Dendrology

Magnolia virginiana

Family: Magnoliaceae

Common Name: sweetbay

Range: Texas-> FL, up to NY.

Habitat: Hydric Soils

Bark: Thin, Tan/Grey, Shallow Fissures

Leaves: Simple & Alternate (arrangement), elliptic (shape), entire (margin).

Evergreen (in Southern range), Entire, Dark Green w/ Glabrous topside and Glaucous Underside (abaxial)

Other Info: Shade Tolerant, Not Fire Tolerant, Flood tolerant. Slow growing. Used in landscaping up North. Sweet smelling leaves, has stipular scars (go around the twig), Height: 80-120.'

Fruits: Aggregate follicles with red seeds.

Uses: Low Commercial Value, Ornamental, used in Pulp Wood

Aesculus pavia

Family: Hippocastanaceae

Common Names: red Buckeye or Firecracker

Range: Mid-Atlantic to Central FL, to Texas, up to the lower Piedmont in NC.

Habitat: Mesic Soils. Rich, moist soils.

Bark: Thin, tan-grey. Has lenticels.

Leaves: Compound palmate leaves, oppositely arranged with 5 leaflets. Serrated edges, Green, elliptic, distinctly pinnate venation. Glabrous topside (adaxial).

Deciduous. Dichotomous branching due to opposite leaf arrangement.

Other: Not Fire Tolerant, Shade Tolerant, Height: up to 30', Not Commercially Valuable. Native to the Southeastern US. Shrubby, small shade tolerant tree. Doesn't grow "naturally" in dry areas. Monoecious (produces both male and female reproductive parts).

Fruit: Capsule Form, Roundish Nuts. Up to 3 seeds in capsule.

Flowers: Tubular panicle.

Diospyros virginiana

Family: Ebenaceae

Common name: "Common Persimmon"

Native, pioneer species. Likes disturbed sites. Early successional speices.

Range: Native to East of the Rockies to FL, down the gulf coast, and throughout the East coast.
~Most of the continental US minus Northern states and a few Western states minus Utah and California.

Soil: Wide range of soil types

Height: Up to 80ft tall. Usually grow in colonies and is usually small in FL.

Leaf persistence: Deciduous.

Bark: Square, blocky, corky, dark. Reddish, brown inner bark.

Leaves: simple, alternate, elliptic-->ovate (variable in shape). Acuminate apex. Entire (leaf margin). Pinnate, arcuate venation. The branching of the leaf veins makes it look like "broken glass."

Other: Due to a fungal pathogen, persimmon often has splotchy leaves. The

Fruit: botanical berries, astringent when unripe

Uses: Dense wood used to be used for golf clubs.

Tolerance: Low salt tolerance, low flood tolerance, medium drought tolerance. Fast to resprout.

Liquidambar styraciflua

Family: Hamamelidaceae

Common Name: sweetgum

Range: East of Mississippi (CT-FL) (TX-IL)

Habitat: Hydric Soils

Bark: Thick, furrowed, corky. Sometimes features corky winged appendages. Trunk typically does not divide.

Leaves: Simple and Alternate, palmate venation. Deciduous. Serrated edges. Chemical, green apple smell when crushed.

Flowers & Seeds: Flowers nondescript but seeds have capsules for seeds. Spiky aggregate, ecologically important for small animals.

Other: Shade intolerant, R-selection: Colonizer, will sucker sprout. Low fire tolerance, but readily resprouts. Tolerates flooding. Grows in bottomland areas.

Height: 75' (large spread up to 50 ft.)

Uses: Ornamental, pallet wood, sometimes pulp.

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Family: Rubiaceae

Common name: buttonbush

Range: Eastern and midwestern NA up to Canada, west to Texas plus California and Arizona.

Habitat: hydric, fresh water

Bark: brown/tan, medium fissures, rope-like as it matures. Bark has raised, corky lenticels.

Multi-stemmed, bent shrub

Leaf persistence: deciduous

Leaf arrangement/composition: simple, whorled or opposite

*Look at leaf scars for leaf arrangement when leaf off

Leaf shape: elliptic to ovate

Leaf apex: acute/acuminate

Leaf margin: entire

Leaves: dark green above with some pubescence on the underside, mostly glabrous on the upper surface

Flower: globous (globe shaped) ball. Nutlets!

Tolerance: High flood tolerance, no fire tolerance, drought tolerance is intermediate, intermediate shade tolerance

Wildlife value: hummingbirds, pollinators, nesting, shelter, fish nesting (where stems and roots go into the water)

Sometimes planted ornamentally or for restoration purposes

Betula nigra

Birch family, Betulaceae

Common name: River birch

Native to most of the Eastern U.S.

Habitat: Mesic-> Hydric (mostly hydric), growing in/near rivers, streams, bottomlands

Deciduous, medium sized tree. Can grow up to 35 meters tall. Rarely straight, often found leaning over water.

Bark: reddish, brown to salmon pink papery, peely bark with horizontal lenticels.

Leaf: simple, alternate, rhomboid to triangular ovate, up to 3in long.

Leaf apex: obtuse to acute

Leaf base: truncate, sometimes angled

Leaf margin: doubly serrate

Venation: angled & ascending parallel

Leaf color: upper side is bright green and glabrous. Under side is pale green and sometimes pubescent

Petioles somewhat flat and densely pubescent

Stipules are hairy and deciduous

Twigs are slightly zig-zaging w psuedo-terminal buds.

Two-ranked

Flowers: Male-catkins. Female-strobile (cone-like).

Monoecious!

Fruit: two-winged nutlets

Wildlife: small mammals and birds use

Commercial: furniture, cabinets, ornamental

Tolerance: No shade tolerance, no salt tolerance, no fire tolerance, low drought tolerance, medium flood tolerance.

Sabal palmetto

Angiosperm & monocot

Family: Arecaceae

Common name: cabbage palm, sabal palm

Distribution: Native to FL, found throughout the coastal plain from South Carolina through FL out to Texas.

Habitat: Found in coastal communities. From wet to dry (xeric->hydric).

Forms a single stem (monocot).

Evergreen

Can get up to 90ft tall, but slow growing

Bark: Boots (bases of petioles). Lattice-like pattern. Boots can fall or burn off. If they fall off they leave rings.

Leaves: simple, alternate, costa palmate. The petiole extends into the base of the leaf blade (hastula/spear). Parallel venation. Smooth petiole.

Flowers/fruits: Doesn't flower until mature. Monoecious. Fruits are drupes. Bluish-purple. 1/2in in diameter and fall off the tree.

Well adapted to disturbances esp. the ones typical of FL.

*Susceptible to Lethal bronzing

Native Americans ate the interior below the terminal bud

Commercially important for horticulture

Wildlife: bears, birds, pollinators, etc.

Vitis rotundifolia

Angiosperm, dicot, vine

Family: Vitaceae

Common Name: muscadine grape

Range: SE U.S. Virginia -> FL -> West to Texas up to Oklahoma

Habitat: Mixed Hardwood, not extremely site specific. Wetter areas to xeric hammocks. Wide range of site conditions.

Bark: Thick woody vines, peels off in plates (large strips), has tendrils for climbing

Leaves: Deciduous, Simple & Alternate, Green & Glabrous (without hair, above and below), Orbcircular shape, Dentate Margins, Acute Apex, Cordate Base, Palmate Venation.

Flowers/fruits: white, non-descript flowers. Fruit is a botanical berry (grape). Round purple or green.

Other: Moderate Shade Tolerance, low fire tolerant but will resprout quickly, little salt tolerance. Medium flood and drought tolerance.

Uses: Chowing down for humans and animals.

Callicarpa americana

Angiopsperm, dicot
Family: Verbenaceae

Range: Southeastern US (from Midatlantic to FL, west to Texas, up to Missouri)

Habitats: Wide range of habitats. Pinelands, sandhills, disturbed areas, mesic hammocks. Typically a pioneer species (early succession).

