia 441 Carphephorus pseudoliatris 294, 295 cord grass, big 202
bugleweed, American 440 Carpinus caroliniana 349 cord grass, gulf 202
bulrush, burhead 86 carrotwood 538 cord grass, saltmarsh 201
bulrush, giant 85 catchfly grass 152 cord grass, saltmeadow 203

INDEX
cord grass, sand 203 Cyperus rotundus 61

cord grass, smooth 201 Cyperus surinamensis 55
Coreopsisfalcata 300 Cyperus tetragonus 62
F
L
Coreopsis floridana 300, 303 cypress panic grass 163 Echinochloa colonum 139,140
Coreopsis gladiata 300, 303 cyrilla 376 Echinochloa crusgalli 139,140
Coreopsis integrifolia 300, 302 Cyrilla parvifolia 376 Echinochloa walteri 139
Coreopsis leavenworthii 300 Cyrilla racemiflora 376 Echinodorus cordifolius 28
Coreopsis linifolia 300, 302 Echinodorus parvulus 28
Coreopsis nudata 300, 301
Coreopsis tripteris 300, 301 D Echinodorus rostratus 28
Eclipta alba 304
corkwood 398 dallis grass 183 Egyptian paspalidium 179
Cornus amomum 373 dangleberry 382 elderberry 360
Cornus foemina 373 dasheen 35 Eleocharis atropurpurea 67
cough bush 327 dayflowers 45 Eleocharis baldwinii 65
cow-lily, yellow 492 Decodon vertlclllatus 462 Eleocharis cellulosa 65,66
coyote-thistle, Baldwin's 246 dewberries 523 Eleocharis equisetoides 66
coyote-thistle, blue-flower 247 dewflowers 46 Eleocharisflavescens 67
coyote-thistle, creeping 248 Dicanthelium aclculare 167 Eleocharis geniculata 67
crabgrass, blanket 137 Dicanthelium acuminatum 166 Eleocharis interstincta 66
crabgrass, dwarf 137 Dicanthelium erectifolium 167 Eleocharis olivacea 67
Crataegus aestivalis 519 Dicanthelium scabriusculum 168 Eleocharis quadrangulata 66
Crataegus marshallii Dicanthelium scoparium 169 Eleocharis vivipara 65
Crataegus viridis 521 Dicanthelium spretum 166 elephant grass 193
creeping bramble fern 7 Dichanthelium commutatum 165 elm, American 572
Crinum americanum 31 Dichanthelium dichotomum 162 elm, cedar 573
crownbeard, Chapman's 340 Dichanthelium dichotomum var. ensifolium 163 elm, slippery 574
crownbeard, diverse-leaf 340 Dichanthelium ensifolium 163 elm, winged 571
crownbeard, white 341 Dichanthelium strigosum 165 Elytraria carolinensis 222
Ctenitis submarginalis 8 Dichondra carolinensis 372 Endorima uniflora 285
Ctenium aromaticum 136 Dichondra repens 372 Equisetum affine 11
cup grass 147 Dichromena colorata 63 Equisetum hyemale 11
cup grass, longleaf 147 Dichromena floridensis 63 Equisetum prealtum 11
cup grass, prairie 147 Dichromena latifolia 63 Equisetum robustum 11
Cupaniopsis anacardioides 538 Didiptera brachiata 220 Eragrostis elliottii 141,142
Cuphea aspera 460 Digitaria serotina 137 Eragrostis frankii 141,143
Cuphea carthagenensis 461 Diodia harperi 526 Eragrostis glomerata 141,143
cupscale grass, American 197 Diodia hirsuta 526 Eragrostis hypnoides 141,143
custard-apple 242 Diodia tetragona 526 Eragrostis refracta 141,143
cut grass, clubhead 151 Diodia virginiana 526 Eragrostis reptans 141,144
cut grass, rice 152 Diospyros virginiana 379 Eragrostis secundiflora 144
cut grass, southern 151 Distichlis spicata 138 Eragrostis spectabilis 141,142
cutthroat grass 170 ditch-stonecrop 548 Eragrostis unioloides 141,144
Cyanococcus corymbosum 392 docks 514 Erechtites hieracifolia 305
Cyperus alternifolius 55 dog-fennel 308, 309 Erianthus brevibarbis 145
Cyperus articulatus 56 dog-hobble 385 Erianthus giganteus 145,146
Cyperus cuspidatus 59 dogwood, silky 373 Erianthus strictus 145,146
Cyperus dijformis 56 dogwood, swamp 373 Erigeron quercifolius 306, 307
Cyperus distinctus 56 doll's daisy 291 Erigeron vernus 307
Cyperus drummondii 57 dotted smartweed 513 Eriocaulon compressum 92, 93
Cyperus entrerianus 57 dragon-head, false 444 Eriocaulon decangulare 92, 93
Cyperus erythrorhizos 57 dragon-head, Godfrey's 443 Eriocaulon lineare 92, 94
Cyperus esculentus 59 dragon-head, purple 444 Eriocaulon nigrobracteatum 92, 94
Cyperusfiliculmis 61 dragon-head, slender-leaf 444 Eriocaulon ravenelii 92, 94
Cyperus globulosus 59 dropseed grass, Florida 204 Eriocaulon texense 92, 94
Cyperus haspan 58 dropseed grass, seashore 205 Eriochloa contracta 147
Cyperus huarmensis 60 Drosera brevifolia 377, 378 Eriochola michauxii 147
Cyperus lanceolatus 58 Drosera capillaris 377, 378 Erithralisfruticosa 527
Cyperus lecontei 54 Droserafiliformis 377 Ernodea littoralis 528
Cyperus metzii 60 Drosera intermedia 377, 378 Eryngium aquaticum 245
Cyperus odoratus 54 Drosera tracyi 377, 378 Eryngium baldwinii 246
Cyperus ovularis 61 drumhead 510 Eryngium integrifolium 247
Cyperus papyrus 58 Dryopteris ludoviciana 9 Eryngium prostratum 248
Cyperus polystachyos 55 duck acorn 489 Eryngium yuccifolium 249
Cyperus reflexus 62 Dulichium arundinaceum 64 Eupatorium capillifolium 308, 309
Cyperus retrofractus 62 Dyschoriste humistrata 221 Eupatorium coelestinum 299
Cyperus retrorsus 60 dyschoriste, swamp 221 Eupatorium compositifolium 308
Index 591
INDEX
Eupatorium leptophyllum 308, 309 Flaveriafloridana 312 goldenrods, flat-topped 311

