Plants of Florida

Florida plants common to Florida's roadsides and woodlands grouped by the predominate color of their flowers. Descriptions for each plant indicate whether it is a Florida native or imported exotic plant. The butterfly symbol means the plant is a nectar source or larval host plant and is suitable for butterfly gardening.

Florida Plants - Red Flower Galleries 1 2

 Plants on this page - Firewheel Tropical Sage Scarlet Ladies Tresses Marsh Pink Nuttall's Meadowbeauty Procession Flower Pink Purselane Florida Paintbrush Scarlet Milkweed Feay's Prairieclover Mexican Clover

Firewheel, Blanket Flower, Indian Blanket Flower

(Gaillardia pulchella)

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Dry Prairies & Flatwoods

Description - Native, annual or perennial. Subshrub 12 to 24 inches, clump forming, usually wider than tall. Hairy velvety textured stems and alternate oblanceolate to spatulate leaf with serrate margins, 4-8 inches long.

Variable yellow, orange and red flowers, 2-3 inches across in summer and fall. Easily grown from seed, Gaillardia is available in several varieties. Drought tolerant once established, requires well drained soil & is best in full sun. Self seeding & clump forming, allow seed heads to dry thoroughly before collecting. Attractive to Butterflies

Picture - Tropical Sage with inset of flower detail

Name - Tropical Sage, Scarlet Sage, Blood Sage

(Salvia coccinea)

Family - Lamiaceae ( Mint Family )

Habitat - Hammocks on calcareous soils, Shell mounds

Description -Annual, Perennial, Subshrub or Herb to 3 feet. Leaves ovate to cordate, margin crenate. Stems square, hairy. Grown from seed & will re-seed itself year to year.

Flower- Bright red and tubular, 1 1/4 inch, 2 lipped; upper lip 2 lobed, lower lip 3 lobed with protruding stamens and style, whorled in long clusters. Attracts Butterflies & Humming birds, drought tolerant when established but should be watered during extended dry spells to enhance blooming. Full sun to light intermittent shade.

Picture - Scarlet Ladies Tresses flowers

Name - Scarlet Ladies' Tresses, Leafless Beaked Orchid

(Sacoila lanceolata)

Family - Orchidaceae

Habitat - Moist to dry open flatwoods, Pastures, Roadsides

Description - Native Florida terrestrial orchid, threatened specie. No leaves present at flowering, the basil rosette of six inch, elliptic to lanceolate shaped leaves appear after flowering which may occur only every 2-3 years and after the first spring rains. Leaves are present until cooler winter weather arrives.

Flower - Coral to Orange-Red with pale red to white lip, 9 - 50 flowers are clustered on a 2  foot inflorescence. There is a variety which produces green flowers and a rare yellow or golden form as well.

Pictures - Marsh Pink

Name - Largeflower Rosegentian, Marsh Pink

(Sabatia grandiflora)

Family - Gentianaceae

Habitat - Wet prairie, Wet Pineland, margins of freshwater marshes.

Description - Native annual herb to 3 feet. Linear to filiform leaves 1 1/2 to nearly 4 inches long

Flower - Bright pink, 1 1/4 - 2 inches across, usually solitary. Marsh Pinks often form small colonies giving the appearance of a multiple flowered single plant.

Picture - Nuttall's Meadowbeauty, flower and leaf.

Name - Nuttall's Meadowbeauty

(Rhexia nuttallii)

Family - Melastomatacae

Habitat - Marshes, Moist and wet Flatwoods

Description - Native herbaceous perennial, 4-8 inches tall. Leaves opposite, ovate.

Flower - Pinkish-purple, 4 petals, 1 inch across.

Pictures - Procession Flower- flowers, stem.

Name - Procession Flower

(Polygala incarnata L.)

Family - Polygalaceae

Habitat - Dry Prairie, Flatwoods

Description - Annual herbaceous wildflower native to Florida, growing on well drained, dry sandy soils. 8-24 inches tall, leaves are alternate, linear.

Flower - Dense clusters purplish-pink flowers on a tall un-branched inflorescence.

Pictures - Pink Purselane leaf, Pink Purselane flower

Name - Pink Purselane, Kiss-Me-Quick, Shaggy Portulaca

(Portulaca pilosa L.)

Family - Portulacaceae

Habitat - Open areas of flatwoods, disturbed sites.

Description - Native wildflower. Annual or Perennial, Forb, Herb, 1 to 6 inches in height, often prostrate in growth habit. Leaves are fleshy, somewhat succulent in appearance. Usually found on sandy, dry soils.

Flower - Pink to purplish, 5/8 inch across, blooms throughout the year in South Florida.

Pictures - Florida Paintbrush flowers, basal leaves and stem.

Name - Coastalplain Chaffhead, Florida Paintbrush

(Carphephorus corymbosus)

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Sandhill, moist to wet flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods.

Description - Florida paintbrush is a native perennial herbaceous wildflower to 3 feet when flowering, basal rosette of spatulate leaves, 1 to 3 inches tall. A butterfly nectar plant.

Flower - Purplish-pink on a tall densely pubescent corymb with sessile leaves.

Picture - Scarlet Milkweed flowers

Name - Scarlet Milkweed, Bloodflower

(Asclepias curassavica L.) 

Family - Apocynaceae

Habitat - Pasturelands, ruderal.

Description - Not Native. Perennial sub-shrub, 3 to 4 feet tall. Naturalized in central and south Florida. Often grows with pairs of symmetrically arranged stems, leaves are alternate, narrowly oblong to lanceolate, 4 - 8 inches long with entire margins and parallel venation.   

Flower - Clusters of brilliant orange and red flowers, attractive to butterflies which are immune to its toxins.

Pictures - Feay's Prairieclover whole plant, Feay's Prairieclover flower

Name - Feay's Prairieclover, Prairieclover

(Dalea feayi)

Family - Fabaceae

Habitat - Scrub, Scrubby Flatwoods

Description - Native Florida herbaceous wildflower, perennial, height 18-24 inches, leaves are linear, opposite. Globose spikes of numerous small pink flowers.

Picture - Mexican Clover and flowers.

Name - Largeflower Mexican Clover, Large-flowered Pusley

(Richardia grandiflora)

Family - Rubiaceae

Habitat - Disturbed areas, roadsides

Description - Not Native, Introduced from S. America, height 4-6 inches, forms dense mats, common lawn weed in S. Florida.

Flower - Small, white to pinkish-lavender color.

Red Flower Gallery 1 2