Usually less than 15ft tall. Multi-stemmed shrub. Woody and deciduous.

Bark: light tan colored but gets gray with time, smooth and tight, has lenticels sometimes (vertical).

Leaves: simple, opposite, 4-ranked (decussate). Elliptical in shape (can vary due to environment). Acuminate apex. Cuneate base. Leaves are pubescent on both sides. Arcuate venation. Crenate margin. Leaves are pungent smelling.

Twigs: sticky pubescence. Opposite/dichotomous branching.

Flowers/fruits: cymes, clustered fruits. Drupes. In the axils of the leaves.

Uses: songbirds and wildlife love, humans can eat, insecticide, ornamental native.

Tolerances: not extremely shade tolerance, low salt tolerance, can resprout after fire, low drought tolerance, low to intermediate flood tolerance.

Pteridium aquilinum

Family: Dennstaedtiaceae

Common Name: bracken fern

Range: Global

Habitat: Wide range of sites. Hydric to Xeric Soils (FL: Sandhill & Flatwoods)

Deciduous, perennial. Underground rhizomous distribution.

Bark: Stiff Stem extending from ground

Leaves: Triangular fronds. Has leaflets called pinna. The subleaflets are called pinules. Branched. Has a stalk and rachis.

Other: Rhizome, Toxic to Livestock, Reproduces with Spores, wildlife use for habitat. Intermediate fire tolerance. Natives would eat the rhizomes.

Height: 4-5ft

Prunus caroliniana

Angiosperm, dicot

Family: Rosaceae

Common name(s): Carolina laurel cherry or cherry laurel

Range: Native to the Southeast, found along the SE coastal plain

Habitat: Xeric -> hydric. Found in disturbed areas.

Height: Smaller tree that gets up to 40' tall.

Root sprout distribution.

Leaf persistence: Evergreen

Bark: thin > smooth w/ lenticels.

Leaves: simple, alternate, elliptic. Entire or serrated (varied). Not consistently serrated. There are two glands at the base of the leaf. Glabrous leaf darker on top and lighter on bottom.

Tolerances: tolerates shade and fire but not salt.

Leaves smell like maraschino cherries!

Prunus serotina

Family: Rosaceae

Common Name: black cherry

Range: Most of the U.S., east of the plains. Grows down into Mexico and Central America.

Habitat: Xeric to Mesic Soils, Broad ecological amplitude, often found near powerlines and along fence lines. Likes rich, moist soils. Pioneer species in most of its range. Needs full sun!

Height: 80'-150' tall. Medium->large tree. Has a drooping look.

Bark: Smooth, thin, light grey to dark bark. Horizontal lenticels, older trees flaky and darker.

Leaves: Deciduous, Simple & Alternate, glossy dark green on top, lighter on bottom. Glands on petiole. Leaves ovate to oblong, consistently serrate margin (finely serrated), acuminate apex, obtuse base, pinnate venation.

Other: leaves taste bitter (Cyanide), fast growers, toxic to livestock, not shade tolerant, moderate drought tolerance, medium salt tolerance, produces a gummy sap

Used for Niche Woodworking

Flower: raceme

Fruit: drupe (black cherry)

Acer rubrum

Family: Aceraceae

Common name: Red maple

Range: As far north as Newfoundland in Canada, as far south as FL, and all throughout Eastern North America.

Habitat: Hydric sites in FL but can grow in many conditions other places.

Height: Can grow up to 100ft tall.

Leaf persistence: Deciduous

Bark: thin, grayish, gets a lil flaky as it matures.

Leaves: opposite, simple, 3-5 palmately lobed (mostly 3-lobed). Serrate to dentate margin w/ squareish central lobe.
Dull dark green upside, silvery glacous underside.
Petiole is variable but can often be red.
Seeds are samaras: 45-90 angle
red flowers in spring, red leaves in fall

Other:
Used for roosting and for hardwood in the North. Shade tolerant, low salt tolerance, low fire tolerance, moderate flood tolerance. Used in urban planning bc it's usually disease free. Used in horticulture.

Magnolia grandiflora

Family: Magnoliaceae

Common name: Southern magnolia

Leaf persistence: deciduous

Bark: thin, gray to tan in color

Leaves: simple, alternate, elliptic-oblong, entire (margin), glabrous, rusty pubescence (sometimes).

Diaphragm pith.

Flower: Big white flower

Fruit: aggregate of follicles with red seeds.

Tolerates shade and is slow growing.

Cercis canadensis

Family: Fabaceae (legume)

Common: eastern redbud

Plant size: small tree, shrub-like stature

Persistence: deciduous

Twigs: pseudo-terminal buds (zig zag), brown smooth bark, scattered lenticels

Leaf: simple, alternate, 2-ranked, ovate-reniform shape (cordate base), petioles dilated w/pulvini (swollen), palmately-veined, short-acuminate to rounded apex, margins entire, dark green glabrous above, pale green pubescent below

Flowers: flowers in spring, pink/purple

Fruit: legume, flat w/ brown seed pods

Uses: legumes serve as wildlife food,widely used in the horticulture industry

Tolerance: Shade tol, low salt, resprouts from fire, low flood, high drought

Nitrogen fixer

Rhus copallinum

Family: Anacardiaceae
Common name: winged sumac
Range: Native to eastern NA. East Texas to Southern New England.
Habitat: Early successional, well drained soils, edges of disturbed sites, open areas. Edges of flatwoods. Not too wet.
Height: up to 15-20ft
multi-stemmed in stature
Forms colonies from rhizomes.
Bark: thin tan to grayish bark. Has lenticels.
Leaves: Pinnately (odd) compound. Ovate leaflets. Dark green upper, lighter green under. Rachis has a winged appendage. Alternate.
Persistence: deciduous
Dioecious
Flowers/fruits: Terminal flower producing a clustered drupe, bright red when ripe.
Tolerances: moderately drought and fire tolerant. Low salt tolerance and shade.
Other: Nice reddish orange color in fall. Valued by wildlife such as birds. Sometimes used ornamentally.

Serenoa repens

Family: Arecaceae (palm)

Common: saw palmetto

Habitat: wet areas, flatwoods. sometimes scrubs and hammocks but prefers well drained soils.

Persistence: evergreen

Bark: "gator backs", dark to black stem, more or less horizontal. leaf bases stay attached.

Leaf: saw teeth on petioles, palmate without a costa, green or yellowish green. Simple, glabrous.

Flowers: calyx tubular below, 3 minute lobes distally, 3 petals nearly separate

Fruit: drupelike, usually oblong-ellipsoid, black or blueish black when ripe

***Monocot, extremely slow grower

Other: decumbent (growing along the ground/crawling). Can grow taller w/o fire. Important for wildlife including black bears and diamondback rattlesnakes. Especially important for pollinators. Medicinally valuable especially for prostate issues. Used as an ornamental.

Tolerances: high drought, moderate flood, shade, salt, fire.

Asimina angustifolia

Family: Annonaceae
Common name: slimleaf pawpaw
Native range: North central FL, GA, some parts of South Carolina, flatwoods, some hammocks, prefer open areas
Size: Small woody shrub up to 4-5ft tall
Persistence: late deciduous
Bark: thin, tan
Leaf: linear leaf shape w an entire margin. dark on top, lighter on bottom.
Flower: bell shaped whitish yellow flower
Fruit: large "berries" tasting of tart banana pudding
Tolerance: moderately fire tolerant, low flood tolerance
Other: highly sought after by wildlife and humans.

Ilex glabra

Family: Aquifoliaceae (holly)

Common: gallberry or inkberry

Plant size: shrub up to 6 ft

Persistence: evergreen

Twigs: green of season, very finely pubescent, older twigs glabrous, grayish brown, round lenticels with vertical slits

Leaf: simple, alternate, elliptic to ovate, powdery-pubescent petioles, blades leathery glabrous, dark green upper, pale dull green lower, crenation near leaf apex. Glands near base.

