Plant List: M.E. DePalma Park
Picture Botanical Name Picture Botanical Name Common Name Common Name Salvia coccinea Muhlenbergia capillaris Tropical Sage (red) pink Florida Muhly Grass Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Mid Summer - Fall Attracts Butterflies, Hummingbirds and Painted Buntings Florida Native Florida Native
Psychotria nervosa Arachis glabrata Wild Coffee Perennial peanut Blooms: Spring-Summer Fruits: Fall Blooms: Year-round Berries are a food source for birds Native to Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay Male Butterflies need the alkaloids found in this plant, in order to mature sexually. Florida Native Callicarpa americana Gaillardia pulchella Beautyberry Blanket Flower Blooms: late Summer Fruits: Fall Blooms: Year-round Berries are a food source for birds Butterfly nectar plant Florida Native Florida Native
Chrysobalanus icaco Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Cocoplum Blue Porterweed Blooms: Spring-Summer Fruits: Fall Blooms: Year-round Berries are a food source for birds Butterfly nectar plant Florida Native Florida Native
Asclepias curassavica Pentas lanceolata Mexican Butterfly Weed, Blood-flower or Scarlet Milkweed Egyptian starflower Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Year-round Butterfly nectar plant for Butterflies especially Queens and These may be red, white, lavender, purple, or shades Monarchs of pink. Some are two-toned. All are extremely Monarch larval plant attractive to butterflies, and the red and dark pink varieties delight hummingbirds. Butterfly nectar plant Mimosa strigillosa Loropetalum Sensitive Plant Chinese Fringe Flower Blooms: Year-round Butterfly nectar plant Butterfly nectar plant Native to Japan and southeastern Asia including southern China. Florida Native groundcover Coreopsis_leavenworthii Coreopsis lanceolata Tickseed Lance leafed coreopsis Blooms: Year-round Butterfly nectar plant Butterfly nectar plant Florida Native Florida Native
Lantana involucrata. Crossopetalum illicifolium Buttonsage Quail berry Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Year-round Fruits: Fall Butterfly nectar plant. Florida Native differs from the Mocking Birds & Butterflies invasive, non-native L. camara by having only white (not Florida Native multicolored) flowers like L. camara. Scutellaria havanensis Sisyrinchum atlanticum Havana Skullcap Eastern Blue Eyed Grass Blooms: Intermittent Blooms: Fall Butterfly nectar plant Butterfly nectar plant Florida Native listed as endangered by the state of FL Florida Native
Heliotropium polyphyllum Liatris chapmanii Pineland Heliotrope Chapman's gayfeather Butterfly nectar plant Blooms: Spring Blooms: Year-round Butterfly nectar plant Florida Native Florida Native
Rudbeckia hirta Liatris spicata Black-eyed Susan Dense Blazing star Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Spring Florida Native Butterfly nectar plant Florida Native
Eragrostis-elliottii Eragrostis-spectabilis Silver lovegrass Purple lovegrass
Florida Native Florida Native
Flaveria linearis Helenium autumnale Yellow top Sneezeweed Blooms: Intermittent Blooms: Summer- Fall Florida Native Florida Native
Licania michauxii Koanophyllon villosum Gopher Apple/ Ground Oak Bauer Aster Blooms: Spring Fruits: late Summer-Fall Florida Native Florida Native groundcover
Zephyranntthes atamasca Erythrina herbacea Rain lily Coral Bean No image Blooms: 2-3 days after rain in Spring and early summer Blooms: Spring
Florida Native
Crotalaria rotundifolia Conoclinium coelestinum Rabbitbells Mist Flower Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Year-round Florida Native Florida Native
Silphium compositum Symphotrichum carolinianum Rosinweed Climbing Aster Blooms: late Summer- Fall Blooms: Spring-Summer Florida Native Florida Native
Vernonia angustifolia Nashia inaguensis Tall Ironweed Moujean Tea - Bahama Berry Blooms: Late Summer Blooms: Year-round Butterfly nectar plant Attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds Florida Native Flowers are fragrant departing a subtle yet exotic vanilla aroma Native of the Bahamas
Tillandsia fasciculata Tillandsia balbisiana common or stiff-leaved wild-pine inflated & reflexed wildpine - northern needleleaf Blooms: Spring Blooms: Spring Florida Native Florida Native Endangered Threatened