Eupatorium leucolepis 308,310 Flaveria linearis 312,313 Gordonia lasianthus 566
Eupatorium mikanioides 308, 310 Flaveria trinervia 312,313 grass, canow 180
Eupatorium mohrii 309 flax 455 grass, eastern gama 207
Eupatorium perfoliatum 308,310 flax, stiff yellow 456 grass, fakahatchee 207
Eupatorium pilosum 309 flax, West's 456 grass, Florida reimar 196
Eupatorium rotundifolium 309 fleabane 307 grass, Ft, Thompson 187
Eupatorium semiserratum 309 fleabane, daisy 306 grass, India cupscale 197
Eupatorium serotinum 309 fleabane, early whitetop 307 grass, knot 187
Euphorbia humistrata 394 floating-hearts 478 grass, Mediterranean rabbit-foot 195
Euphorbia inundata 394 Florida trema 570 grass, napier 193
Euphorbia polyphylla 394 Forestiera acuminata 497 grass, rabbit-foot 195
Eustachys glauca 148 Forestiera segregata 498 grass, torpedo 174
Eustachys petracea 149 Fothergilla gardeni 415 grass, vasey 183
Euthamia minor 311 foxtail, Carolina 123 grass, woods 161
Euthamia tenuifolia 311 foxtail, tufted 123 grass-pinks 116
Fraxinus americana 499 Gratiola hispida 554
Fraxinus caroliniana 500 Gratiola pilosa 554
F Fraxinus darlingtonii 501 green arum 37
false dragon-heads 443 Fraxinus michauxii 502 green dragon 33
false-asphodel, coastal 114 Fraxinus pennsylvanica 501 Guapira discolor 490
false-foxglove 549 Fraxinus profunda 502 guava, strawberry 487
false-foxglove, flax-leaf 550 Fraxinus smallii 501
fringe-rush 69, 70
false-foxglove, large purple 551
false-foxglove, saltmarsh 550 fringe-rush, annual 69 H
false-foxglove, scale-leaf 551 fringe-rush, saltmarsh 70 Flabenaria distans 117
false-lily 251 fringe-rush, Vahl's hairy 69 Flabenaria odontopetala 118
false-nettle 575 fringe-rushes 68 Flabenaria quinqueseta 117
false-pimpernel, large-flowered 556 frog-fruit 579, 580 Flabenaria repens 117,118
false-pimpernel, short-stalked 556 frost-weed 341 hackberry 568
false-pimpernels 556 Fuirena breviseta 71 hair grass 158
false-willow 283, 284 Fuirena pumila 72 hair-awn muhly grass 158
fern, cinnamon 14 Fuirena scirpoidea 71 hairgrass 65
fern, royal 15 Fuirena squarrosa 71,72 Flalesia diptera 564
fern, sensitive 3 hardscale, one-flower 333
fetter-bush 380, 388, 389 Hartwrightiafloridana 312,314
fetterbush 386(SP?)
G hartwrightia, Florida 314
fever-tree 530 galingale, sheathed 64 hatpins 92
Ficus aurea 479 Galium claytonii 529 haw, green 521
fig, Florida strangler 479 galium obtusifolium 529 haw, may 519
Fimbristylis annua 69 Galium tinctorium 529 haw, parsley 520
Fimbristylis autumnalis 68 gallberry 262 he-huckleberry 376,387
Fimbristylis caroliniana 68 gallberry, largeleaf 260 hedge-hyssops 554
Fimbristylis castanea 68, 70 gallberry, sweet 260 hedge-hyssops, shaggy 554
Fimbristylis dichotoma 69 gayfeather, Carber's 321 Flelenium amarum 315
Fimbristylis monostachya 47 gayfeather, spiked 322 Flelenium pinnatifidum 315
Fimbristylis puberula 69 Gaylussacia dumosa 381 Helianthus agrestis 316
Fimbristylis schoenoides 68, 70 Gaylussaciafrondosa 382 Flelianthus angustifolius 316, 317
Fimbristylis spathacea 70 Gaylussacia mosieri 383 Flelianthus carnosus 316,318
finger grass, saltmarsh 148 germander, American 447 Flelianthusfloridanus 316
finger grass, stiffleaf 149 giant cane 133 Flelianthus heterophyllus 316,318
fire flag 115 giant foxtail 200 Flelianthus simulans 316,318
fireweed 305 Glabraria geniculata 449 heliotrope, pineland 351
flakelet fern 7 glassworts 365 heliotrope, seaside 350
flat sedge, alternate-leaf 55 Gleditsia aquatica 401 Fleliotropium curassavicum 350
flat sedge 54, 55, 57, 60-62 goat-weed 559 Fleliotropium leavenworthii 351
flat sedge, baldwin 59 golden club 36 Fleliotropium polyphyllum 351
flat sedge, coastal-plain 59 golden glow 330 Hemicarpha 73
flat sedge, epiphytic 58 golden-creeper 528 Flibiscus aculeatus 467, 468
flat sedge, hammock 62 goldenrod, Canada 338 Flibiscus coccineus 467,468
flat sedge, jointed 56 goldenrod, Elliott's 336 Flibiscus grandiflorus 467, 469
flat sedge, marshland 56 goldenrod, Leavenworth's 337 Flibiscus laevis 467
flat sedge, red-root 57 goldenrod, marsh 337 Flibiscus moscheutos 467,468
flat sedge, sheathed 58 goldenrod, rayless 290 Flibiscus tiliaceus 467
flat sedge, variable 56 goldenrod, rough-leaf 336 hog-fennel 252
Flaveria bidentis 312 goldenrod, seaside 337 holly, American 264

