Florida Native Trees
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Florida has both temperate &
tropical climates where trees from each zone reach the limits
of their range. In northern Florida many of the trees from "up
north" grow. Cherry, Apple and other fruiting hardwoods common to
the northern states flourish.
Central Florida is usually a bit more mild in terms of cold weather,
a wider variety of veggies, fruiting and flowering plants can be
grown.
In south central and south Florida where freezes and frosts are a
still more rare occurrence and temperatures rise begins the
subtropical growing zone. & at the southern tip of the state and
into the Florida Keys the climate is truly tropical.
All these factors contribute
to the high number of Florida's native plants. Over 3,100 plants including
the 300 plus varieties of native trees, or about half of all
the trees which grow in the continental U.S. occur as natives. Florida is ranked
second in the nation for the number of indigenous plants, surpassed
only by Hawaii.
In addition to the natives over 1000 exotic trees and other plants
have gained a foothold in Florida's natural areas, particularly in
the southern half of the state where many flourish in the
sub-tropical climate .
See Exotic Plants to find out which ones
pose a serious threat to Florida habitats & native species.
Landscaping with Native Florida Plants
When selecting a plant, whether tree, shrub or wildflower for your
landscape needs, compare the area where it grows naturally with the planting site.
Matching soil, moisture and the amount of light a plant receives in
its natural habitat will let you reap the benefits.
Once established native plants require very little supplemental
water and the
need for fertilizer and pesticides can be practically
eliminated, reducing pollution from stormwater & irrigation runoff.
Whether it's a low maintenance flower garden, specimen tree or
shrubbery it's tough to beat the Florida natives, not only are they
well adapted to growing conditions they can also attract and provide
food sources for native animals.
Go to Florida Plants for Landscape.
A "tree" as described here is defined as a perennial woody stemmed
plant, generally having a single main stem (trunk),13 feet
tall or more at maturity.
The term "shrub" denotes a woody stemmed
plant usually having multiple stems (trunks) that never or rarely exceed 13
feet in height. In some cases a plant that usually grows as a tree
may assume a shrub-like habit of growth, the opposite is also true,
some shrubs will occasionally attain a trees stature.
Click pictures
for full sized images

Picture - Sand
Pine tree with insets of flower and cones.
Name - Sand Pine,
Scrub Pine
(Pinus clausa)
Family - Pinaceae
Habitat - Sandy
ridges, open upland forests on deep, well drained, white sandy acidic soils.
Description -
This Florida native may grow to 80 feet although it is more common at 25 to 30
feet. The open crown of a mature tree may be rounded or flattened, the bark is
smooth and gray when young, becoming thick, scaly and reddish-brown with age.
Cones are closed, 1 - 3 inches in length and unlike other pines may persist on
the tree for years.
Two geographic varieties are
generally recognized, Pinus clausa
var. clausa (Ocala variety) normally occurs from northeastern to southern Florida
and produces serotinous cones which can remain closed for
years opening only after a fire.
P. clausa var. immuginata (Choctawhatchee variety)
ranges from northwestern Florida into
southeastern Alabama has non-serotinous cones.

Pictures -
Slash Pine tree, branch tip, new growth bud, pollen cones.
Name -
Slash Pine, Yellow Pine
(Pinus elliottii
Engelm.)
Family - Pinaceae
Habitat - Moist
to dry Flatwoods, Sandhill
Description -
A large native tree 75 - 100 feet with a 3 to 4 ft. diameter trunk. Cones 3 -
6 inches in length, sometimes longer and to 3 inches in
diameter. Needles 8 -12 inches long, 2 or 3 per fascicle. Crown
is open, irregular, oval to pyramidal with ascending branches. Slash pine grows
in well drained to moist sandy acidic soils and will tolerate
moderate seasonal flooding once established. Scaly bark is grey with
large orange-brown plates. Seeds from cones are a favorite of
squirrels and wild turkey.