Flowers: functionally staminate and pistillate flowers, corolla 5-8 lobed

Fruit: Drupe black

Uses: #1 deer food, galberry honey, used to produce ink long ago

Tolerance: mod shade, mod salt, highly flammable, high flood, low drought

Other: dioecious

Lyonia lucida

Family: Ericaceae (heath)

Common: fetterbush

Plant size: shrub up to 8 ft, 4m

Persistence: evergreen shrub

Range: SE US

Habitat: wet sites, swamps, floodplains

Bark: reddish, shreddy/peely

Twigs: young twigs strongly angled (crowns as broad as height of the plant), green flecked with dark, loose narrow scales, pseudo terminal bud (zig zag)

Leaf: simple, alternate, elliptic, cuneate bases, short-acuminate apices, leathery, glabrous, dark glossy green above, somewhat paler beneath, minute punctate dots distributed among leaves, raised intramarginal ridge (vein). Translucent margin. No glands, just glabrous

Flowers: showy and handsome when in flower, fascicle of cylindrical (bell-shaped) flowers.

Fruit: woody capsule, ovoid in shape, strongly thickened sutures, amber brown

Uses: poisonous to livestock

Tolerance: shade tol moderate, no salt, sucker sprouts following fire, flood tolerant

***OTHER: similar in growth form to gallberry but the stem is not round

Gaylussacia dumosa

Family: Ericaceae
Common: dwarf huckleberry
Persistence: deciduous
Spreads by rhizome
Range: Up to Newfoundland down to FL (Eastern NA)
Size: Small, smaller than G. formosa
Leaves: Oval, thick, leathery. Bases strongly cuneate. Apex rounded or acute. Can have sharp mucrow (leaf tips). Glandular leaves (gold glands).
Fruit: lil drupe
~Important for wildlife

Gaylussacia frondosa

Family: Ericaceae

Common: dangleberry

Range: Native to Eastern NA. North FL up to the Northeast.

Habitat: Flatwoods, rocky outcroppings up North.

Plant size: shrub to 2m tall

Persistence: deciduous

Twigs: young often glabrous or short pubescent

Leaf: simple, alternate, elliptic or oblanceolate, cuneate base, rounded to obtuse apex, entire margins, glabrous upper, glaucous and gold glands under. Prominent veins. Rubs off gold (gays love gold).

Flowers: Racemes loosely 5-12 flowered. Corolla greenish white, dull and inconspicuous, tube cuplike, small lobes. Bell shaped flower.

Fruit: glaucous-blue/black drupe. Sweet and delicious.

Tolerance: moderate fire and shade, some salt tolerance.

Vaccinium stamineum

Family: Ericaceae (heath)

Common: deerberry

Range: Missouri to Texas to FL.

Habitat: well-drained places, upland mixed, pine flatwoods, hammocks.

Size: Shrub to about waist high. Up to 4ft tall. Small, woody shrub.

Persistence: deciduous

Bark: flakey texture, brownish grey scaley

Leaf: simple, alternate, elliptic to oblong, leathery, acute to rounded basally, apices acute to short-acuminate with occasional small mucros, glaucous pale lower (patchy, waxy underside), papery, entire margins

Flowers: little, non-showy white

Fruits: mostly a little broader than long, oblate to globose, juicy, somewhat bitter and sourish

Tolerance: mod. shade, no salt, resprouts following fire, no flood, mod. drought

Vaccinium myrsinites

Family: Ericaceae (heath)

Common: shiny blueberry

Size: low lying, branching shrub. forms colonies from rhizomes. Up to 3ft tall.

Persistence: evergreen

Habitat: coastal plains, flatwoods, drier sites among flats

Bark: herbaceous (green stem), young twigs glabrous or shortly pubescent
Leaf: simple, alternate, sessile, glossy smooth green, oblanceolate or elliptic, slightly crenate margins, consistently formed. thick and leathery.

Flowers: Urceolate (bell-shaped), 2-8 in axillary fascicles

Fruit: Drupes (flavored sand), blue-black

Uses: ground birds

Tolerance: Fire tolerance due to underground roots and high tolerance for drought.

Pinus elliottii

Family: Pinaceae
C: slash pine, variety elliottii
Range: Coastal S Carolina to FL keys to Eastern Louisiana
Persistence: Evergreen, gymnosperm
Habitat: Found in wet flatwoods. Well drained. Sometimes around lakes and streams. Not usually in scrubs or hammocks.
Bark: reddish, grayish, brown peely plates. Exfoliates.
Needles: clusters of 2s and 3s. 8 to 10in long needles. Only keeps cones one year then drops so it has a more rounded crown.
Cones: Less sharp than others. Orangeish-brown. ~Valued by wildlife and timber: pulp, turpentine, primary commercial pine
Mature trees are very fire tolerant. Can tolerate moderate drought and flood. Low salt.

Pinus palustris

Family: Pinaceae (pine)

Common: longleaf

Range: SE Virginia to Central FL to East Texas

Plant size: 80-100 ft, up to 500 yrs

Persistence: evergreen

Habitat: occurring on sandy ridges and hills with wiregrass/scrub oaks, also in seasonally wet flatwoods or savannas where oaks are absent

Bark: greyish brown, for the first several years stem of the seedling elongates very little (grass stage)

Leaf: needles 3 per fascicle, 15-30 cm long length of needles follows length of cones, really thick bud (fire adaptation)

Uses: Slower to grow, high quality timber
***NOTE: thickness of branches, BIG CONES, 3 per fascicle key to I.D.

Toxicodendron radicans

Family: Anacardiaceae (sumac/cashew)
Common: poison-ivy
Range: Native throughout eastern North America, west to Texas, up to Canada
Habitat: essentially ubiquitous in terrestrial, moist to wet, open and wooded
Persistence: Deciduous
Size: a trailing, low shrub or climbing (aerial roots)
Twigs: young twigs ashy or rusty pubescent, previous season twigs glabrous, leaf scars crescent-shaped, buds densely pubescent. When climbing, the twigs are covered in aerial rootlets as they attach to the tree.
Leaf: tri-foliately compound, petiolate, slender petioles, leaflets of 3, lateral pair sessile and mitten shaped while the terminal leaf stalked and equilateral, rounded basally, acute to acuminate apically
Fruit: single seeded, translucent drupe eaten by birds and mammals
~can cause rash or irritation in humans

Smilax spp.

Family: Smilacaceae
Common name: greenbrier, sarsaparilla, catbrier
Persistence: Evergreen to semi-evergreen
Leaves: simple, alternate, typically have 3 or 5 major veins from base to apex.
Flowers: Small clustered green, yellow, or brown
Fruit: small berry, 5-10mm in diameter. Each fruit contains 1-4 reddish seeds.

Sassafras albidum

Family: Lauraceae, Laurel fam
Common name: Sassafras
Native range: Found from Central FL, East Texas, Michigan, North Eastern US
Height: Up to 80-90ft tall, larger in northern parts of the range, small in FL.
Growth habit: Thickets, colonies, rhizomatous roots
Leaf persistence: Deciduous
~new growth: very green twigs
Bark: Scattered lenticels, has a cinnamon/orange bark as it ages and thick ridges.
Leaves: simple, alternate. Variably lobed. Lobed & unlobed. Polymorphic. Three leaf shapes: simple lobed, unlobed or ovate. Dark green glabrous on top, a little pubescence underneath.
Margin: Entire
~Turns autumn colors
Flower: cluster, yellowish green
Fruit: drupe (like mini avocado) dark purple with red stem
*Laurel wilt
Tolerances: early successional (open & disturbed). Well-drained soils preferred. Seeds spread by birds. High drought tolerance, sprouts back after fire. Moderate salt tolerance.