INDEX
holly, dahoon 259 Hex vomitoria 266 leaf-flower 395

holly, myrtle-leaved 263 llliciumfloridanum 436 leaf-flower, water 395
holly, sarvis 258 lllicium parviflorum 437 leather fern 2
honeycomb-head 285 indian-plantain, egg-leaf 276 Leersia hexandra 151
hornbeam, American 349 indian-plantain, Georgia 275 Leersia lenticularis 151,152
hornwort 457 indian-plantain, variable-leaf 276 Leersia oryzoides 151,152
horsetail 11 indigo-bush 400 Leersia virginica 151,152
huckleberry, dwarf 381 Iris brevicaulis 103 Leptochloafascicularis 153
hurrah-bush 388 Irisfulva 103 Leptochloafiliformis 154
hurricane-grass 70 Iris hexagona 103,104 Leptochloa virgata 154
Hydrochloa caroliniensis 150 Iris pseudacorus 103 Leucothoe axillaris 385
Hydrocotyle bonariensis 250 Iris tridentata 103 Leucothoe populifolia 380
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides 250 Irisverna 103,104 Leucothoe racemosa 386
Hydrocotyle umbellata 250 Iris virginica 103,104 Liatris garberi 321
Hydrolea corymbosa 417 iris, dwarf 104 Liatris gracilis 321, 322
Hydrolea quadrivalvis 418 ironweeds 342, 343 Liatris spicata 321,322
Hygrophila lacustris 223 ironwood 349 lilaeopsis 251
Hygrophila polysperma 224 /tea virginica 547 Lilaeopsis carolinensis 251
hygrophila, East Indian 224 Ivafrutescens 319 Lilaeopsis chinensis 251
hygrophila, lake 223 /va microcephala 320 Li Hum catesbaei 110
Hymenocallis 32 Lilium iridollae 111
Hypericum brachyphyllum 419 lily, panhandle 111
Hypericum canadense 420 J lily, southern red 110
Hypericum chapmanii 420 jack-in-the-pulpit 34 Limonium carolinianum 508
Hypericum cistifolium 421 jambolan plum 488 linden 567
Hypericum crux-andreae 421 joint-tail grass, Carolina 155 Lindera benzoin 448
Hypericum cumulicoa 422 joint-tail grass, Florida 156 Lindernia anagallidea 556
Hypericum denticulatum 426 joint-tail grass, lattice 156 Lindernia Crustacea 556
Hypericum drummondii 422 joint-tail grass, wrinkled 156 Lindernia dubia 556
Hypericum edisonianum 423 joint-tail grasses 155 Lindernia grandiflora 556
Hypericum exile 423 joint-vetch, India 399 Lindernia monticola 556
Hypericum fasciculatum 424 jumpseed 512 Linum carteri 455
Hypericumfrondosum 424 Juncus effusus 106 Linumfloridanum 455
Hypericum gallioides 425 Juncus marginatus 107 Linum medium 455,456
Hypericum gentianoides 425 juncus megacephatus 106 Linum striatum 455
Hypericum gymnanthum 426 Juncus repens 107 Linum westii 455,456
Hypericum harperi 426 Juncus roemerianus 107 lipocarpha 73
Hypericum hypericoides 427 Juncus tenuis 107 Lipocarpha maculata 73
Hypericum lissophloeus 427 jungle-rice 140 Liquidambar styraciflua 416
Hypericum microsepalum 428 Justicia americana 225, 226 Liriodendron tulipifera 465
Hypericum mutilum 428 Justicia cooleyi 225 Litsea aestivalis 449
Hypericum myrtifolium 429 Justicia crassifolia 225 lizard's tail 546
Hypericum nitidum 429 Justicia ovata 225, 227 lobelia 357
Hypericum nudiflorum 430 Lobelia boykinii 357
Hypericum prolijicum 430 Lobelia brevifolia 357
Hypericum pseudomaculatum 431 K Lobelia cardinalis 357, 358
Hypericum reductum 431 Lobeliafeayana 357
Kalmia latifolia 384
Hypericum setosum 432 Lobeliaflaccidifolia 357
key grass 157
Hypericum suffruticosum 432 Lobelia floridana 357, 359
knotroof bristlegrass 200
Hypericum tetrapetalum 433 Lobelia georgiana 357
Kosteletzkya pentasperma 470
Hypolepis repens 7 Lobelia glandulosa 357
Kosteletzkya virginica 470
Hyptis alata 439 Lobelia homophylla 357
Hyptis radiata 439 Lobelia paludosa 357
Hyssa ursirta 496 L Lobelia puberula 357
hyssops, hispid 554 lobelia, Florida 359
Lachnocaulon anceps 95, 97
loosestrife, Curtis' 463
Lacbnocaulon beyrichianum 95,97
loosestrife, saltmarsh 464
I Lachnocaulon digynum 95,96
Lachnocaulon engleri 95, 96
loosestrifes 463
Ilex amelanchier 258 Lotus, american 489

