Circular 1246

Common Native Wildflowers of North Florida1 Jeffrey G. Norcini2

The species in this publication are that are native to Much of the information about native wildflower habitat is the US and occur in ; most of them are considered from Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Florida Panhandle native to Florida. You might observe these species along the by A.F. Clewell (see references). roadside in North Florida, or while you’re taking a hike in a natural area. Information shown in the following tables References is based on personal observations and on information Bell, C.R. and B.J. Taylor. 1982. Florida Wild Flowers and obtained from the references listed in the next section. Roadside Plants. Chapel Hill, NC: Laurel Hill Press. type, flowering, native habitat, and light requirement refer to North Florida conditions. Some of these species Clewell, A.F. 1985. Guide to the Vascular Plants of the may be available at local garden centers or retail nurseries, Florida Panhandle. Tallahassee, FL: Florida State University especially those that specialize in native plants. Press. The species information presented refers primarily to plants Jones, S.B., Jr. and L.E. Foote. 1990. Gardening with Native as they occur in the wild. Wildflowers or cultivars obtained Wild Flowers. Portland, OR: Timber Press. through seed companies or at local garden centers may differ substantially in flowering season, appearance, site Native Nurseries, Tallahassee, FL. 1997. (pers. comm.). requirement, and pest susceptibility. In addition, plants derived from a local native population of a wildflower Phillips, H.R. 1985. Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers. species that are grown under garden conditions (applying Chapel Hill, NC: The University of Press. supplemental water/fertilizer, pesticides, etc.) may differ in appearance, flowering time, and pest susceptibility Rickett, H.W. 1967. Wild Flowers of the United States, compared to that same species as it grows in the wild. Volume 2: The Southeastern States. , NY: Fertilization, if necessary, should be kept to a minimum, McGraw-Hill. especially if using wildflowers derived from a local native population. USDA, NRCS 1999. The PLANTS database. http://plants.( usda.gov). National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA The “Uses and Comments” column is included as a guide 70874-4490 US. as to where these species could be used in a residential or commercial landscape. Choose a site with well-drained soil, Taylor, W.K. 1992. The Guide to Florida Wildflowers. Dallas, and consider a species light preference and native habitat. TX: Taylor Publishing Co.

1. This document is Circular 1246, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date February 2000. Revised June 2002. Reviewed February 2019. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Jeffrey G. Norcini, former associate professor, native wildflower and grass specialist, Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center, Quincy, FL 32351.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county’s UF/IFAS Extension office.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension. Taylor, W.K. 1998. Florida Wildflowers In Their Natural Communities. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. Table 1. Descriptions of some native habitats (from Guide to the Vascular Plants of the Florida Panhandle). Native Habitat Type Description Sandhills Pineland (slash/longleaf) on dry site; understory of turkey oaks or other scrub oaks Flatwoods Pineland (slash/longleaf) on moist site; may have understory of saw palmetto Pine-oak-hickory woods Occurs on upland loamy soil and on sandy rims of river bluffs Secondary woods Reforested lands on drier upland sites Hammocks Mixed hardwood forest; soils are moist but not overly wet Ruderal (disturbed areas) Areas such as roadsides, lawns, vacant lots, etc.

