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Native Trees & Shrubs of Florida
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In northern Florida many of the trees from "up
north" grow. Here Cherry, Apple and other fruiting hardwoods
usually associated with the more northern states flourish.
Central Florida is usually a bit more mild in terms of cold weather
&
a wider variety of trees and other plants grow.
In south central and south Florida, where freezes and frosts are a still more
rare occurrence begins the subtropical growing zone. At the southern tip of the
peninsula and
into the Florida Keys many rare & endangered tropical plants
and trees may be found.
Over 3,100 plants including the 300 plus species of native trees, or about half
of all the trees which grow in the entire continental U.S. occur as natives.
In addition to native species, over 1000 exotic trees and plants
have gained a foothold in Florida's natural areas, particularly in
the southern half of the state where many flourish virtually unchecked.
See
the
Exotic plant section for more
information and pictures of these imported species, many of which
have become a real problem.
Tree or Shrub?
A "tree" as described here is defined as a perennial woody stemmed
plant, having a single main stem (trunk), that is 13 feet
tall or more at maturity & having a distinct crown.
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, under the
right conditions some shrubs will grow as a small tree.
Trees & Shrubs Gallery 1
Click any image for a larger version
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, occasionally very high summer
temperatures on the surface of the sand on which the cones fall will open them.
P. clausa var. immuginata (Choctawhatchee variety)
ranges from northwestern Florida into
southeastern Alabama has non-serotinous cones.
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Slash Pine, Yellow Pine
- Pinus elliottii
Family - Pinaceae
Habitat - Moist
to dry Flatwoods, Sandhill
Description -
Slash pine is a large native tree that can attain 75 - 100 feet in height with a 3 to 4 ft. diameter trunk. Cones
are 3 -
6 inches in length and to 3 inches in
diameter. Needles 8 -12 inches long, 2 or 3 per fascicle (bundle). 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. Slash pine can live around 200 years, the thick bark
protecting it from all but the most severe wildfires.
Red
Mangrove - Rhizophora mangle
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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White Mangrove
- Laguncularia racemosa
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. Fruit is a greenish somewhat flattened drupe, wider
toward the tip with numerous length-wise ridges.
Black Mangrove
- Avicennia germinans
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.
Buttonwood, Buttonwood Mangrove
- Conocarpus erectus
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. Buttonwood is a very salt resistant and
tough native tree well adapted to harsh conditions.
Laurel Oak, Diamond Oak
- Quercus laurifolia
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.
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Sand Live Oak
- Quercus geminata
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.
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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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Turkey
Oak - Quercus laevis
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, Turkey oak acorns require two years to mature and are an important wildlife food source that are
browsed by deer, Black bear and turkey. 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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