Quercus virginiana

Family: Fagaceae
Common name: live oak
Type of oak: White
Native range: VA, FL, West to Texas. Coastal Plain. Habitat: Hammocks. Wet to Dry.
Height: Long lived 300-500 yrs.
Leaf persistence: Evergreen
Bark: Dark, deeply furrowed thick bark.
Leaves: Simple, alternate. Elliptic->ovate. Some lobing when young. Dark green shiny above, grayish color underneath. Appressed (hairs on underside of leaf) entire revolute margin.
Flowers: Catkins, diff female/male flowers
~cluster of terminal buds
Fruits: acorns
Timber: worthless now bc too hard and dense. U.S. Navy live oak plantations.
Very sought after for horticulture.
Tolerances: Intermediate shade, moderate flood, drought, salt.

Vitis aestivalis

Family: Vitaceae
C: summer grape
Native Range: Native eastern US
Habitat: well-drained sites, dunes to fields and forests.
Leaf persistence: Deciduous
Twigs: Weedy vine with branched tendrils (biforcated "Y" shaped)
Height: Can get up to 80ft
Bark: dark brown shreddy bark like a cat scratched it. Reddish brown.
Leaf: simple, alternate, variously lobed, 3-7 lobes, serrated margin, dark dull green above, glaucous below with pubescence. Has a "broken glass" type veining pattern.
Flowers: yellow-green
Fruit: berry, dark purple.
Tol: mod drought, mod shade, low flood, mod salt, low fire.

Quercus falcata

C: Southern Red Oak
Family: Fagaceae
Native: SE US
Height: 120 ft tall
~Can be 150-200 yrs old
Habitat: Mostly upland areas with well-drained soils.
Bark: Thick, furrowed, grayish-brown.
Leaves: variable lobing (sickle-shaped). base- rounded, bell-shape. Dark green upper surface, golden-brown pubescence. Pinnate venation.
~multiple terminal buds.
Fruits: small, hemispherical acorns.
Wildlife love

Quercus geminata

sand live oak
Fagaceae
WHITE OAK
Native range: SE Coastal Plain, West to Louisiana & Alabama.
Habitat: Scrub, sandy soils, sandhills, coastal areas. Well-drained. High and dry.
Height: Small tree up to 40 ft tall
Twigs: Umbrella crown (drooping) with decumbent branches.
Bark: Fissured bark up to crown and branches.
Leaves: Simple, alternate, cuneate base with revolute margins ("makes a boat, sand live oak"). Can have sharp mucro. Pubescent (fuzzy) underside. Has drought prone features.
Acorns: in pairs (geminata), elongated. Black at maturity.
Uses: Valued by wildlife.
~Forms thickets/colonies.
Tol: high drought, mod salt, low flood, mod fire, low shade
KEY FEATURES: hairs on underside, revolute margin, impressed veins

Quercus hemisphaerica

"sand" laurel oak
Fagaceae
RED OAK
Native range: SE US
Habitat: Most everywhere except extremes. Weedy & prolific tree colonizer.
Lifespan: short-lived only 100-120yrs naturally, shorter in urban sites. Susceptible to decay.
Leaf persistence: Tardily deciduous (here it will keep it leaves until new leaves, north of here loses leaves)
Bark: tight, dark grey when young, fissures shallowly as it ages
Leaves: simple, alternate, shallow lobes, juvy leaves have mucro tip, as trees mature they produce fewer lobes, narrowly elliptic, almost no lobing in mature growth, darker on top, lighter bottom, margin entire, flat leaf. Glabrous.
Fruit: Produces small, hemispherical acorns that turn dark brown when mature
Uses: sometimes used as pulp and biomass.
Tol: mod shade but grows slow in understory, mod drought, low flood, low fire, low salt. Mature trees more resistant to fire.

Quercus laevis

turkey oak
Fagaceae
RED OAK
Habitat: North to Eastern NC, South to Central FL, West to Eastern Louisiana
Habitat: Dry, upland sandy areas in Coastal Plain.
Height: Up tp 50-60ft tall
Deciduous
Relatively slow growing, short lived.
Bark: Blocky, tight, fissured bark almost black (really stand out in winter), tend to be sparsely branched
Leaf: simple alternate, 5-7 lobes with mucro tip, glossy glabrous green on both sides, short petiole, kinda twisted no pubescence, cuneate (v shaped) base.
Acorn: bigger than other red oaks.
Uses: Loved by wildlife, wood for BBQ, not much for timber.
Tol: high drought, high fire, low shade and salt and flood

Quercus nigra

water oak
Fagaceae
RED OAK
Native range: TX, OK, South to Central FL
Habitat: Where fires lack.
Life span: Short-lived
Up to 125ft tall
Persistence: tardily deciduous
Bark: Tight, smooth, blackish/greyish
Leaves: lobed when juvenile. Spatulate shaped w/ mucronate tip when mature. Pinnately veined with "hairy armpits" (pubescence in axils of veins).
Acorns: squatty, 1/2in x 1/2 in
Uses: firewood, flooring, pulp wood.
Tol: mod shade, low fire, low-mod drought, low flood and salt

Quercus michauxii

swamp chestnut oak
Fagaceae
WHITE OAK
Native: E TExas, down to Central FL
Habitat: Mesic hardwoods, moist, well-drained rich soils. Likes the organic layer.
Persistence: large, deciduous tree
Bark: Light, grayish in color. Thin, peely, exfoliating bark.
Leaves: LARGE, Simple, alternate, obovate, dentate margin, veins end in teeth; lower surface has a pale, silvery pubescence, almost looks glaucous but not
Acorns: BIG 1 1/2in, bowl shaped cup for a cap.
Uses: GOOD food source. Highly valued timber. Basket weaving.
Tol: low-mod shade, low drought, low-mod flood, low fire

Quercus laurifolia

swamp laurel oak
Fagaceae
RED OAK
Native range: VA, TX, FL, Coastal Plain
Habitat: Coastal/lowland areas.
Life span: longer lived, fast growing, gets big.
Persistence: tardily deciduous
Bark: sometimes buttressed
Leaves: simple, alternate, diamond shape (rhombic) with ripple along edge makes it looks like bacon, juvy leaves super ripple. Highly variable leaf shape. Dark green with axil hairs on underside (not as distinct as Q. nigra).
Acorn: saucer shaped cup.
Uses: Used for timber bc it's big and sturdy.
Tol: some flood, low drought low fire low salt low to mod shade

Gelsemium sempervirens

Carolina Jessamine
Loganiaceae
Native range: SE US
Habitat: well drained soils, pinewoods, hammocks
Size: not HUGE but can climb high.
~twining or trailing woody vine with no tendrils.
Persistence: evergreen
Leaf: PAIRED simple, opp, lanceolate-> ovate->elliptic shape, glabrous and dark green. Entire margin.
Flowers: yellow tubular
Uses: mostly toxic but can be used medicinally, attractive to pollinators.
Tol: mod shade, low everything else, maybe mod drought

Rhapidophyllum hystrix

needle palm
Arecaceae
Native range: native to FL, GA, Carolinas, Mississippi
Habitat: river bluffs, flood plains, ravine slopes. Hydric -> mesic sites. Often found in sandy soils.
Persistence: Evergreen
~Slow growing monocot.
Height: typically 1 ft, can grow up to 5ft.
No trunk. Base composed of old leaves and fibers.
Leaves: Simple palmate. 16-20 segments per leaf. 3-4 teeth on apex of each segment, giving it a jagged appearance. Base is truncate. Parallel venation. Upper surface is dark green and glabrous. Lower surface is silvery green and pubescent. Petiole is smooth and unarmed.
Fruit: brown to reddish purple
Used in horticulture.
Tol: low drought, some cold

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Virginia creeper
Vitaceae
Native range: Most of E NA E of Rockies
Woody, climbing or trailing vine
Persistence: Deciduous, turns red in fall.
Stem: thin bark when young, thicker browner when mature w/ aerial rootlets
Leaves: Palmately compound. 5 leaflets. Vary in size. Alternate. Serrate to dentate margins.
Flower: reddish
Fruit: Berry, purple in color
Key: palmately compound leaves with alternate arrangement maybe trailing maybe climbing. Tendrils!
Tol: high drought tolerance, low flood tolerance, cannot tolerate fires
Uses: No edible fruits (for humans)

Aristida beyrichiana

common: wiregrass

family: Poaceae

Range: NC, FL, MS, Coastal Plain

Habitat: Sandhills, well-drained sites

Persistence: Perennial

Leaves: simple, linear, thin, wire-like

Seeds/fruit: spike-like seed-head with awns (seeds)

Tolerances: low shade and salt, high fire and drought, mod flood

Other: They typically grow tall and flop over which promotes fire.