Rhus copallinum Cordia bahamensis Winged sumac, Shining sumac, Flameleaf sumac Bahama Manjack Blooms: Spring-Summer Blooms: Year-round Florida Native Native South Florida and the Bahamas
Melochia tomentosa Eupatorium serotinum Wooly Pyramid Bush, Tea Bush Boneset, Thoroughwort; White boneset Medium size bush or small tree Blooms: Spring-Summer Blooms: Year-round Florida Native Attracts Birds and Butterflies Florida Native Verbesina virginica L. Heliotropium curassavicum L. Frostweed, White crownbeard, Iceplant, Iceweed, Virginia Blooms: Spring-Summer crownbeard, Indian tobacco, Richweed, Squawweed Salt heliotrope, Seaside heliotrope In some parts of Blooms: Spring the West this species is called Quail Plant after the Attracts Butterflies birds that feed on its fruit. The Spanish name, Cola Native to the Continental US de Mico, meaning monkey tail, describes the coiled flower cluster. Native to the US Ageratina jucunda Pityopsis graminifolia Hammock Snakeroot Silkgrass Blooms: Mid-Summer Florida Native Florida Native
Passiflora suberosa Glandularia tampensis Corky stemmed passion flower is the larval host plant for gulf Tampa Verbena fritillary, julia and zebra longwing butterflies who linger Blooms: Year-round around this vine, searching for new growth to lay their eggs. Nectar source for many butterflies. Birds will visit this vine to eat the tiny dark purple fruits. Blooms: Intermittent Endangered endemic species. Florida Native
Erigeron vernus Erigeron quercifolius Early Whitetop Fleabane Oak-Leaf Fleabane Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Year-round Florida Native Florida Native
Ruellia caroliniensis Hypericum hypericoides Wild Petunia NATIVE BLUE St. Andrew’s Cross Blooms: Spring- Fall Blooms: Year-round Florida Native Florida Native
Helianthus angustifolius L. Monarda punctata Swamp sunflower BeeBalm, Spotted horsemint Blooms: Spring-Summer Blooms: Summer-Fall Florida Native Florida Native Florida Native attracts hummingbirds
Polypremum procumbens Commelina erecta L. Rustweed, Juniper leaf Whitemouth dayflower, Widow's tears, Day flower, White-mouth dayflower Blooms:Year-round Blooms: Year-round Florida Native (growing wild) Florida Native (growing wild)
Portulaca pilosa Stylosanthes hamata Kiss-Me-Quick southern pencilflower, Cheesytoes Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Year-round Florida Native (growing wild) Florida Native (growing wild)
Dyschoriste humistrata Verbena scabra Vahl Swamp twinflower, snake herb sandpaper vervain Blooms: Blooms: Spring (May ) to Fall Florida Native Florida Native
Viola xprimulifolia Pluchea odorata Primrose leaf violet Camphorweed Blooms: Spring Blooms: late Summer - Fall
Florida Native Florida Native
Lindernia grandiflora Carphephorus odoratissimus [Ilysanthes grandiflora] Deer Tongue / Pineland Purple Blue Moneywort Savannah False Blooms: late Summer -Fall Pimpernel Florida Native Blooms: Year-round Florida Native
Piloblephis rigida Solidago sempervirens Wild Pennyroyal, Florida Pennyroyal Seaside goldenrod Blooms: late Summer - Fall Blooms: late Summer - Fall
Florida Native Florida Native
Rudbeckia fulgida Solidago “Little Lemon” Black-eyed Susan Compact Goldenrod Blooms: late Summer - Fall Attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds Florida Native Blooms: late Summer – Fall DOES NOT CAUSE ALLERGIES It is ragweed that causes allergies
Phlox pilosa Symphyotrichum walteri Downy phlox Walter’s Aster Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Spring Florida Native Florida Native
Penstemon australis Penstemon laevigatus Pink beardtounge Eastern Smooth Beardtongue Blooms: Spring Blooms: Spring Florida Native Florida Native
Rudbeckia lanciniata Amorpha herbacea Cutleaf coneflower Clusterspike leadplant Blooms: Spring Blooms: Spring-Summer Florida Native Florida Native
Nemastylis floridana Berlandiera pumlia Celestial lily / Fall Ixia Soft greeneyes Blooms: Fall Blooms: Summer-Fall Florida Native Florida Native
Eurybia eryngiifolius Asclepias tuberosa Coyote thistle aster Butterfly Milkweed Blooms: Fall Florida Native Florida Native
Special thanks to Craig Huegel of Hawthorn Hill Native Wildflower and Rare Plant Nursery for the use of his photos on this page only. Dyschoriste oblongifolia Stokesia laevis Twinflower, as the name implies, has paired lavender Stokes Aster flowers that occur throughout the year; the heaviest bloom One of the best herbaceous perennials for attracting is in May. butterflies.