Lachnocaulon minus 95, 96
llexcassine 259 lotus, yellow 489
ladies'tresses 121
llexcoriacea 260 lovegrass 141
ladies'tresses, grass-leaved 121
llexdecidua 261 lovegrass, Chinese 144
ladies'tresses, spring 121
Ilex glabra 262 lovegrass, coastal 143
Laguncularia racemosa 371
Hex myrtifolia 263 lovegrass, creeping 144
lake rush 72
//ex optica 264 lovegrass, Elliott 142
Laportea canadensis 576
//ex verticillata 265 lovegrass, pond 143
laurel, mountain 384
Index 593
Index
lovegrass, purple 142 meadow beauty 472 Nephrolepis cordifolia 10

lovegrass, red 144 meadow beauty, panhandle 476 neverwet 36
lovegrass, sandbar 143 meadow beauty, white 475 Neyraudia reyaudiana 160
lovegrass, teal 143 Mecardonia acuminata 557 nightshade shrub 562
ludwigia 506 melaleuca 486 nimblewill 159
Ludwigia arcuata 506 Melaleuca quinquenervia 486 Nuphar luteum 492
Ludwigia hirtella 504 Melanthera hastata 324 nut sedge 59
Ludwigia leptocarpa 506 Melanthera nivea 324 nut-grass, purple 61
Ludwigia maritima 504 Melanthium virginicum 112 nut-grass, yellow 59
Ludwigia microcarpa 505 Melochia corchorifolia 563 nut-rush, tall 91
Ludwigia octovalvis 503 mermaid-weeds 414 nut-rushes 87
Ludwigia peruviana 504 Metopium toxiferum 239 Nymphaea capensis 493
Ludwigia repens 506 Micranthemum glomeratum 558 Nymphaea elegans 493
Ludwigia sujfruticosa 505 Micranthemum umbrosum 558 Nymphaea mexicana 493
Ludwigia virgata 505 Micromeria bahamensis 442 Nymphaea odorata 493
ludwigia, red 503 Micromeria brownei 442 Nymphoides aquatica 478
Luziolafluitans 150 Micromeria pilosiuscula 442 Nymphoides cordata 478
Lycium carolinianum 561 milkweed, fen-flower 269 Nyssa aquatica 494
Lycopodium alopecuroides 12 milkweed, floodplain 272 Nyssa biflora 496
Lycopodium carolinianum 13 milkweed, large-flower 267 Nyssa ogeche 495
Lycopodium cernuum 13 milkweed, long-leaf 270 Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora 495
Lycopus americanus 440 milkweed, red-flower 273
Lycopus amplectens 440, 441
Lycopus rubellus 440,441
Lycopus virginicus 440,441
milkweed, savanna 271
milkweed, southern 274 o
milkweed, swamp 268, 272 oak, basket 405
Lyonia ligustrina 387 milkwort 510, 511 oak, cherrybark 407
Lyonia lucida 388 milkwort, short 511 oak, cow 405
Lyonia mariana 389 milkwort, tall 511 oak, laurel swamp 403
Lythrum alatum 463 milkworts 509 oak, overcup 404
Lythrum curtisii 463 millers-maid 109 oak, swamp chestnut 405
Lythrumflagellare 463 Mimusops emarginata 542 oak, water 406
Lythrum lineare 463, 464 mint, musky 439 oak, willow 408
mistflower 299 obedient-plants 443
miterwort 457, 458
M miterwort, stalked 458
ogeechee lime 495
Onoclea sensibilis 3
Magnolia virginiana 466 Mitreola angustifolia 457 Oplismenus hirtellus 161
mahoe, seaside 471 Mitreola petiolata 457,458 Oplismenus setarius 161
maiden's-blushes 530 Mitreola sessilifolia 457, 458 orange-grass 136
maidencane 177 Monanthochloe littoralis 157 orchid, fringed 119
maidencane, blue 124 Morella carolinensis 482 orchid, water-spider 118
maleberry 387 Morella cerifera 481 orchids, spiral 121
mangrove, black 345 Morella inodora 483 Orontium aquaticum 36
mangrove, button 370 Morus rubra 480 Osmunda cinnamomea 14
mangrove, red 517 mosier's huckleberry 383 Osmunda regalls 15
mangrove, white 371 mudwort, wild 220 ox-eye, creeping 344
Manilkara bahamensis 542 Muhlenbergia capillaris 158 Oxypolisfiliformis 252
Manilkara jaimiqui 542 Muhlenbergia expansa 158 Oxypolis greenmanii 252, 253
Manisuris cylindrica 155 Muhlenbergia schreberi 159 Oxypolls rigidior 252, 253
Manisuris rugosa 156 muhly grass, cutover 158 Oxypolis ternata 252, 254
Manisuris tessellata 156 muhly grass, gulf 158
Manisuris tuberculosa 156 mulberry, red 480
maple, ash-leaved 231 Murdannia nudiflora 46 P
maple, red 232 Myrica cerifera 481 palm, cabbage 42
maple, silver 233 Myrica heterophylla 481, 482 palm, Florida royal 40
marlberry 484 Myrica inodora 481, 483 palm, needle 39
marsh elder 319 myrsine 485 palm, paurotis 38
marsh elder, little 320 Myrsine floridana 485 palmetto, bluestem 41
marsh fleabane 325, 326 Myrsine guianensis 485 palmetto, dwarf 41
marsh fleabane, perennial 327 panic grass 162
marsh fleabane, annual 326, 327
marsh fleabane, salt 327
N panic grass, Eaton's 166
panic grass, fall 178
marsh-pinks 409,410 Nasturtium microphyllum 353 panic grass, Ft. Myers 167
Marshallia graminifolia 323 Nasturtium officinale 353 Panicum abscissum 170
Marshallia tenuifolia 323 Nelumbo lutea 489 Panicum anceps 172
marshweeds 555 Nelumbo nucifera 489 Panicum ciliatrum 16S
mayberry 393 Nephrolepis biserrata 10 Panicum commutatum 765

INDEX
Panicum dichotomiflorum 178 paspalum, brown-seed 185 pipewort, ten-angled 93