Andropogon sp.

common: broomsedge, bluestem

family: Poaceae

Range: native throughout SE US

Habitat: Xeric --> hydric

Persistence: perennial

Leaves: (monocot) simple, folded leaves

Seeds/Fruits/Flowers: Flowering raceme, branched, airborne seeds

Other: Low forage value, NOT a sedge (despite misleading common name), carries fire, burns hot, can fall over fire-line, not the greatest fuel. Easily reproduces.

Cnidoscolus urens

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Common: stinging nettle

Range: Native to FL, VA, LA, Piedmont

Habitat: Sandhills, scrubs, well-drained sandy soils

Bark: Herbaceous

Persistence:
Perennial

Leaves: Simple & alternate, palmately lobed, upper is dark green with stiff hairs injecting a toxin.

Stem and leaves will sting.

Flowers: 5-petaled white flowers with capsule fruit.

Other: If touched can cause a stinging sensation. Bobwhite quail and ground nesting birds feed on the fruits.

Chamaecrista fasciculata

common: partridge pea

family: Fabaceae

Range: Great Plains --> East

Habitat: Upland, drier sites, disturbed areas, well-drained

Bark: Herbaceous

Persistence: Annual

Leaves: Pinnately compound with 10-16 leaflets. Alternate, entire margin (of leaflets).

Flowers/fruit: yellow, showy flowers that produce legumes (flattened seedpods)

Tolerances: mod shade and salt, low flood, high drought

Other: pollinator plant, nitrogen fixer, browsed, used as a native ornamental and as erosion control. Doesn't sprout after fire, but seeds often remain in seedbank.

Eupatorium sp.

Family: Asteraceae

Common: Dog-fennel

Range: Native

Habitat: Sandhill

Bark: Herbaceous stem

Persistence: Perennial

Leaves: Simple & alternate

Other: When crushed strong fennel herb smell can be smelled, also is sticky after being crushed

Elephantopus sp.

Family: Asteraceae

Common: elephant foot

Range: Native

Habitat: Sandhill

Bark: Herbaceous

~Pioneer species

Leaves: Simple & basal rosettes, blades can be sessile or petiole, elliptic to ovate or obovate or lanceolate, base is cuneate, often have pubescence. Upper and lower surface have dotted resin glands.

Flowers: white, pink or purple

Hypericum sp.

Common: St. John's Wort

Angiosperm & Dicot

Family: Clusiaceae

Range: Throughout NA

Habitat: Xeric to mesic, well-drained, flatwoods, sandhills, scrubs

Bark: Can be woody or herbaceous.

Persistence: Perennial (mostly), some annuals. Some evergreen and some deciduous.

Leaves: Simple, opposite leaves. Sometimes leafy stipules at each node. Small, elliptic, entire.

Flowers: 4-5 petaled yellow flowers.

Fruits: Capsules.

Other: Don't want around livestock because it increases photosensitivity. Sunburned sheep. Used as an ornamental. Medicinal.

Tolerances: mod shade, prefers well-drained soils, mod fire tolerance.

Licania michauxii

Family: Chrysobalanaceae (cocoplum family)

Common: gopher apple

Range: SC, FL, LA

Habitat: dunes, sandhills, flatwoods, scrubs

Growth habit: forms colonies, spreads rhizomatously, never over a foot tall.

Bark:

Persistence: evergreen

Leaves: lime green, glabrous to pubescent, rounded to obtuse apex. margins entire>lightly crenate. Smoother under, textured veins on top.

Fruit: drupe about 1/4in in size

Tol: mod shade, readily resprouts after fire, drought tolerant

Other: Gopher food

Morella cerifera

Common: wax myrtle, bayberry

Family: Myricaceae

Range: NJ, FL, W to TX, Piedmont

Habitat: downland areas, flood plains, xeric to hydric

Height: Up to 5ft tall, shrubby, multistemmed

Persistence: evergreen

Bark: Smooth, gray bark, lenticels

Leaves: Simple, alternate, oblanceolate leaves. May be entire, may have teeth on some. Gold glands on both surfaces.

Fruits: drupes along stem, glacous (waxy)

Tol: mod salt, low fire, mod flood, mod drought

Other: quail, turkey, pollinators use. Fixes nitrogen.

Paspalum notatum

Family: Poaceae

Common: bahiagrass

Native Range: Non-native to NA. Originally from SA.

Habitat: Found all over North and Central America in pastures, roadsides, ditches, disturbed areas.

Bark: Grass stem

Leaves: Simple & alternate at nodes

Growth pattern: Sod forming grass ~ spreads rhizomatously or by stolons.

Fruit: a seed is called a caryopsis

Other: purple color at base of plant. Holds Earth together. Planted along roadsides and for livestock.

Tolerances: shade tolerant, low salt tol, burns hot with thick smoke, promotes fire, high drought tolerance.

Pityopsis graminifolia

Common: silkgrass, narrow leaf silkgrass

Family: Asteraceae

Range: VA, FL, W to TX, SE US, concentrated in Coastal Plain.

Habitat: sandhills, flatwoods, old fields

Height: up to 2ft tall

Persistence: perennial

Leaves: simple, alternate, linear blade. silky, graminoid-like leaf (grass-like).

Fruits/Flowers: acheme fruits and composite head flowers

Other: Break in half to see silky hairs. Gopher tortoises love them! Used commercially for native nurseries.

Tol: mod shade, salt low, readily resprouts after fire

Quercus incana

Family: Fagaceae

Common: bluejack oak

Range: Native to FL, NC, TX, Coastal Plain

Habitat: Mesic sites and sandhills, scrubs, well-drained drier areas (in FL)

Bark: Blocky as it ages

Persistence: Deciduous

Leaves: Simple & alternate, blue-gray glabrous upper, glaucous and gray pubescence under, entire margins, oblong-lanceolate shaped. May or may not have mucronate apex.

Fruit: small, flattened acorns.

Other: Cluster of buds. Male and female flowers. Turkeys, deer, squirrels, jays eat the acorns.
Used for pulp wood occasionally.

Tolerances: low salt, mod shade, mod fire, low flood, high drought

Rubus sp.

Family: Rosaceae

Common: blackberry

Range: Native

Habitat: Hydric to mesic sites, open areas, edges.

Growth habit: grow up, die back, resprout. Vining, crawling, or erect.

Bark: Herbaceous with thorns

Persistence: Perennial

Leaves: Palmately compound & alternate, serrate to dentate margins. Dark green above, lighter under.

Stems and midrib of leaf are armed with prickles!

Flower/fruit: flowers in spring, fruit in summer -> aggregate of drupes.

Eaten by small animals, mammals, humans.

Tolerances: shade intolerant, mod salt, readily resprouts after fire, flood mod

Solidago sp.

Common: goldenrod

Family: Asteraceae

Range: mostly native species in FL. All over East Coast, West to Louisiana.