Florida Native Native to the southeastern US Rondeletia odorata Acmella oppositifolia Fragrant Panama rose Oppositeleaf spotflower Blooms: Summer-Fall Florida Native Originally from Cuba
Teucrium canadense Physostegia purpurea Germander, Hairy germander, Wood sage eastern false dragonhead Bloom Color: White , Pink Blooms: May , Jun , Jul , Aug Florida Native
Native to U.S. Micromeria brownei var. pilosicula Ocimum campechianum Ground Ivy, Browne’s Savory Balm, basil, basilique, duppy basil, fon basin, fonbouysa, mosquito bush Florida Native Native to the Lesser Antilles
Coreopsis gladiata Heliotropium angiospermum coastal plain tickseed Scorpiontail Heliotrope a short-lived perennial or annual that relies on its large seed Bloom: Continuous production to persist over time. Likes moist soil. Blooms: Fall Florida Native
Florida Native
Salmolus ebracteatus Zamia pumila water pimpernel, limewater brookweed Coontie . called the “living fossil”, this cycad may well be the most primitive plant on earth. Today, Florida Native - Endangered coontie is protected and collecting it from the wild is illegal. It is the larval food for the rare Florida Atala butterfly, which in 1965, was declared an endangered species. Eupatorium purpureum Glandularia Maritima Joe-Pye Weed, Queen of the Meadow, gravel root, kidney Beach Verbena, Coastal mock vervain root, mist-flower, snakeroot and purple boneset
The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Great Spangled Fritillary, Pearl Crescent, Resembles Tampa vervain; its flowers are lavender Monarch, and the Tawny-edged Skipper are just some of butterflies known to with an orange throat love this wildflower. Endangered Florida Native Florida Native Argemone Mexicana Solidago odora var. chapmanii Mexican Prickly Poppy Chapman’s Goldenrod
Southern Florida Native Florida Native
Polymnia uvedalia Gulf Coast Blueberry Large-flowered buttercup, Bear Paw, Bear’s foot Southern highbush (V. corymbosum x V. darrowi), a new hybrid, is adapted to the southern rabbiteye Florida Native zone as well as the coastal South Fruits: Ripen in May
Dichanthelium commutatum Argemone albiflora variable panicgrass Prickly poppy, white thistle No image There is also a yellow-blooming species. Florida Native Florida Native
Osteospermum Calendulaceum (Tagetes minuta) Tradescantia ohiensis Stinking Roger ,Wild Marigold, Muster John Henry, Spiderwort Stinkweed, Stinking Roger, Little Marigold, Huacatay, Florida Native Non Native
Eragrostis elliottii Eragrostis virginica (Zucc. ex Roem.) Steud Elliott’s Love Grass Coastal /Tender Love Grass
Florida Native
Panicum virgatum Coming Switchgrass, prairie switchgrass, tall panic grass, water panicum, wild redtop, thatchgrass Larval and nectar source for several skipper butterflies.