Panicum dichotomum 162 paspalum, bull 184 pipewort, Texas 94
Panicum ens folium 163 paspalum, early 190 pipeworts 92
Panicum erectifolium 167 paspalum, field 189 pisonia 491
Panicum germinatum 179 paspalum, Florida 188 Pisonia rotundata 491
Panicum germinatum 179 paspalum, gulf 192 pitcher-plant 543, 544
Panicum gymnocarpon 175 paspalum, gulfdune 192 pitcher-plant, hooded 545
Panicum hemitomon 177 paspalum, hairy seed 188 pitcher-plant, parrot 545
Panicum longifolium 172 paspalum, joint 187 pitcher-plant, sweet 544
Panicum paludivagum 179 paspalum, mudbank 181 pitcher-plant, trumpet-leaf 545
Panicum paludivagum 179 paspalum, Panama 186 pitcher-plant, white top 544
Panicum pinetorum 167 paspalum, seashore 187 planer tree 569
Panicum purpurescens 135 paspalum, sour 182 Planera aquatica 569
Panicum repens 174 paspalum, thin 191 planetree 507
Panicum rigidulum 171 paspalum, water 181 Platanthera blephariglottis 119
Panicum scabriusculum 168 paspalum, winged 186 Platanthera ciliaris 119
Panicum scoparium 169 Paurotis wrightii 38 Platanthera clavellata 119
Panicum spretum 166 pellitories 577 Platanthera crlstata 119
Panicum strigosum 165 Peltandra virginica 37 Platantheraflava 119
Panicum tenue 164 Pennisetum purpureum 193 Platanthera integra 119,120
Panicum verrucosum 173 pennywort, asiatic 243 Platanthera nivea 119,120
Panicum virgatum 176 pennywort, water 250 Platanus occidentalis 507
panicum, beaked 172 Penthorum sedoides 548 Pleea tenuifolia 113
panicum, erect-leaf 167 pepper-tree, Brazilian 240 Pluchea camphorata 325, 326
panicum, fall 178 Persea palustrls 450 Plucheafoetida 325, 326
panicum, forked 162 persimmon, common 379 Pluchea longifolia 325, 326
panicum, fringed 165 pester-john 34 Pluchea odorata 325, 327
panicum, red-top 171 Peltandra sagittifolia 37 Pluchea rosea 325, 327
panicum, savannah 175 Phanopyrum gymnocarpon 175 Pluchea symphytifolia 325, 327
panicum, spreading 172 Philoxerus vermicularis 238 plume grass, narrow 146
panicum, tall swamp 168 Photiniapyrifolia 518 plume grass, short-beard 145
panicum, tall thin 172 Phragmites australis 194 plume grass, sugarcane 146
panicum, variable 165 Phragmites communis 194 Podostigma pedicellata 271
panicum, velvet 169 Phyla lanceolata 579 poisonwood 239
panicum, warty 173 Phyla nodiflora 579 Polygala cruciata 509,510
panicum, white-edge 164 Phyla stoechadifolia 580 Polygala cymosa 509,511
panicum, woolly 168 Phyllanthus urinaria 395 Polygala lutea 509, 510
paper-bark tree 486 Physostegia godfreyi 443 Polygala nana 509, 510
para grass 135 Physostegia leptophylla 443,444 Polygala ramosa 509, 511
Parietariafloridana 577 Physostegia purpurea 443, 444 Polygala rugelii 509, 510
Parsonsia balsamona 461 Physostegia virginiana 443, 444 Polygala setacea 511
Parsonsia lythroides 460 pickerelweed 210 Polygonum densiflorum 513
Paspalidium geminatum 179 Pieris phillyreifolia 390 Polygonum hydropiperoides 513
Paspalum acuminatum 180 pigeon-berry 490 polygonum punctatum 513
Paspalum boscianum 184 Pileapumila 578 Polygonum virginianum 512
Paspalum circulare 189 pinckneya 530 Polypogon maritimus 195
Paspalum conjugatum 182 Pinckneya bracteata 530 Polypogon mospeliensis 195
Paspalum difforme 188 Pinckneya pubens 530 pond apple 242
Paspalum dilatatum 183 pine, pond 23 pond-spice 449
Paspalum dissectum 181 pine, slash 21 Pontederia cordata 210
Paspalum disticbum 187 pine, spruce 22 Pontederia cordata var. cordata 210
Paspalum flmbriatum 186 pineland daisy 296 pony-foot 372
Paspalum floridanum 188 Pinguicula caerulea 451 popcorn tree 396
Paspalum giganteum 188 Pinguicula ionantha 451,452 Populus deltoides 534
Paspalum laeve 189 Pinguicula lutea 451 Populus heterophylla 535
Paspalum lentlferum 190 Pinguicula planifolia 452 possum-haw 261
Paspalum longlpilum 189 Pinguicula primuliflora 451,452 privet, Florida 498
Paspalum monostachyum 192 Pinguicula pumila 451,452 privet, swamp 497
Paspalum paspalodes 187 Pinus elliottii var. densa 21 Proserpinaca palustris 474
Paspalum plicatulum 185 Pinus elliottii 21 Proserpinaca pectinata 474
Paspalum praecox 190 Pinus glabra 22 Psidium cattleianum 487
Paspalum pubiflorum 188 Pinus serotina 23 Psidium littorale 487
Paspalum repens 181 pipewort 94 Psilocarya nitens 74
Paspalum setaceum 191 pipewort, flattened 93 Psychotria nervosa 532
Paspalum urvillel 183 pipewort, narrow 94 Psychotria sulzneri 532
paspalum, brook 180 pipewort, southern 94 Ptilimnium capillaceum 255
Index 595
Index
punk tree 486 Rhynchospora miliacea 77 Sabatia stellaris 409