Table 2. Wildflowers for Shade Conditions (species that prefer shade or will tolerate shade like that under a high hardwood forest canopy). Scientific Name Common Plant Type1 Flower Season Flower Height (in Native Habitat Uses and Name Color flower) Comments Aquilegia Columbine Perennial March to April Red and 11/2 to 2 feet Calcareous Slightly moist site; canadensis yellow woods use for naturalizing; ; foliage may die back in summer Packera aurea Golden Perennial; March to June Yellow Groundcover Floodplains Woodlands; (Senecio aureus) Ragwort evergreen with 2- to moist site 3-foot flowering stems Coreopsis Chipola Perennial; September to Yellow 2 to 3 feet Floodplains; Moist site; fall integrifolia Coreopsis evergreen November riverbanks flowering coreopsis superbum Turk’s-cap Lily Perennial July Orangish 3 to 9 feet Hammocks Moist site; use for red naturalizing Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower Perennial August to Intense red 2 to 4 feet Riverbanks; Excellent for moist October springs; coastal site; not rec. for full hammocks sun; red flowers easy to spot in woods Packera glabella Golden Annual February to Yellow 2 to 4 feet Floodplains; Moist site (Senecio glabellus) Ragwort; April marshes; Jeffrey along streams; Butterweed ruderal2 Phlox divaricata Blue Phlox Perennial; February to Blue 10 inches Bluffs; Slightly moist site; semi-evergreen April calcareous foliage may die back hammocks in summer Salvia lyrata Lyreleaf Sage; Perennial; may February to Purple 1 to 11/2 feet Disturbed Slightly moist Cancer Weed be evergreen May; October areas; marshes site; sun or shade; ornamental foliage; reseeds Spigelia Indian Pink; Perennial April to May Red and 1 to 11/2 feet Bluffs; Rich soil; woodland marilandica Woodland Yellow calcareous edges; tubular Pinkroot hammocks flowers 1 Plant type—Unless otherwise noted, all species are herbaceous and not evergreen. 2 Ruderal means disturbed areas such as roadsides, lawns, vacant lots, etc.

Common Native Wildflowers of North Florida 2 Florida reseeds backslopes reflowering Hot, dryHot, site flower heads flower in a ‘sea of white’ ‘sea in a blue-green foliage Hot, dryHot, reseeds site; vegetatively; reseeds vegetatively; Uses and Comments Uses Dry, sandy site; roadsides sandy site; Dry, (pinkish purple venation) usually have vanilla scent vanilla usually have Slightly moist site; spreads spreads moist site; Slightly Meadows; dryMeadows; reseeds site; Dry, sandy site; showy foliage showy foliage sandy site; Dry, Moist site; roadside ditches or ditches roadside Moist site; Slightly moist site; dead leaves dead leaves moist site; Slightly Slightly moist site; large, showy large, moist site; Slightly Moist site; edges of woodlands; edges of woodlands; Moist site; Moist site; only pink coreopsis in only pink coreopsis Moist site; Slightly drySlightly moist site; slightly to Excellent for hot, dry hot, for reseeds; site; Excellent Beautiful blue flower for sandy site Beautiful blue flower reseeds; remove faded blossoms for faded blossoms for remove reseeds; Disturbed site; mass planting results results mass planting Disturbed site; 