Florida Native
Croton linearis - Pineland croton, Grannybush Coming Sole larval host plant for Bartram's scrub-hairstreak and Florida leafwing butterflies in South Florida. Nectar plant for baracoa skipper, Bartram's scrub-hairstreak, cassius blue, Florida duskywing and other butterflies. Florida Native
Schizachyrium scoparium Coming Little bluestem Medium herbaceous grass 1-2 feet in height; up to 6 feet in flower Florida Native
Capraria biflora Coming Goatweed ,wild tea, savadilla, té del país, thé du pays, ditay paye, and balsaminha It is a nectar source for butterflies Florida Native
Melanthera nivea Coming Snow squarestem Wildflower Nectar plant for the Bahamian swallowtail, cassius blue, Florida white, gray hairstreak, gulf fritillary, julia, Miami blue, Schaus' swallowtail, several kinds of skippers, and other butterflies. Florida Native Vernonia gigantean Coming Giant Ironweed Flowering occurs in July - August. Deep rich-lavender aster flowers form small clusters across the crown of each plant. These last for weeks and attract a wide assortment of butterflies and other pollinators. Florida Native
Tree List:
Pinus elliottii Bursera simaruba Slash Pine Gumbo Limbo A haven for Migratory Birds Also called the Tourist Tree because of its peeling Florida Native bark.
Fruit will attract birds especially flycatchers. Florida Native Zanthoxylum fagara Chrysophyllum oliviforme Wild Lime Satin Leaf Blooms: Spring Good cover and food source for wildlife Provides significant food and moderate amounts Berries attract songbirds of cover for wildlife. Florida Native Larval host plant for giant swallowtail (Papilio Listed as threatened by the State of Florida. cresphontes) butterflies. Perhaps a secondary larval host for Schaus' swallowtail (Heraclides aristodemus) butterflies.
Florida Native
Swietenia mahagoni Senna polyphylla West Indian mahogany Synonyms: Cassia polyphylla /Cassia microphylla Blooms: Spring Desert Cassia In South Florida, this is the only host of the Blooms: Intermittent critically imperiled mahogany mistletoe This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds (Phoradendron rubrum). Flowers are fragrant Sulfur Butterfly host plant – attracts Hummingbirds Florida Native Listed as threatened by the State of FL Native to Puerto Rico Bauhinia divaricata Sabinea - Poitea carinalis Bull hoof - Butterfly Orchid Tree Bwa Kwaib - Bois Kwaib Blooms: Year-round Blooms: Intermittent Attracts Hummingbirds Hummingbirds, Banana Quits and Butterflies Native to Cuba; Dominican Republic; St. Kitts and Native to the Lesser Antilles island of Dominica and selected Nevis as their national flower
Acacia pinetorum Senna mexicana var. chapmanii Pine Acacia Chapman's sensitive plant - Bahama senna Blooms: Spring A larval host plant for several butterflies, including the orange-barred sulphur, sleep orange sulphur and
Florida Native cloudless sulphur. Blooms: Year-round Native to South Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba.
Myrcianthes fragrans Zanthoxylum clava-herculis Simpson's stopper is a shrub or small tree grows to Toothache tree, Hercules’ Club, Sea-ash, Southern 20 feet tall. It makes a great hedge . Fragrant little white flowers are produced intermittently through the spring Prickly-ash, Pepper bark, Tickletounge. and summer. Showy red-orange fruit provide food for The larvae of the giant Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio several bird species. cresphontes) like this tree. Blooms: Spring Florida Native Florida Native Baccharis halmifolia Randia aculeata Aster Tree, White Cloud Tree, Snow Bush, Eastern white indigo berry – Medium to large shrub Baccharis Larval host plant for tantalus sphinx (Aellopus The only tree in Asteraceae family. The plant tantalus) moths. Nectar plant for Schaus' swallowtail looks like a white cloud or covered with snow. (Heraclides aristodemus) and other butterflies. Winter bloomer Fragrant flowers, gardenia relative, berries white but Native to Southeastern US seeds surrounded by indigo-blue pulp. Florida Native
Tetrazygia bicolor Acacia choriophylla tropical shrub growing 10 to 15 feet tall native to Cinnecord is multi-trunk tree with shiny leaves and the Miami Rock Ridge in Dade County . fragrant yellow flowers. Natural height is less than 20 Blooms: late spring and summer feet. Extremely drought-tolerant and without thorns attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds like most acacias. Florida Native on both the federal and Florida state lists of endangered species Capparis cynophallophora Krugiodendron ferreum Jamaican caper Black Ironwood Larval host plant for the caterpillars of the Florida The hardest wood of all the hardwoods. The Keys white butterfly (Appias Drusilla) Fragrant at night, pioneers used it for firewood and fence posts. Small the three-inch flowers start out white and turn flowers provide nectar and birds like the fruit. deep maroon within a few hours. Florida Native Florida Native