purple sesban 402 Rhynchospora mixta 78 Sacciolepis indica 197
Pyrus arbutifolia 518 Rhynchospora odorata 82 Sacciolepis striata 197
Rhynchospora oligantha 78 saffron plum 539
Q Rhynchospora plumosa 82
Rhynchospora rariflora 82
Sagittaria graminea 30
Sagittaria lancifolia 30
Quercusfalcata 407 Rhynchospora stenophylla 78 Sagittaria latifolia 29
Quercus laurifolia 403 Rhynchospora tracyi 78 Sagittariafiliformis 30
Quercus lyrata 404 Rhynchospora spp. 63 Salicornia bigelovii 365, 366
Quercus michauxii 405 Rorippa teres 354 Salicornia virginica 365
Quercus nigra 406 Rosa paiustris 522 Salix caroiiniana 536
Quercus pagoda 407 rose mallow 467 Salixfloridana 537
Quercus phellos 408 rose, swamp 522 Salix humilis 537
rose-gentian, Bartram's 411 Salix nigra 537
rose-gentian, large 413 salt grass 138
R rose-gentian, swamp 412 saltbush 284
Randia aculeata 533 rose-gentians 409,410 saltweed 238
Randia mitis 533 rose-mallow, big 469 saltwort 346
Rapanea guianensis 485 Rotanthafloridana 356 Sambucus canadensis 360
Rapanea punctata 485 Roystoneafloridana 40 Samolus ebracteatus 515
rattle-bushes 402 Roystonea regia 40 Samolus parviftorus 515
rattlesnake master 249 Rudbeckia acuminata 328 samphire 238
red chokeberry 518 Rudbeckia chapmanii 328 Sapium sebiferum 396
red gum 416 Rudbeckiafoliosa 328 Sarracenia flava 543, 545
red-hot-poker 510 Rudbeckiafulgida 328 Sarracenia leucophylla 543, 544
redtop 122 Rudbeckia graminifolia 329 Sarracenia minor 543, 545
reed, common 194 Rudbeckia heterophylla 330 Sarracenia psitticina 543, 545
Reimarochloa oligostachya 196 Rudbeckia laciniata 330 Sarracenia purpurea 543, 544
rein orchid 117,118 Rudbeckia mohrii 331 Sarracenia rubra 543,544
Rhapidophyllum hystrix 39 Rudbeckia nitida 332 Satureja brownei 442
Rhexia alifanus 472 Rudbeckia paiustris 328 Saururus cernuus 546
Rhexia cubensis 472,473 Rudbeckia spathulata 328 savory, Brown's 442
Rhexia lutea 472, 473 Rudbeckia speciosa 328 saw-grass 53
Rhexia mariana 472, 474 Rudbeckia sullivantii 328 scaly-stem, Carolina 222
Rhexia nashii 472,474 Rudbeckia tenax 328 Schinus terebinthifolius 240
Rhexia nuttallii 472, 475 Ruellia brittoniana 228 Schizachyrium maritimum 198
Rhexia parviflora 472,475 Ruellia caroliniensis 229 Schizachyrium rhizomatum 199
Rhexia petiolata 472,476 Ruellia noctiflora 230 Schizachyrium scoparium 199
Rhexia salicifolia 472,476 Rumex hastatulus 514 Schizachyrium scoparium 199
Rhexia virginica 472, 477 Rumex verticillatus 514 Schoenus nigricans 84
Rhizophora mangle 517 rush 107 Scirpus americanus 86
Rhododendron serruiatum 391 rush fuirena 72 Scirpus californicus 85
Rhododendron viscosum 391 rush, creeping 107 Scirpus cubensis 86
Rhynchospora baldwinii 79 rush, flat-spike 47 Scirpus cyperinus 85, 86
Rhynchospora cephalantha 75 rush, large-headed 106 Scirpus pungens 86
Rhynchospora chalarocephala 79 rush, needle 107 Scleria baldwinii 87
Rhynchospora chapmanii 75 rush, path 107 Scleria brittonii 88
Rhynchospora ciliaris 79 rush, soft 106 Scleria ciliata 87, 88
Rhynchospora compressa 79 rush-featherling 113 Scleria distans 89
Rhynchospora corniculata 76 rushes 106 Scleria elliottii 88
Rhynchospora decurrens 76 Scleria georgiana 87, 88
Scleria hirtella 87, 89
Rhynchospora divergens 76
Rhynchospora fascicularis 80
S Scleria lacustris 87
Rhynchospora fit folia 80 Sabat minor 41 Scleria lithosperma 87, 89
Rhynchospora globularis 80 Sabal palmetto 42 Scleria muhlenbergii 90
Rhynchospora gracilenta 80 Sabatia angularis 409 Scleria oligantha 87, 90
Rhynchospora grayi 83 Sabatia bartramii 411 Scleria pauciflora 88
Rhynchospora harperi 76 Sabatia brevifolia 409 Scleria reticularis 87, 90
Rhynchospora inexpansa 81 Sabatia calycina 412 Scleria setacea 90
Rhynchospora intermedia 83 Sabatia campanulata 409 Scleria triglomerata 87, 91
Rhynchospora intermixta 81 Sabatia difformis 409 Scleria verticillata 87, 91
Rhynchospora inundata 77 Sabatia dodecandra 413 Sclerolepis uniflora 333
Rhynchospora macra 77 Sabatia gentianoides 409,410 Scoparia dulcis 559
Rhynchospora megatocarpa 83 Sabatia grandiflora 409,410 scouring rush 11
Rhynchospora microcarpa 77 Sabatia macrophylla 409 scullcaps 445
Rhynchospora microcephala 81 Sabatia quadrangula 409,410 Scutellaria floridana 445, 446