2 sites sites 2 2 areas dunes ditches margins swamps Sandhills open sites ruderal ruderal Native Habitat Native Disturbed areas disturbed areas; disturbed areas; Flatwoods; bogs; Flatwoods; Sandhills, scrubs; Sandhills, margins; ruderal margins; secondary woods secondary woods Floodplains; moist Floodplains; Stream banks; wet banks; wet Stream areas; lake margins areas; cypress ponds; wet cypress ponds; wet Sandhills; disturbed Sandhills; disturbed Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; flatwoods; hammocks; pastures; hammocks; pastures; Disturbed areas; moist Disturbed areas; Disturbed areas; sandy Disturbed areas; Flatwoods; bogs; pond Flatwoods; areas; edges of cypress areas; moist woodland edges moist woodland Flatwoods; bogs; moist Flatwoods; woodland edges; pond woodland Sandhills, scrubs; sandy Sandhills, 1 foot flower) 2 to 3 feet 2 to 3 feet 1 to 3 feet 2 to 3 feet 2 to 4 feet 3 to 3 feet 2 to 3 feet 1 to 4 feet 2 to 2 feet 1 to 2 feet 1 to Height (in Height 1 to 11/2 feet 11/2 1 to may ascend may some stems some stems Up to 2 feet; 2 feet; Up to Prostrate but Prostrate usually about 6 feet or more 6 feet Up to 32 inches Up to rose Pink Purple Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Pinkish Orange Purplish pinkish to White with White red; yellow; red; purplish tint Powder Blue Powder Bluish Purple Flower Color Flower Yellow and red; and red; Yellow July July to July to July to April to April to November November November September April to June April to April to June April to March to May to March September to September to March to June to March June to March June to March July to OctoberJuly to Flower Season Flower May to October to May October to May June to OctoberJune to 1 woody Annual Annual Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial evergreen Plant Type Plant evergreen to to evergreen Annual; semi- Annual; Perennial; semi- Perennial; Blanket Tongue Tickseed Dogbane Milkweed Coreopsis Mistflower Pinewoods Pinewoods Bluestar; Blue Partridge-Pea Trumpetweed Blanketflower; Blanketflower; Leavenworth’s Leavenworth’s Joe-Pye Weed; Joe-Pye Weed; Butterfly Weed Butterfly Soft Greeneyes Wild Ageratum; Ageratum; Wild Yellow Colicroot Yellow Common Name Common Tickseed Georgia Firewheel; Indian Firewheel; Oakleaf Fleabane Dye Flower; Texas Dye Texas Flower; Vanilla Plant; Deer Plant; Vanilla Swamp Coreopsis; Coreopsis; Swamp Southern Fleabane; Southern Fleabane; Lanceleaf Coreopsis Lanceleaf Coreopsis Coreopsis fistulosum fasciculata Aletris lutea Eupatorium Eupatorium coelestinum Conoclinium Conoclinium leavenworthii odoratissimus Carphephorus Carphephorus Amsonia ciliata Coreopsis basalis Coreopsis Scientific Name Coreopsis nudata Coreopsis Asclepias tuberosa Berlandiera pumila Berlandiera Gaillardia pulchella Erigeron quercifolius Erigeron Coreopsis lanceolata Coreopsis Asclepias humistrata Cassia (Chamaecrista) (Chamaecrista) Cassia Table 3. Wildflowers for High Light Conditions (full sun; filtered sun like that under a high pine canopy; sun like that woodlands). edges of Conditions (full sun; filtered for High Light Wildflowers 3. Table

