Shrubs for Coastal Areas
Shrubs for Florida’s Coastal Landscapes and Gardens
Coastal areas along the south, central, and northern coast of Florida present unique challenges to plants. Between the constant sea breeze, salt-laden air, and saline soil, plants must endure harsh conditions. Only certain species can handle these specific growing conditions. Landscape architects who are preparing to take Section F of the Florida LARE need to know about plants that can withstand these hostile growing conditions.
The following list of plants are able to grow and thrive close to the coast.
Amyris elemifera (torchwood)
Amyris elemifera is a species of flowering plant in the citrus family, Rutaceae. Its common names include sea torchwood, smooth torchwood, candlewood, sea amyris, tea, cuabilla, and bois chandelle. It is native to Florida in the United States, and the Caribbean. Sea torchwood attains a maximum height of 13 to 39 ft. The smooth, gray bark matures into a rough and furrowed surface with plates. The species has a vertical branching habit. It has a weak taproot, but the lateral roots are stiff and strong. The yellow-gray twigs turn gray with age. The hanging foliage is fragrant. The compound leaves are opposite or sub-opposite. A 1.2 in petiole supports three to five oval or lance-shaped leaflets. The fragrant, globose drupe is black and contains a single brown seed. The tiny, fragrant white flowers and fruit attract wildlife such as birds. Sea torchwood tolerates full sun to light shade. In Florida, it often grows along the edges of hammocks. It tolerates many soil types, including soil over rock and coastal sand.
Ardisia escallonioides (marlberry)
Marlberry is a 12- to 15-foot-tall shrub native to Florida and the Caribbean region that has a very important place in planting design. It often occurs naturally with sabal palms and stoppers. The dark green, semiglossy leaves of this shrub are 3 to 4 ½ inches long. The small, white, fragrant flowers occur in dense terminal panicles that are 5 inches in length. Flowers are borne at intervals throughout the year but do not last very long. In the late spring this plant bears its small purple fruit. Marlberry is great in mixed group and background plantings. It can be trained into a small tree by removing lower foliage and branches to expose the interesting trunk pattern. The multiple trunks become an interesting element in the landscape, and they look nice lighted at night. Space them 15 feet apart along an entrance road or sidewalk to create a nice linear planting of multi-trunked small trees. Since they will remain quite dense even in the partial shade, they make a great screen for residential landscapes. This shrub prefers well-drained soils and a semi-shade to full sun location in the landscape. It will grow in soils with a wide pH range from a sandy humus to calcareous shell and is fast growing. For more information, please read this article.
Capparis cynophallophora (Jamaica caper)
This 6- to 20-foot-tall, native shrub is an upright to spreading plant that is related to plant producing edible capers (Fig. 1). The evergreen leaves of the Jamaica caper are lightgreen above, with fine brown scales below. These glossy, oval leaves are folded together when they first emerge and give the plant’s new growth a bronze appearance. The leaves also have a notched tip. Twigs are brownish gray and pubescent. Jamaica caper flowers have very showy, two-inch-long, purple stamens, white anthers, and white petals. The inflorescence is comprised of terminal clusters consisting of 3 to 10 individual flowers. The fruits are 3- to 8-inch-long cylindrical pods containing small brown seeds that are embedded in a scarlet pulp. Jamaica caper can be utilized as an understory tree in the partial shade. Train the plant into a tree by removing low, drooping branches, and heading upright branches to thicken their diameter. It can also be clipped into a hedge or tall screen to block an undesirable view. Grow Capparis cynophallophora in an area that receives full sun to medium shade. This plant performs well in soils with good drainage and can tolerate cold temperatures to 28°F. It is also drought resistant and responds to fertilizer with vigorous growth. Click here for more information.
Cassia bahamensis (bahama cassia)
Bahama cassia (also known as C. chapmanii) is a tall upright shrub that may reach a height of 3 to 9 feet (Fig. 1). Like many other cassias, this shrub is covered with little yellow flowers in the fall which are quite attractive next to the dark green, compound leaves. Several kinds of butterflies, including the sulfurs, are attracted to these 1/2- to 1-inch-wide flowers. Bahama cassia is relatively short-lived and may begin to decline after only four or five years. However, this plant often has seedlings popping up nearby. This could be a mixed blessing by providing for a source of new plants and creating a potential weed problem. Bahama cassia could be used in the landscape as a specimen planted by itself, or as a screen, hedge, or border. In a sunny location it grows to about 8 feet tall so would make a nice background plant in a shrub border. Allow plenty of room for its rounded, spreading habit of growth. Plants can easily grow to become 6 to 10 feet wide. In the sun, Bahama cassia will be bushy and seldom exceeds a height of 3 to 5 feet; it will obtain a height of 9 feet in partial shade. This shrub prefers well-drained, acid, sandy soil and is drought tolerant. Prune the plant back to the ground in the spring every few years to rejuvenate it, or following a winter with freezing temperatures. Freezing temperature will usually kill all tissue above ground. The plant often sprouts back quickly in the spring in hardiness zone 9 and 10. This article has more information about this species.