Habitat: Likes disturbed areas.

Height: up to 7ft

Persistence: perennial, herbaceous.

Growth habit: Erect

Leaves: sessile (no petiole), elliptic in shape, variably pubescent, spiraled leaves

Tol: mod shade, readily resprouts after fire, drought tol high

Osmanthus americanus

Family: Oleaceae
Common: wild olive/devilwood
Range: Native to SC, FL, LA, Coastal Plain
Habitat: Hydric-mesic sites. Dry uplands to edges of wet sites.
Bark: Smooth with some texture, thin
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & opposite, elliptic shape, mostly entire margins (some variable serrate) often feature revolute edges, pinnate venation. Dark green above, thick & leathery. Glabrous. Dark green below.
Fruit: dark blue drupe
Flower: cream colored tubular flowers
Tolerances: moderately shade and drought tol, low salt and fire tol

Vaccinium arboreum

Family: Ericaceae
Common: sparkleberry
Range: Native to Coastal Plain, Eastern US
Habitat: dry upland sites, well-drained. Tend to form thickets.
Height: up to 20ft tall
Bark: Tight and smooth, crooked, reddish bark, thin, often covered in lichens
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Simple & alternate, finely serrated (serrulate) margins, dark green upper, pale green lower, obovate shape, obtuse-acute apex with tiny mucro, obtuse base, pinnate venation, thicker and more leathery than other vacciniums
Fruit/flowers: Urceolate flowers, shiny black berries
Other: Underside venation not pronounced, used as walking sticks but not so much in timber.
Tolerances: low salt, mod fire/flood/drought

Lyonia ferruginea

Family: Ericaceae
Common: rusty lyonia, crooked wood
Range: Native to SC, GA, FL
Habitat: dry, sandy soils, mixed hardwood, scrubs
Height: Up to 30ft
Persistence: Evergreen
Bark: tight, flaky bark
Leaves: simple, alternate, elliptic, acute + hard apex, margins entire, revolute, rusty scales on young growth and stem.
Flowers: nondescript.
Fruit: Woody capsule
Other: branches used for fake trees.
Tolerances: low fire, mod to high drought, low flood

Cladina sp.

Family: Cladoniaceae

Common: deer moss

Range: Native to most of North America

Habitat: Mesic-upland sites

Other: Small lichen, can be moist or crispy. Reproduce via spores. Lichens are a symbiosis between fungi and algae. Wildlife use for nests. Humans use for model trains and terrariums. Takes a long time for them to grow.

Tolerances: Burns (not fire tolerant). Mod shade, low flood, high drought.

Cyrilla racemiflora

Family: Cyrillaceae
Common: swamp titi
Range: NC>FL>TX (Coastal Plain)
Habitat: swampy areas, wet, streams, flatlands.
Height: Up to 30ft
Branching: Rarely straight, crooked. Forms thickets.
Persistence: Deciduous
Bark: thin, spongy, thicker as it matures
Leaves: simple, alternate. Oblanceolate to elliptic in shape. Entire margins. Dark green above, pale green below.
Flowers: Raceme
Fruit: Drupe
Uses: groundnesting birds like quail eat, pollinators use, not even used for pulpwood. Honey!
Tolerances: shade tol, low salt, somewhat fire tol (readily resprouts after fire), low drought, high flood.

Pinus taeda

Family Pinaceae
Common: loblolly pine
Range: Native. Maryland, FL, TX, Coastal Plain up to Piedmont.
Habitat: Hydric-mesic sites. In FL prefers wetter areas, edges of uplands.
Bark: Pine-like bark, thinner than palustris and elliottii
Persistence: Evergreen (conifer, gymnosperm)
Leaves: 3 needles per fascicle, shorter needles
Other: sharp cones, prolifically branched species, holds on to cones

Ulmus americana

American Elm
Ulmaceae
Range: Native from Great Plains east.
Habitat: Wetter sites, streams, ponds, lakes. Mesic sites.
Height: Up to 100ft tall
Bark: corky, interlacing ridges (red brown and white layers in cross section). Stacked, platy bark. Brown to greyish.
Leaves: Acuminate apex, inequilateral and oblique base, venation pinnate and sharply ascending. Doubly serrate margin.
Buds: pointed, ovoid, brown, usually glabrous; scales imbricate; pseudoterminal
Twigs: brown, usually glabrous
Fruit: samara (single)- wing surrounding seed, notched at apex; matures in spring
Form: vase-shape; often dead when big; base buttressed
Other: Steamed wood made from elm, dutch elm disease (fungus spread by beetles)
Tol: Intermediate shade, low salt, moderate flood, moderate drought

Taxodium distichum

Family: Cupressaceae
Common: bald cypress
Range: Native to VA, FL, W to TX, Coastal Plain, MS delta, up to Illinois
Habitat: Found in or near water (Swamps or flowing water). Flooded areas.
Height: up to 200ft tall (live 100s of years or over 1,000)
Bark: shreddy, fibrous, brown colored
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Branchlets with awns. Simple & alternate, green upper, green lower (until they turn red in fall), awl shaped
Fruits: Female fruits are globous cones
Other: Cypress knees (pneumatophore) indicate a T. distichum, leaflets (branchlets) look like feathers. Rot resistant, so they were logged heavily. Ones at the springs are usually hollow.

Nyssa biflora

Family: Cornaceae

Common: swamp tupelo

Range: Native FL, W to TX, MS delta, Coastal plain.

Habitat: Hydric soils. Wetter sites, swamps.

Bark: Young bark is smooth, thin, and grey, mature bark is more platy and fissured. Looks a lot like Liquidambar styraciflua.

Persistence: Deciduous

Leaves: Simple & alternate, elliptic to oblong shape, entire margins, acuminate apex, cuneate base, pinnate venation. Red flagging in the fall.

Flowers: pair of white flowers

Fruits: Bluish-black drupe

Other: Single terminal bud on stems, impressed venation. Swollen base. 90 degree branching.

Uses: wildlife use, bees, peel trees for veneers, harvested above swell

Tol: shade intolerant, low salt, mod fire, high flood, low drought

Persea palustris

Family: Lauraceae
Common: swamp bay
Range: Native to NC, FL, W to TX, Coastal Plain.
Habitat: Hydric soils. Floodplains, pine flatwoods, wetter soils.
Height: Up to 50ft
Persistence: Evergreen
Bark: Young stems feature thick pubescence; older stems brown black with sporadic pubescence. Rusty pubescence on new growth.
Leaves: Simple & alternate, dark green glabrous upper, light green glaucous lower, lanceolate-elliptic shape, entire margins, acute apex, cuneate-oblique base, pinnate venation, pubescence on midrib, aromatic when crushed.
Fruit: Dark blue drupe
Other: Pubescence on underside of leaf easily felt on lip. Laurel wilt. PUBESCENT AND PLEASANT
Tolerances: Mod shade, salt low to mod, mod fire, mod flood, low drought

Gordonia lasianthus

Family: Theaceae
Common: loblolly-bay
Range: Native. SC, FL, W to MS.
Habitat: Found in poorly drained hydric soils. Wetter areas. More acidic.
Height: 80+
Bark: Thick w/ furrows. Flattened ridges.
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate, green glabrous upper, light grey lower, elliptical- lanceolate shape, serrated margins*, acute apex, cuneate base, pinnate venation
Flowers/Fruits: White flowers 5-petals. Cup-shaped. Creamy white. Point capsule 4-8 seeds.
Other: NO STIPULAR SCARS.