Iktdex
Scutellaria integrifolia 445, 446 smartweed 513 St. John's-wort 434,435

Scutellaria lateriflora 445 smartweeds 512 St. John's-wort, Carolina 429
Scutellaria racemosa 445 snakeroot, blue flowered 245 St. John's-wort, Chapman's 420
sea blites 367 snakeroot, button 249 St. John's-wort, Edison's 423
sea purslane 234 snakeroot, corn 245 St. John's-wort, marsh 424
sea-lavender 508 snakewood, Asian 516 St. John's-wort, marsh 434
sea-oxeye 292 sneezeweed 315 St. John's-wort, smooth-bark 427
sebastian-bush 397 sneezeweed, swamp 315 stagger-bush 388, 389
sebastian-bush, gulf 397 snowberry 525 star rushes 63
Sebastianafruticosa 397 Solatium bahamense 562 star-grasses 108
sedge, bearded 50 Solanum erianthum 562 Stillingia aquatica 398
sedge, bristly-stalk 50 Solanum verbascifolium 562 stinkweed 325
sedge, caric 48 Solidago canadensis 338 storax 565
sedge, cypress-knee 50 Solidago elliottii 335, 336 string-lily 31
sedge, Elliott's 51 Solidago fistulosa 335, 337 Styrax americana 565
sedge, fringed 50 Solidago leavenworthii 335, 337 Styrax pulverulentum 565
sedge, hop 52 Solidago patula 335, 336 Suaeda linearis 367
sedge, Howie's 49 Solidago rugosa 335, 338 Suaeda maritima 367
sedge, large 52 Solidago sempervirens 335, 337 sugar-berry 568
sedge, long 51 Solidago stricta 335, 338 sumac, poison 241
sedge, Louisiana 52 Sorbus arbutifolia 518 sunbonnet 296
sedge, nut 61 sour dock 514 sundew, thread-leaf 377
sedge, prickly bog 49 sour-bush 327 sundew, dwarf 378
sedge, raven-foot 49 southern shield fern 9 sundew, Gulf coast 378
sedge, shallow 52 southern wood fern 9 sundew, pink 378
sedge, shoreline 51 Spanish needles 289 sundew, spoon-leaf 378
sedge, stalk-grain 49 Spartina alterniflora 201 sunflower, lakeside 318
sedge, three-way 64 Spartina bakeri 203 sunflower, muck 318
sedge, Walter's 51 Spartina cynosuroides 202 sunflower, southeastern 317
sedge, white nut 87 Spartina patens 203 sunflower, swamp 317
seedbox, coastal plain 504 Spartina spartinae 202 sunflower, wetland 318
seedbox, hairy 504 spatter-dock 492 swamp dock 514
seedbox, headed 505 Sphagrieticola trilobata 344 swamp fern 4
seedbox, little 505 spicebush 448 swamp hibiscus 469
seedbox, savanna 505 spider-lily 32 swamp loosestrife 462
seedbox, seaside 504 spikerush 67 swamp-lily, southern 31
seedboxes 503 spikerush, annual 67 sweet bay 466
Senecio aureus 334 spikerush, coastal 66 sweet gum 416
Senecio glabellus 334 spikerush, jointed 66 sweet pepperbush 369
sensitive fern 3 spikerush, square-stem 66 sweet-broom 559
Sesbania herbacea 402 spikerush, viviparous 65 switchgrass 176
Sesbania punicea 402 Spilanthes americana 339 sword ferns 10
Sesbania vesicaria 402 spindle-root 504 sword-grass 86
sesbans 402 Spiranthes praecox 121 sycamore, American 507
Sesuvium maritimum 234, 235 Spiranthes vernalis 121 Syngonanthusflavidulus 98
Sesuvium portulacastrum 234 spoonflower 37 Syzygium cumini 488
Setaria geniculata 200 Sporobolusfloridanus 204 Syzygiumjamos 488
Setaria magna 200 Sporobolus virginicus 205
Seymeria cassiodes 560 spotflower, creeping 339
shining panic grass 162 sprangle-top grass 153
T
shiny lyonia 388 sprangle-top grass, bearded 153 Teucrium canadense 447
shoe buttons 98 sprangle-top grass, red 154 thalia 115
shore grass 157 sprangle-top grass, tropic 154 Thalia geniculata 115
Sideroxylon celastrinum 539 spring titi 375 thatch palm, Florida 43
Sideroxylon reclinatum 541 spring-cress 352 Thespesia populnea 471
silk reed 160 spurge, Florida 394 thistle, Leconte's 298
silky-scale, purple 129 spurge, many-leaved 394 thistle, Nuttall's 298
silverhead 238 squarestem 324 thistle, swamp 298
Sisyrinchium atlanticum 105 St. Andrew's cross 427 thoroughwort 308
Sium suave 256 St. John's Susan 332 thoroughwort, marsh 309
skyflower 417 St. John's wort, Atlantic 431 thoroughwort, semaphore 310
slash pine 21 St. John's wort, Drummond's 422 thoroughwort, white bract 310
slash pine, south Florida 21 St. John's wort, scrub 422 three-awn grass, longleaf 130
slim pod, eastern 257 St. John's wort, shrubby 430 three-square 86
slimpod, stiff 257 St. John's wort, small-sepal 428 Thrinax radiata 43
small-spike 575 St. John's-wort 419-435 thunderwood 241
Index 597
INDEX
tickseed, ciliate-leaf 302 Vernonia noveboracensis 342, 343 winter berry 265
tickseed, Florida 303 Viburnum dentatum 361 wire grass 132
tickseed, Georgia 301 Viburnum nudum 362 witch grass, erect-leaf 167
tickseed, Leavenworth's Viburnum obovatum 363 witch-alder 415
tickseed, southeastern 303 viburnum, possum-haw 362 wood-nettle 576
tickseed, tall 301 viburnum, small leaf 363 Woodwardia areolata 5
tickseed, Texas 302 viburnum, waiter 363 Woodwardia virginica 6
Tilia americana 567 vine wicky 390 wool-grass 86
Tilia caroliniana 567 Viola affinis 581 woolly-berry 383
Tiliafloridana 567 Viola esculenta 581
Tilia georgiana 567 Viola lanceolata 581
Tilia heterophylla 567 Viola primullfolia 581 Y
titi 376 violets 581 yaupon 266
Tofieldia racemosa 114 Virginia willow 547 yellow poplar 465
toothache grass 136 yellow-cresses 354
toothcup 459
torchwood, black 527 w yellowtop 312,313
yerba de Tajo 304
Toxicodendron vernix 241 water chickweeds 355
Trema micrantha 570
Triadenum tubulosum 434
water elm 569
water grass 150 z
Triadenum virginicum 434, 435 water-cress 353 Zizania aquatica 208
Triadenum waiteri 434 water-dropwort 252 Zizaniopsis miliacea 209
Tridens ambiguus 206 water-hemlock 244
Tridens strictus 206 water-hoarhound 440
tridens, long-spike 206 water-hoarhound 441
tridens, pine barren 206 water-hoarhound, sessile-leaved 441
tridens, savannah 206 water-hyssop, nameless 553
Tripsacum dactyloides 207 water-hyssop, smooth 553
tulip poplar 465 water-hyssops 552
tupelo, ogeechee 495 water-lily 493
tupelo, swamp 496 water-lily, fragrant white 493
tupelo, water 494 water-lily, yellow 493
two-wing, silverbell 564 water-locust 401
water-parsnip 256
u water-primrose 503, 504