Chrysobalanus icaco (evergreen cocoplum)
Chrysobalanus icaco, the cocoplum, Paradise Plum and icaco, is found near sea beaches and inland throughout tropical Africa, tropical Americas and the Caribbean, and in southern Florida and the Bahamas. The inland subspecies is Chrysobalanus icaco pellocarpus. Chrysobalanus icaco is a shrub 3–10 feet, or bushy tree 7–20 feet, rarely to 30 feet. It has evergreen broad-oval to nearly round somewhat leathery leaves (2 to 4 inches long and 1 to 3 inches wide). Leaf colors range from green to light red. The bark is greyish or reddish brown, with white specks. The flowers are small, white, in clusters, appearing in late spring. In late summer it bears fruit in clusters, that of the coastal form being round, up to 2 inches in diameter, pale-yellow with rose blush or dark-purple in color, while that of the inland form is oval, up to 1 inch long, and dark-purple. The coastal form is highly tolerant of salt, so it is often planted to stabilize beach edges and prevent erosion.
Chrysobalanus icaco is also planted as an ornamental shrub. The tree is unable to survive a hard frost. The fruit is edible with a mildly sweet flavor and is sometimes used for jam.
Conocarpus erectus var. sericeus (silver buttonwood)
This low-branching, multi-trunked, shrubby, evergreen tree has beautiful silvery leaves due to silky hairs which cover the leaf surface. The inconspicuous, small, greenish flowers appear in dense conelike heads in terminal panicles in spring and are followed by 1/2-inch, conelike, red-brown fruits. The dark brown attractive bark is ridged and scaly. The leaves are small and fall between the grass blades of the lawn or are easily washed away in the rain. Capable of reaching a height of 40 feet with a 20-foot spread, silver buttonwood is often seen as a small, somewhat asymmetrical shrub but is ideal for use as a screen, clipped hedge, or specimen planting. Due to the attractive bark and soft foliage, a multistemmed specimen can make a nice patio or street tree. Planted in the open as a tree, silver buttonwood will grow to about 15 to 20 feet tall and will often take on a picturesque, contorted appearance when exposed to constant seashore winds, creating an attractive specimen. The crown is more symmetrical 1/2 mile or more from the coast or on the inland side of a tall ocean-front building. The wood of silver buttonwood was formerly used for firewood, cabinetwork, and charcoal making and is very strong. It is an ideal wood for smoking meats and fish. A Florida native, silver buttonwood is ideal for seaside plantings as it is highly tolerant of full sun, sandy soils, and salty conditions. It also tolerates brackish areas and alkaline soils, thriving in the broken shade and wet soils of hammocks. This is a tough tree! It withstands the rigors of urban conditions very well and makes a durable street or parking lot tree. Due to its small size, plant on 15-foot centers to form a closed canopy along a street. Purchase single-trunked trees for street and parking lot plantings. The cultivar ‘Mombo’ has a dense crown and may be smaller than the species, 15 to 20 feet tall. Conocarpus erectus (buttonwood) has green leaves and is a somewhat larger tree with a vase-like shape. You can find more information here.
Dodonaea viscosa (varnish leaf)
The shiny green leaves of this shrub have a varnished appearance that gives this plant its most widely used common name. The varnish leaf is a fast growing, broad-leaved, evergreen shrub that can grow 10- to 15-feet tall. It is most commonly seen at about 6- to 10-feet tall. The “varnished” leaves of this plant have a resinous coating that is a protection against water loss, and this allows the plants to be exceptionally drought tolerant. Leaves vary in shape from spatulate to elliptic or obovate. Margins of the leaves are often turned under. Greenish yellow flowers are without true petals and appear in terminal clusters that are 3 inches in length. This shrub blooms in the spring and fall, and flowers on the same plant may be male, female, or perfect. The most outstanding part of this plant is the pendent fruit. These emerge green, turn yellow green, then pink and red, and then brown as they mature. The three-parted seed pods have 3 or 4 rounded wings. One may use varnish leaf as a specimen due to its nice fruit display. The plant is also attractive when it is not in fruit. Planted 5 to 8 feet apart, varnish leaf makes a nice hedge or background plant, and it is very effective when employed as a screen. It is can also be grown in fence rows and is interesting when espaliered. It is a useful plant that is underutilized. Dodonaea viscosa will tolerate dry sandy or rocky soils, salt spray, windy areas, and drought conditions. It favors areas that receive full sun and is often cultivated in loamy or sandy soils. Check out this article for more information about varnish leaf.