Ilex cassine

Family: Aquifoliaceae
Common: dahoon holly
Range: Native. NC to FL, W to TX, Coastal Plain.
Habitat: Hydric-mesic sites. Ephemeral pond edges. Poorly-drained sites.
Height: 40ft
Bark: Tight and smooth, thin, gray.
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate, glabrous and waxy upper, pale green glabrous lower, elliptic shape, mostly entire margins but can have teeth, pinnate venation
Flower: Dioecious.
Fruit: Yellow to Red at maturity
Other: "Bird beak" tip of leaf, green twigs (new growth)

Taxodium ascendens

Family: Cupressaceae
Common: pond cypress
Range: VA, FL, W to TX, up to Illinois along MS river
Habitat: standing water, Cypress domes. Hydric soils.
Size: 80ft tall
Persistence: Deciduous
Other: gymnosperm, conifer

Ilex opaca

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Common: American holly

Range: Native throughout TX, Southern Maryland, down to FL

Habitat: Mesic-hydric sites. Upland to bottomland sites. Well-drained

Height: up to 50ft

Bark: Smooth, thin, gray, tight

Persistence: Evergreen

Leaves: Simple & alternate, oblong to ovate shaped, spines evenly throughout margins, wavy margin, pinnate venation. Dark green, shiny, leathery.

Flowers: White
Fruit: holly drupe (looks like what ppl call holly berries)

Other: Dioecious, used for inlays and cabinets, ornamental uses

Tol: highly shade tol, low fire and flood, medium drought

Ilex vomitoria

Family: Aquifoliaceae

Common: yaupon holly

Range: Native up to Southern Northeast

Habitat: Uplands, well-drained areas

Bark: Stem very woody and tight, grey

Persistence: Evergreen

Leaves: Simple & alternate, elliptic to oblong shaped, crenate margins, pinnate venation, variable, thick & leathery

Dioecious

Fruit: red drupe like other hollies

Other: Leave size consistent with plant size, forms thickets

Tol: intermediate shade, some salt, low fire, no flood, high drought

Morus rubra

Family: Moraceae

Common: red mulberry

Range: Native to Eastern NA, Coastal Plain, up to lower great lakes.

Habitat: Bottomland mesic forests, moist hammocks

Height: up to 80-90ft

Bark: Smooth when young, has flaky fissures when matured. Long dark scaley ridges.

Persistence: Deciduous

Leaves: Simple & alternate, polymorphic shape, dentate to coaserly serrate margins, pinnate venations, scabrous upper surface, pubescence on lower leaf surface. Truncate or subcordate bases. Veins impressed inward. Milky sap from petiole. Zig-zagged twigs from pseudo-terminal buds.

Other: Naked petiole, fruit is aggregate of drupes- drupelets, not valuable for timber, weedy species

Ulmus alata

Family: Ulmaceae
Common: winged elm
Range: TX > IL > Maryland > down coast to FL
Habitat: slopes, moist hammocks, next to creeks
Height: 50-60ft tall, a fit in diameter
Bark: when mature~irregular, flat ridges, a lil corky
Leaves: 2 ranked, simple, alternate, smaller and narrower than U. americana. Angled, ascending veins. Dark green on top with pubescence under.
Fruits/flowers: raceme, sumara (flying saucer shaped seed pod)
Other: not used for timber but heavily planted for horticulture.
Tol: fairly shade tol, low salt, low to mod flood

Euonymus americanus

Family: Celastraceae
Common: hearts-a-bursting, American strawberry bush
Range: TX > IL > FL
Habitat: Mesic floodplains, hardwood forests, temporary flooded areas
Height: 6ft tall
Persistence: tardily deciduous
Leaves: Simple, opposite. Lanceolate to elliptic in shape, sometimes broader. Margin has tiny serrations. Slightly angular twigs. Green throughout (including twigs).
Fruit: 3-5 lobed capsule
Other: Browsed by mammals, birds love, everything but the ripe fruits are toxic.
Tol: Intermediate shade tol, low salt, low to mid flood

Persea borbonia

Family: Lauraceae
Common: red bay
Range: Native
Habitat: Mesic sites
Bark: Smooth when young, somewhat furrowed when older
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate, lanceolet- elliptic, entire margins, pinnate venation
Other: Similar to P. palustris but with no pubescence on the underside, located in dryer sites compared to P. palustris

Celtis laevigata

Family: Ulmaceae
Common: sugarberry
Range: Native
Habitat: Hydric sites
Bark: Tight and brown, worty
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Simple & alternate, deltoid-ovate shaped, serrated margins, pinnate venation
Other: Leaves have herbaceous texture, base often not equilateral

Osmunda cinnamomea

Family: Osmundaceae
Common: cinnamon fern
Range: native to Eastern NA
Habitat: bottomlands, moist flatwoods, not flooded areas
Height: Up to 5ft
~fern, rhizotamous, forms colonies
Pinnae: looks pinnately compound because pinnae are alternate, with divided pinules.
Produce reproductive fronds with their spores concentrated.
TOL: high shade, low fire, mod flood and drought

Salix caroliniana

Family: Salicaceae
Common: Carolina willow
Range: Native
Habitat: Hydric sites
Bark: Young stems are smooth & reddish brown, mature can be furrowed
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Simple & alternate, lanceolet shaped, finely serrated margins, pinnate venation
Other: Grows in clusters, rounded leaves around leaf base, underside may be glaucous

Sambucus nigra

Family: Caprifoliaceae
Common: elderberry
Range: Throughout NA to Mexico
Habit: Wet, bottomland areas
Height: Shrub to small tree, up to 16ft tall. Multi-stemmed.
Persistence: Deciduous
Bark: tight, light grey, little bit of ridging.
Leaves: Bipinnately compound, opposite. Leaflets are lanceolate to elliptic with a serrated margin and soft rachis.
~spongy pith
Fruit: terminal cymes (clusters of drupes that are dark purple)
Other: Vitamin C or purgatory depending on the fruit or the bark.

Acer negundo

Family: Aceraceae
Common: boxelder
Range: Native
Habitat: Hydric-mesis sites
Bark: Smooth thin, sometimes fissured
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Oddly pinnately compound & opposite, ovate with lobing on apex, serrated margins with lobed apexes
Other: Compound & opposite, similar to poison ivy, new twig growth often green

Carex sp.

Family: Cyperaceae
Common: sedge
Range: Native
Habitat: Hydric-mesic, depends on species
Bark: N/a
Persistence: Perenial
Leaves: Simple & alternate, M (or W) or triangular shaped culms
Other: Monocot plant, achene fruit, largest genus of seed plants in U.S.

Aralia spinosa

Family: Araliaceae
Common: Devils walkingstick
Range: Native
Habitat: Hydric-mesic
Bark: Smooth with lots of thorns
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Compound (oddly bipinnate) & alternate, ovate shape, serrate margins, pinnate venation. Also armed.
Flower: terminal panicle
Fruit: Drupe
Other: Plant can be found with/without branching

Citrus aurantium

Family: Rutaceae
Common: sour orange
Range: Non native
Habitat: Mesic-hydric sites
Bark: Stems are herbaceous with thorns
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate, ovate-elliptic shaped, entire margins, pinnate venation
Other: Older leaves feature winged petioles, prominent thorns throughout stem, crushed leaves smell like citrus

Cladium mariscus

Family: Cyperaceae
Common: swamp sawgrass
Range: Native to the coastal plain down to Mexico
Habitat: Swamps and marshes (hydric sites), saline soils, estuaries
Height: up to 9ft tall
Bark: NA
Persistence: Perennial
Leaves: Folded, 'v-shaped' margin, sharp blades (fine serrations) on midrib. Rosette at base.
Flower/fruits: Panicle flower, acheme fruits.
Other: Serrated edges that can be felt. Nesting cover, carries fire in the Everglades.
Tol: Intolerant of shade, med fire, high flood

Erythrina herbacea

Family: Fabaceae
Common: coral bean, Cherokee bean
Range: Native to SE, W to TX, S to Mexico
Habitat: Upland coastal mesic sites. Well-drained sandy soils, some flatwoods.
Height: Up to 30ft
Growth habit: shrubby, multistem, trailing.
Bark: Stem armed with stems
Persistence: Perennial. Deciduous stems green with spines.
Leaves: Compound trifoliate & alternate, deltoid shaped, entire margins with lobes near apex, pinnate venation. Dark green glabrous. Spines on petioles. Pulvini on leaflet.
Flowers/fruits: huge, bright red raceme, legumes in expanding pods. Toxic.
Other: Armed stem, planted as an ornamental.
TOl: mod shade, mod drought, low flood, freezes but comes back

Juncus spp.