water-primroses 503, 504
Ulmus alata 571 water-starwort 355
Ulmus americana 572 water-starwort, smooth-fruited 355
Ulmus crassifolia 573 water-willow 225-227,462
Ulmusfloridana 572 water-willow, Cooley's 226
Ulmusfulva 574 water-willow, thick-leaved 227
Ulmus rubra 574 waterleaf 417
umbrella-grass, dwarf 72 waterpod 418
umbrella-grass, short-bristled 71 wax myrtle 481
Urochloa mutica 135 wax-myrtle, odorless 483
Utricularia purpurea 454 waxweed, Columbia 461
Utricularia radiata 454 waxweed, common 460
Utricularia subulata 454 Wedella trilobata 344
West Indian trema 570
white grass 152
V white-top sedge 63
Vaccinium arkansanum 392 white-top sedge, giant 63
Vaccinium ashei 392 wild coffee 531
Vaccinium atrococcum 392 wild dilly 542
Vaccinium australe 392 wild taro 35
Vaccinium corymbosum 392 wild tobacco 327
Vaccinium elliottii 393 wild water-pepper 513
Vacciniumfuscatum 392 wild-petunia 229
Vaccinium virgatum 392 wild-petunia, Britton's 228
Verbesina alba 304 wild-petunia, night-flowering 230
Verbesina chapmanii 340 wildrice 208
Verbesina heterophylla 340 wildrice, southern 209
Verbesina virginica 341 willow, black 537
Vernonia angustifolia 342, 343 willow, Carolina 536
Vernonia blodgettii 342 willow, Florida 537
Vernonia gigantea 342, 343 willow, prairie 537

Florida Wetland Plants: An Identification Manual
With more than 800 color photographs and 1,000 entries, Florida Wetland Plants is a
definitive work, covering a majority of the plant species found in the Florida Wetland
Delineation Methodology, 1994 (Chapter 62-340, F.A.C.).
This new resource is a completely revised and rewritten update to the Identification
Manual for Wetland Plant Species of Florida, published in 1972. Like its predecessor,
Florida Wetland Plants represents the collaborative effort of many of Florida's foremost
botanical authorities.
Several new, reader-friendly features have been added, including a glossary and index to
families, and an index for scientific and common names. Color coding of the four main
groups of vascular plants and an alphabetical listing of the families and genera make this
comprehensive resource easy to use.
Recreational enthusiasts and scientists alike should find this reference an invaluable
guide to achieving a greater understanding and appreciation of Florida's unique
wetland plants.
UNIVERSITY OF
FLORIDA
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
ISBN-0-916287-27-0

Florida Wetland Plants

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Florida Wetland Plants

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FLORIDA WETLAND PLANTS

Dr. John D. Tobe

Kathy Craddock Burks

Dr. David W. Hall

Dr. James R. Cooper

John D. Tobe, Ph.D., Kathy Craddock Burks, Richard W. Cantrell,

© 1998 Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Tallahassee, FL

ISBN 0-916287-27-0 CIP and Library of Congress applied for.

Coordinating Editor: John D. Tobe, Ph.D.

Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

ii Florida Wetland Plants

Adiantaceae, Leather Fern Family 2

Alismataceae, Water-plantain Family 28

Aceraceae, Maple Family ...231

Aizoaceae, Sea Purslane Family ...234

Amaranthaceae, Amaranth Family ...235

Anacardiaceae, Cashew or Poison-ivy Family. ...239

Annonaceae, Custard-Apple Family ...242

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae), Carrot Family ...243

Apocynaceae, Dogbane Family ...257

Aquifoliaceae, Holly Family ...258

Asclepiadaceae, Milkweed Family ...267

Asteraceae (Compositae), Sunflower Family... ...275

Bataceae, Saltwort Family ...346

Betulaceae, Birch Family ....347

Boraginaceae, Borage Family 350

Fagaceae, Oak Family 403

vi Florida Wetland Plants

VIII Florida Wetland Plants

Photographic and Illustration Credits

x Florida Wetland Plants

General identification tips:

stems usually horizontal, usually underground (rhizomes)

Recognition: Two species are present in Florida:

2 Florida Wetland Plants

Habitat: FACW. Open marshes, forested wetlands, and

Distribution: Northwest and north-central Florida.

Habit of plant with sterile and

Habit of plants along stream

4 Florida Wetland Plants

Habitat: OBL. Cypress domes, hydric hammocks,

Distribution: Throughout Florida.

Distribution: Throughout Florida.