Erythrina herbacea (coral bean)
Erythrina herbacea is a shrub that may attain a height of 20 feet but is often smaller. It rarely exceeds a height of 8 feet in the northern and central sections of Florida. The coral bean has compound leaves that are semi-deciduous, and these 6- to 8-inch-long leaves are composed of three shallow-lobed leaflets. The leaves are light to medium green in color and have prickles on their midribs; the prickles are found on the undersides of the leaflets. The stems of this plant are also armed with short, recurved spines. In south Florida, slender, multiple trunks that are covered with pale, thick bark are formed. Scarlet, tubular flowers are borne in 2-foot-long terminal racemes that can be enjoyed from April to June. These flowers are attractive to hummingbirds. The showy fruits of the coral bean are drooping pods that are constricted between the seeds. These pods split in the fall to reveal the beautiful, scarlet seeds. Coral bean is often used to give a woodland planting a naturalistic, informal effect. It is also excellent as an accent or specimen plant. The bright red flowers add beautiful highlights to any landscape. It can be planted along a fence where it will climb alone and cover it. Derivatives of the plant have been used as a laxative. Native Americans ate roots to increase perspiration. The beans have been used to poison rats and to paralyze fish. Erythrina herbacea should be grown in full sun or partial shade. It is tolerant of a wide range of soils but prefers one that is fertile and well-drained. Fertilize this plant once or twice each year, and cut back the dead tops in the winter.
Hamelia patens (firebush)
This charming Florida native will delight everyone with beautiful orange-red flowers throughout most of the year (Fig. 1). Firebush is a large, soft-stemmed shrub that reaches a height and width of 8 to 12 feet tall without support. A one foot tall specimen that is planted in the spring can be expected to reach 5 feet or more by the following winter. It can grow to 15 feet tall or more if given support on a trellis or other structure. Its evergreen leaves are covered with red tomentum (hairs) when young and are speckled with red or purple at maturity. The petiole and young stems also appear red. These attractive leaves are commonly arranged in whorls of 3. Bright orange-red flowers appear in forking cymes at the tips of the branches throughout the year. The slender flowers are tubular and reach a length of 1 to 1 ½ inches. Although tolerant of shade, flowering is much reduced. Hummingbirds and butterflies enjoy the nectar in the flowers. The small, black, glossy fruits are rounded and can be eaten. There is a continuous crop of these seedy fruits and birds are quite fond of them. The sap has been used to treat skin rashes. The firebush can be used as a foundation plant for large buildings and is superb when placed in the background of a mass of shrubs in a border. It is excellent in a mass planting and functions well as a screen or border. A hedge of firebush will need regular clipping. Flowers are often removed during this process. Hamelia patens can be found growing naturally in a variety of situations in Florida from Sumter County southward. However, it grows best when well supplied with moisture and prefers a full sun to partial shade location in the landscape. This plant can take heat and drought, but a strong wind can cause some leaf browning. Though native, it is quite tender and can be killed to the ground during a freeze. Regrowth from the roots is rapid and rampant, and it has proven to be root hardy through zone 9. It functions very well as an annual in more northerly zones. The firebush is known to be tolerant of the lime bearing (high soil pH) soils of southern Florida. Fertilize this plant sparingly to bring out its best characteristics, and do not allow lawn grasses to invade its root zone. You can find more information about this plant species here.
Ilex vomitoria (yaupon holly)
This upright, spreading small evergreen tree or large shrub, capable of reaching 15 to 25 feet in height with a similar spread, has small, grey-green, leathery leaves densely arranged along smooth, stiff, light grey branches. Plants in the landscape require about 10-years to develop a distinct vase-shape. Sometimes clipped into a tight hedge, Yaupon Holly is ideal for training into a small tree with lower branches removed to reveal the interestingly-contorted multiple trunks. It can also be used for topiaries, espaliers, specimens, screens, or barriers. The non-showy male and female flowers appear on separate plants and are followed on the female plants by the production of brilliant red berries (yellow on some cultivars) which are quite attractive to wildlife. The flowers attract bees for several weeks. Purchase plants with berries on them (females) if you want a berry-producing plant, or buy trees which were propagated from cuttings of female plants. A tough native of the southern United States, Yaupon Holly grows quickly in a variety of locations, from full sun or shade to seaside or swamps, in sand or clay. Crowns will be thin in the shade. It will grow in soil with a pH in the 7’s and is very tolerant of drought and sea salt, It sprouts readily from the roots forming clumps of upright shoots beneath the canopy. Sprouting is most troublesome if the soil beneath the canopy is disturbed, as in planting shrubs or flowers under the tree. These need to be pruned to the ground two or three times each year to maintain a neat appearance. Consider this when selecting trees for use on streets, parking lots, and other low-maintenance areas since thickets often form. Yaupon Holly is one of the most durable and adaptable of the small-leaved evergreen Hollies for use in southern landscapes. It grows well throughout its range in sidewalk cutouts and other sites with limited exposed soil. Wild Yaupons are protected by Florida statute. For more information, check out this article.