Family: Juncaceae
Common: rush or bog rush
Native to SE, monocot
Habitat: coastal, fresh water, hydric, wet soils.
~Clump forming, forms rhizomes
Persistence: Perennial
Leaves: Sharp pointed, grass-like leaves. Glabrous. ROunded.
Flower: dense cluster.
Birds eat.

Juniperus virginiana

Family: Cupressaceae
Common: Eastern red cedar
Range: Native to midwest to Eastern US. Widest distribution conifer in US.
Habitat: Low nutrient soils, wet to dry sites.
Height: up to 60ft high
Bark: Shreddy reddish-brownish bark. Twigs brownish-gray.
Persistence: Evergreen, gymnosperm
Leaves: Opposite, awl shaped needles when juvenile. Scaly and overlapped when older.
Fruits: Produce male and female cones. Female cones are called "juniper berries."
Other: Used for gin, timber, and pencils. Windbreaks, wildlife nesting, cover.
Tol: shade intermed, low salt, low fire, low flood, high drought

Opuntia spp.

Family CACTACEAE
Common prickly pear

Pinus clausa

Family: Pinaceae
Common: sand pine
Range: Native
Habitat: Scrubs
Bark: Normal pine tree bark that gets smoother and flakier higher up
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate, 2 needles per fascicle
Other: Small, serotinous cones

Quercus chapmanii

Family: Fagaceae
Common: chapman oak
Range: Native
Habitat: Scrub ecosystem
Bark: Grey
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Simple & alternate, general not lobed, mostly entire, pinnate venation
Other: Underside dull green-pale yellow, some pubescence along midrib but no hairy armpits

Quercus myrtifolia

Family: Fagaceae
Common: myrtle oak
Range: Native
Habitat: Scrubs
Bark: Grey
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate, often similar to Q. nigra leaf shape, generally entire, pinnate venation
Other: Underside bright green, notable hairy armpits

Sapindus saponaria

Common: wingleaf soapberry
Family: Sapundaceae
Range: Native SE US to MS, SC, FL
Habitat: Limestone soils, shell mounds, sandy, well-drained soils.
Persistence: deciduous
Grow habit: round, drooping structure or scraggly
Bark: Tan to light grey bark
Leaves: pinnately compound, alternate, falcate (curved to one side), wavy, entire margin. Lacks a terminal leaflet.
Flower: white panicle
Fruit: yellow to orange, waxy, lipids, saponins for soap making
Tol: high salt, drought, low fire.

Schinus terebinthifolius

common: Brazilian pepper
family: Anacardiaceae
non-native, cat 1 invasive
Native range: Argentina, Brazil, South America
Current spread: Eastern NA, W to TX
Habit: wet to dry sites. Bottomland areas to scrubs. Variable range.
Size: up to 40ft
Colonial, grow in pure stands
Invade mangroves
Multi-stemmed shrub
Bark: tan with lenticels, thin, scratch to green easily.
Leaves: oddly pinnately compound, alternate. Leaflets are leathery, glabrous on both sides, a little bit of winging on rachis. Glabrous wings.
Smell is peppery.
Some people react to the oils.
Flowers/fruits: red drupe, white flowers
Birds love to eat them. Used by birds as a food source. Messes up migratory patterns. Used for honey. Beekeepers don't like when people eradicate the plants.
~Allelopathic
Fire tol low, can act as a fire barrier, shade intolerant, salt tol moderate, low drought tolerance, low flood tolerance.

Yucca aloifolia

Common: Spanish Bayonet
Family: Agavaceae
Range: native to US --> Louisiana, E TX, NC, Coastal Plain
Habitat: Shell mounds, dry-sandy soils
Height: Up to 20ft tall in its Southern range without hurricanes.
Growth habit: Forms colonies. Easy to propagate.
Monocot, evergreen
Leaves: sharp, pointed dagger-like leaves. Older leaves fall. Linear shape. Thick and leathery. Margin: dark green, stiff, blades.
Flowers: huge panicle, terminal, bell shaped, fragrant flowers.
Fruit: berry- leathery, multiseeded.
Other: ornamental, anti-inflammatory

Yucca filamentosa

Family: Agavaceae
Common: beargrass
Range: Native
Habitat: Scrubs or flat woods
Bark: NA
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: NA
Other: Monocot, flowering stalk can be 8ft tall

Zamia pumila

Family: Zamiaceae
Common: coontie
A cycad (ancient gymnosperm lineage); "naked seeds"
Range: Native to FL, one county in AL, one county in S GA. Found in Australia, S Africa, Mexico.
Habitat: Coastal areas. Sandy, scrubby soils, shell mounds.
Bark: NA
Persistence: Evergreen
Leaves: Simple & alternate
Other: Unique shaped leaves, planted extensively for horticulture purposes

Fraxinus americana

Family: Oleaceae
Common: white ash
Range: Native tp E NA. West to TX, up to Great Lakes, NE, down to FL
Habitat: Mesic-xeric sites. Usually upland, deciduous, rich soils. Sometimes slopes, streams. Always well-drained.
Bark: Mature bark anastomosed (woven pattern/diamond shapes). Dark grey.
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Oddly pinnately compound & opposite*, ovate-elliptical shaped, margins mostly entire (a lil bit serrated), pinnate venations. Lighter underneath contributing to the name "white ash."
Flowers/Seeds: nondescript flowers. Seeds are sumaras with elongated wings.
Other: Horseshoe shaped leaf scar (bud sits within leaf scar), sometimes paler green underside, found in drier sites, corky bark. Dioecious. Used for baseball bats, tool handles, etc. Emerald Ash bore.
Tol: intolerant of shade, salt, and fire. low flood, mod drought tolerance.

Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Family: Oleaceae
Common: green ash
Range: native to Eastern NA up to Canada.
Habitat: Prefers wetter areas, more shade tolerant
Persistence: Deciduous
Grows mostly straight.
Height: up to 100ft
Bark: anastomosing bark, blocky, square.
Leaves: oddly pinnately compound, opposite, dark-green above, lighter below.
Fruits/seeds: Sumara

Cornus florida

Family: Cornaceae
Common: flowering dogwood
Range: Native
Habitat: Mesic sites with calcareous soils
Bark: Bark is squarely blocky and scaly (pebbly)
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Simple & opposite, ovate-obovate shaped, entire margins, arcuate venation
Fruit/flower: big, white bracts. Greenish flower. Fruit is a bright red drupe. Swollen onion minarets
Other: When leaves are torn they create silky fibrous strands, delicate leaves, new growth green
Monoecious

Viburnum rufidulum

Family: Caprifoliaceae
Common: rusty blackhaw
Range: Native
Habitat: Mesic sites
Bark: Very soft, looks like small scales or pebbles
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Simple & opposite, ovate- obovate shaped, finely serrated margins, pinnate venations
Other: Very soft bark, glabrous upper leaf with dull green glaucous underside, red-brownish hairs that look like rust underneath

Carya tomentosa

Family: Juglandaceae
Common: mockernut hickory
Range: Native
Habitat: Mesic-dry sites
Bark: Furrowed with anastomosis
Persistence: Deciduous
Leaves: Oddly pinnately compound & alternate, serrated margins, pinnate venation
Other: Pubescence underneath, not equilateral bases, large terminal buds, terminal leaflets tend to be larger