Common Native Wildflowers of North Florida 3 woods tolerant for full sun for vegetatively viewed close up viewed stems tend to lodge to tend stems lodge to tend stems Hot, dryHot, reseeds site; Uses and Comments Uses Don’t use in clayey soils; use in clayey Don’t silvery (hairy) leaves ovalish flower; spreads vegetatively spreads flower; Slightly drySlightly moist slightly to palmately compound leaves compound palmately site; exquisite flower; spreads spreads flower; exquisite site; blue summer flowers; reseeds blue summer flowers; Well-drained site; tall flowering tall flowering site; Well-drained tall flowering site; Well-drained Sandy site in full sun; not freeze in full sun; not freeze Sandy site hummingbirds; feathery foliage hummingbirds; Slightly moist site; novelty plant novelty moist site; Slightly Slightly drySlightly moist site; slightly to Moist site; veryMoist fall site; showy yellow Hot, dryHot, best unusual flower; site; Slightly moist site; foliage may die may foliage moist site; Slightly Excellent for moist site; not rec. for for not rec. moist site; for Excellent full sun; red flowers easy to spot in easy flowers full sun; red Excellent for hot, dry hot, for in full sun; site Excellent dry hot, for in full sun; site Excellent back in summer; not recommended back in summer; not recommended woods beaches Flatwoods hammocks floodplains floodplains areas; dunes areas; of woodlands Native Habitat Native Sandhills; scrub Disturbed areas Sandhills; mesic bogs; dry bluffs; Disturbed areas; Disturbed areas; Disturbed areas; Disturbed areas; areas; secondaryareas; woodland edges woodland Flatwoods; bogs, bogs, Flatwoods; Bluffs; calcareous calcareous Bluffs; open sandy areas; open sandy areas; coastal hammocks coastal longleaf pinelands; marshes; disturbed Sandhills; disturbed Riverbanks; springs; edges of woodlands Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; open woods Disturbed areas; edges Disturbed areas; high more 6 feet flower) 10 inches 2 to 3 feet 2 to 6 feet 3 to 4 feet 2 to 4 feet 2 to 4 feet 2 to 2 feet 1 to Height (in Height up to 3 feet 3 feet up to Creeping or Creeping or Creeping 11/2 to 3 feet to 3 11/2 Groundcover, Groundcover, climbing vine climbing vine 6 to 12 inches 6 to 1 to 11/2 feet or 11/2 1 to 2 feet, but up to but up to 2 feet, Blue Blue bracts Purple Yellow Yellow Scarlet flowers) Lavender Lavender Bright red purple; red disk flowers disk flowers Dark purple White; pink; White; Bluish purple Flower Color Flower (few to no ray no ray to (few Pinkish purple Yellowish with Yellowish pinkish purple April October October October October October August to to August to August November February to to February September to September to September to September to September to March to June to March March to April to March April to March June to August June to April to August April to July to OctoberJuly to OctoberJuly to Flower Season Flower 1 Annual Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial evergreen Plant Type Plant semi-woody semi-woody Annual; may be may Annual; semi-evergreen Perennial; semi- Perennial; Perennial; may be may Perennial; Annual/Perennial; Annual/Perennial; Star Maypop Beebalm Sunflower Sunflower Blue Phlox Lady Lupine Horsemint OR Horsemint Cucumberleaf Cucumberleaf Jacquemontia Narrow-leaved Narrow-leaved Sundial Lupine Passion-Flower; Passion-Flower; Cardinal Flower Cardinal Common Name Common Dune Sunflower; Dune Sunflower; Pinkscale Blazing Pinkscale Spanish Larkspur Beach Sunflower; Beach Sunflower; Hairy Clustervine; Standing Cypress; Cypress; Standing Drummond Phlox Rayless Sunflower Swamp Sunflower; Sunflower; Swamp Spotted OR Dotted/ Spotted Slender Blazing Star tamnifolia Helianthus Helianthus angustifolius subsp. debilis subsp. Liatris gracilis Liatris elegans Jacquemontia Jacquemontia Lupinus villosus Lupinus Phlox divaricata Phlox Ipomopsis rubra Lupinus perennis Lupinus Scientific Name Lobelia cardinalis Lobelia Helianthus debilis Helianthus Helianthus radula Helianthus Phlox drummondii Phlox Monarda punctata Monarda Passiflora incarnata Passiflora