Canella winterana Guettarda Scabra Wild Cinnamon, Cinnamon Bark Wild Guave, Sagebud, Roughleaf Velvetseed Shrubby, evergreen, aromatic tree to 30-50 feet A tree shrub Florida Native Florida Native
Byrsonima lucida Genipa clusiifolia Locustberry Seven-year-apple Small tree or shrub with white flowers turning to Large shrub with white flowers all year pink then red with edible berry loved by the Fruit is a berry that is edible but not tasty. birds. Larval host plant for Florida dusky wing Larval host plant for tantalus sphinx moths. Nectar butterfly. plant for mangrove skipper and other butterflies. Florida Native *Threatened Florida Native Eugenia rhombea Cornus foemina Red stopper Stiff cornel, Swamp dogwood, Stiff dogwood A very rare understory shrub with white flowers Small tree or large shrub with white flowers in the that provides food and cover for wildlife. Birds spring. Birds eat the blue fruits. eat the fruits. Florida Native *Endangered Florida Native
Citharexylum spinosum Colubrina elliptica Fiddlewood Soldierwood, Nakedwood Provides food and cover for wildlife. Nectar plant Endangered Florida Native for butterflies. Often defoliated by moth caterpillars. Florida Native Gymnanthes lucida Calyptranthes pallens Crabwood , Oysterwood Spicewood, Pale lidflower. A relatively common sub-canopy tree in Provides food and cover for wildlife. Birds eat the hammocks. fruits. Endangered Florida Native Florida Native Thrinax radiata Sideroxylon salicifolium Thatch Palm Willow Bustic, White bully Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Nectar plant for Florida duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus), Larval host plant for monk skipper (Asbolis red-banded hairstreak (Calycopis cecrops) and other capucinus) butterflies. butterflies. Endangered Florida Native Florida Native
Exothea paniculata Bourreria succulent Inkwood Smooth strongback, Bahama strongbark Provides significant Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. food and cover for wildlife, including hummingbirds and other Birds eat the fruits. small animals. Nectar plant for Bahamian swallowtail (Heraclides Florida Native andraemon), giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), julia (Dryas iulia), large orange sulphur (Phoebis agarithe), mangrove skipper (Phocides pigmalion), southern broken-dash (Wallengrenia otho) and other butterflies. Endangered Florida Native Lignum Vitae (Gualacum sanctum) Pithecellobium keyense "Lignum vitae" is Latin for "tree of life", and Florida Keys blackbead derives its name from its medicinal uses; lignum Provides food and cover for wildlife. Larval host plant for cassius vitae resin has been used to treat a variety of blue (Leptotes cassius) and large orange sulphur (Phoebis medical conditions. A popular wood in agarithe) butterflies. Nectar plant for cassius blue, Florida shipbuilding, the wood is so dense that it sinks in duskywing (Ephyriades brunneus), Florida white (Appias drusilla), giant swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes), great southern white water. Flowers are produced at the tips of shoots (Ascia monuste), hammock skipper (Polygonus leo), large orange singly or in few-flowered clusters during March sulphur, mangrove skipper (Phocides pigmalion), Miami blue and April. The flowers are almost 1 in (2.5 cm) (Hemiargus thomasi), Palatka skipper (Euphyes pilatka), southern across and the petals are true blue (a real rarity). broken-dash (Wallengrenia otho), three-spotted skipper The fruit is a brown 5-lobed capsule that splits (Cymaenes tripunctus), twin-spot skipper (Oligorio maculata) and open when ripe in September or October to other butterflies. Birds eat the arils. Threatened Florida Native expose black seeds that are enclosed in a fleshy red pulp. The tree is rare in most of the Florida Keys, its native habitat. Holywood lignum-vitae is listed as an Endangered species by the State of Florida. Florida Native Jacquinia keyensis Guapira discolor Joewood Blolly Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Florida Native Threatened Florida Native Prunus myrtifolia Ardisia escallonioides West Indian Cherry Marlberry Florida Native Florida Nativea A super wildlife supporter. It not only provides food and nectar for a wide variety of animals, birds and butterflies, but it is dense enough to provide good cover, too.