Pictures -
Red Mangrove tree showing stilt roots, Red Mangrove seedling on tree showing developing
root.
Name - Red Mangrove,
Walking tree
(Rhizophora mangle L.)
Family -
Rhizophoraceae
Habitat -
Shorelines of bays and estuaries of coastal counties
on the central and southern peninsula below the freeze line.
Description -
Native tree. The red mangrove can grow to 70 feet or more in
height, more often a multi-stemmed
shrub or tree to around 20 feet.
Easily recognized by numerous reddish aerial roots called prop (or
stilt) roots, which provide an important protective nursery habitat
for many marine species. Leaves are opposite, elliptical, the margin
is entire, smooth, 1 to 5 inches long shiny green above, paler green
below. A unique trait of the Red Mangrove tree is the seeds which
germinate in the summer and fall, producing a tap root while still
attached to the tree. These drop into the water, drifting with wind and currents until finally
taking root in the shallow waters at the shoreline.
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Picture -
Detail of White Mangrove leaves showing the pair of salt glands at leaf base.
Name - White
Mangrove
(Laguncularia racemosa L.)
Family - Combretaceae
Habitat -
Shorelines of estuaries and bays. White mangrove generally
occurs on the upland side of mangrove forest in wet stagnant soils above the high
water mark.
Description - Native. Distinguished from the other mangroves as
having no aerial roots and the leaves which are elliptical, light
yellowish-green with a pair of glands at the base of the leaf to
help the tree excrete salt. Fruit is a greenish somewhat flattened drupe, wider
toward the tip with numerous length-wise ridges.

Picture - Black
Mangrove at waters edge showing pneumatophores.
Name - Black Mangrove
(Avicennia germinans L.)
Family -
Verbenaceae
Habitat -
Shorelines and tidal flats of bays and estuaries of coastal counties
on the Florida peninsula.
Description -
Native tree up to 50 feet in height
often growing more inland than the other mangroves. It is easily identified by its
above ground root projections, called pneumatophores which project upwards from lateral
underground roots.
Leaves are opposite, elliptical to obovate, 2 to 5
inches long, dark green above, lighter green to
yellowish silvery hairy below, the leaves often have
salt crystals on their surfaces as the tree
excretes excess salt through them.

Picture -
Buttonwood with flower and developing fruit.
Name -
Buttonwood, Buttonwood Mangrove
(Conocarpus erectus
L.)
Family -
Combretaceae
Habitat -
Shorelines of estuaries on the peninsula south of Cape
Canaveral, above the high tide line.
Description - Native multi-stemmed shrub
or small tree usually 15 feet
or less, alternately
arranged elliptic to lanceolate leaves to 4 in.
long are shiny dark green on top, lighter green with
fine hairs on the bottom, leaf margins are entire. Very salt resistant and
durable native tree.
Picture -
Laurel Oak leaf, trunk/bark
Name -
Laurel Oak, Diamond Oak
(Quercus laurifolia Michx.)
Family - Fagaceae
Habitat - Wet to dry
sites, swamps, bottomlands, river floodplains, wet flatwoods.
Description -
Native Florida tree to 60 plus feet in height, with a dense, symmetrical oval to
rounded crown & a trunk up to 4 feet in diameter.
Leaves are 2 -4 inches long, alternate, simple, smooth, entire or parted,
varied form; elliptic, oblanceolate, obovate, some with
a distinct diamond shape. Spring flowers are an inconspicuous brown
catkin. An attractive fast growing tree widely used in both commercial &
residential landscapes.
Picture -
Sand Live Oak leaf and acorns
Name -
Sand Live Oak
(Quercus geminata Small)
Family -
Fagaceae
Habitat - Scrub,
Coastal Hammocks & Dunes, Sandhills
Description -
Growth habit may be as a large shrub to a medium sized tree, usually with
contorted, twisted trunks. Open canopy, somewhat sparsely branched. Leaves are
alternate, thick and leathery with rolled under, entire margins.
Pictures -
Myrtle Oak leaf, Myrtle Oak acorns
Name -
Myrtle Oak
(Quercus myrtifolia)
Family -
Fagaceae
Habitat - Scrub,
Coastal Hammocks & Dunes, on deep sandy soils
Description -
Evergreen tree to near 40 feet in height more often as a shrub, commonly grows in tangled thickets with contorted trunks. Leaves are 1 - 2
inches long, alternately arranged, with a smooth leathery upper surface and
yellowish to rust colored underside, margins of leaves are usually turned under.
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Pictures -
Turkey Oak trunk detail, Turkey Oak leaf detail.
Name - Turkey Oak
(Quercus laevis
Walt.)
Family - Fagaceae
(Beech Family)
Habitat - Dry
Pinelands, Sandy ridges, Oak/Pine woodlands
Description - Native tree growing to a height of 20-50 feet, a relatively short
lived tree its acorns are an important wildlife food source. Leaves have 3 to 7 deep lobes,
resembling the shape of a turkeys foot for which this tree was given its
common name.



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