Common Native Wildflowers of North Florida 4 margins the spring appreciate fall flowers vegetatively vegetatively vegetatively reflexed petals reflexed shade; reseeds with goldenrods stem in a raceme stem Uses and Comments Uses combine with goldenrods combine Slightly moist site; spreads spreads moist site; Slightly Wet site in full sun; spreads in full sun; spreads site Wet roadside ditches; meadows ditches; roadside satin-like finish; must see to finish; must see satin-like ornamental foliage; reseeds ornamental foliage; Moist site; grass-like foliage; foliage; grass-like Moist site; Woodland edges; moist site; edges; moist site; Woodland Slightly moist site; showy blue moist site; Slightly Slightly moist site; Rhexias have RhexiasSlightly moist site; have interesting urn-shaped capsules interesting Slightly drySlightly part full sun to site; Good for dry site; low-growing, dryGood for low-growing, site; Edges of woodlands; moist site; moist site; of woodlands; Edges Wet ditches; pond, river, stream stream river, pond, ditches; Wet Moist site; exquisite flower with flower exquisite Moist site; Hot, dry site; several flowers per dryHot, flowers several site; Slightly drySlightly moist site slightly to Slightly moist site; sun or shade; moist site; Slightly silvery grass-like foliage; spreads spreads silvery foliage; grass-like in turf that hasn’t been mowed in been mowed in turf hasn’t that flowers in spring; grass-like foliage grass-like in spring; flowers depending on species; showy early Woodland edges; dry combine site; Woodland Slightly moist site; frequently occurs occurs frequently moist site; Slightly 2 Varies forests woods ditches ruderal marshes Sandhills Hammocks; coastal swales coastal Native Habitat Native cypress swamps Disturbed areas; Disturbed areas; Margins of open Margins Floodplains; acid Floodplains; Flatwoods; bogs; Flatwoods; bogs; Flatwoods; hammocks; bluffs swamps; marshes swamps; scrubs; bog; pine- swales in sandhills; swales hickory-oak woods bogs; marshes; wet bogs; marshes; wet floodplains; coastal floodplains; Slightly moist areas Slightly Sandhills; secondary Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; flatwoods; Sandhills; bogs; pine Bogs; cypress swamps Bogs; cypress swamps Flatwoods; riverbanks; riverbanks; Flatwoods; riverbanks; hammocks riverbanks; more flower) 2 to 3 feet 2 to 3 feet 1 to 3 feet 2 to 3 feet 1 to 4 feet 2 to 7 feet 2 to Height (in Height Up to 2 feet Up to 11/2 to 3 feet to 3 11/2 feet 11/2 1 to feet to 2 11/2 feet to 3 11/2 feet 11/2 1 to 11/2 to 21/2 feet to 21/2 11/2 11/2 to 6 feet or to 6 11/2 10 to 18 inches 10 to Up to 16 inches Up to Blue White White Purple Purple Purple Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow Yellow on stem) Light pink Light White (with White White (spiral (spiral White Orangish red Orangish white bracts)white Purplish pink Purplish Flower Color Flower May to to May June to June to October August to to August to August to August November November November September February to to February June to July June to May to June to May April to June April to May; October March to May to March July to August July to June to August June to July to OctoberJuly to Flower Season Flower May to October to May October to May June to OctoberJune to 1 Annual Annual Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial Perennial; Perennial; evergreen evergreen evergreen) Plant Type Plant (short-lived) evergreen to to evergreen Perennial; semi- Perennial; Annual; Perennial Perennial Annual; Perennial; (may be (may Perennial; Grass Sedge Beauty Tresses Grassleaf Grassleaf Bartram’s Bartram’s Lizard’s-tail Coneflower Goldenrods Beauty; Pale Rosegentian Grass-leaved Grass-leaved Golden Aster Cancer Weed Cancer Tall Ironweed Tall Lyreleaf Sage; Lyreleaf Spring Ladies’ Spring Ladies’ White Meadow Meadow White Giant Ironweed Giant Meadow BeautyMeadow Common Name Common Black-eyed Susan Black-eyed Eastern Blue-eyedEastern Maryland Meadow Starrush; White-top Orange Coneflower Orange Softhair Coneflower colorata Rudbeckia atlanticum graminifolia Salvia lyrata Sisyrinchium Solidago spp. Rhynchospora Rhynchospora Rudbeckia hirta Rhexia mariana Rudbeckia mollis Rhexia parviflora Scientific Name Saururus cernuus Sabatia bartramii Rudbeckia fulgida Vernonia gigantea Vernonia Spiranthes vernalis Spiranthes Vernonia angustifolia Vernonia Pityopsis graminifolia Pityopsis

Common Native Wildflowers of North Florida 5 masses Uses and Comments Uses Moist site; sun or shade; use in Moist site; River swamps; River swamps; Native Habitat Native bluffs; roadsides bluffs; limestone outcrops; outcrops; limestone flower) 1 to 2 feet 1 to Height (in Height pink Flower Color Flower White to light light to White

March February to to February Flower Season Flower 1 Perennial Plant Type Plant Lily; Zephyr Lily Lily; Zephyr Common Name Common Atamasco-Lily; Rain atamasco Zephyranthes Zephyranthes Scientific Name Plant type—UnlessPlant and not evergreen. herbaceous otherwise all species are noted, etc. lots, vacant lawns, such as roadsides, means disturbed areas Ruderal 1 2

Common Native Wildflowers of North Florida 6