Myrcianthes fragrans (Simpson stopper, twinberry)
This member of the eucalyptus family is an attractive, hardy tropical. It was once known as Eugenia simpsonii. It can be a large shrub or small tree and can reach a height of 20 feet with a 15-foot spread. The tiny, deep green leaves contain aromatic oils with the fragrance of nutmeg. They grow densely, when in full sun, on the smooth-barked branches. When this plant is grown in shade, the foliage becomes less dense, and the trunk displays its attractive, smooth, exfoliating bark. Twinberry has fragrant, white flowers that grow in long panicles which occur periodically throughout the year. These flowers then develop into attractive, red berries that are edible. The flowers attract many species of butterflies, and the fruits are appealing to birds. Twinberry performs well with little or no irrigation once it becomes established. It is useful in roadway medians, along unmaintained highways or in buffer strips around parking lots. It can be trimmed into a nice, multi-trunked small tree for use near a deck or patio to provide shade to a small area. This configuration shows off the bark nicely. Twinberry can grow in full sun or deep shade and is most useful where the soils contain shell, marl, or lime rock (alkaline soils). This plant will tolerate wet soils but is also drought tolerant. It shears well, has a high salt tolerance, and is hardy to about 25°F. Its native habitat in Florida is the coastal upland forests with sandy soil containing shells and a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. More information can be found here.
Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle)
Multiple, twisted trunks with smooth, light grey bark, aromatic, olive green leaves, and clusters of grey-blue, waxy berries on female plants which are attractive to wildlife are just some of the reasons southern waxmyrtle is such a popular landscape plant. Most specimens form a multi-stemmed, open, rounded canopy of weak trunks and branches. This rapidly-growing, small, evergreen native tree is capable of reaching a height of 25 feet with an equal spread but is usually seen in the 10 to 20-foot range. Sometimes used as a large shrubbery screen, southern waxmyrtle is ideal for use as a small tree, the lower limbs removed to reveal its picturesque form. One, or several clustered together, provide pleasing dappled shade for terraces or patios. Very tough and easily-grown, southern waxmyrtle can tolerate a variety of landscape settings from full sun to partial shade, wet swamplands or high, dry and alkaline areas. Growth is thin in total shade. It is also very salt-tolerant (soil and aerosol), making it suitable for seaside applications. It is adapted to parking lot and street tree planting, especially beneath powerlines, but branches tend to droop toward the ground, possibly hindering flow of vehicular traffic if not properly trained and pruned. Set them back from the road if used as a street tree so drooping branches will not hinder traffic. Removing excess shoot growth two times each year eliminates the tall, lanky branches and reduces the tendency for branches to droop. Some landscape managers hedge the crown into a multi-stemmed dome-shaped topiary. Plants spaced 10 feet apart, maintained in this manner, can create a nice canopy of shade for pedestrian traffic. Plants should be watered well until established and will then require no further care. The only drawback to the plant is its tendency to sprout from the roots. This can be a nuisance as they need to be removed several times each year to keep the tree looking sharp. However, in a naturalized garden this thick growth could be an advantage, since it would provide good nesting cover for wildlife. Only female trees produce fruit provided there is a male nearby, but seeds do not appear to become a weed problem in the landscape. The cultivar ‘Pumila’ is a dwarf form, less than three feet high. Find out more about this common species here. This species has recently be reclassified as Morella cerifera.
Myrsine guianensis (myrsine saw)
This evergreen shrub is grown primarily for its smooth green foliage. Myrsine is a dense, vertically growing shrub that can reach a height of 15 to 20 feet. Older plants become spreading and woody with numerous trunks. The attractive leaves of this plant are oval and a medium to dark green color. Young, vigorous plants in the nursery have well-spaced leaves along the green twigs, but those on older shrubs tend to cluster toward the ends of the stem. Small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers occur in clusters that are found along the branches. Flowers are succeeded by decorative, shiny, black berries; plants of both sexes must be grown close by to obtain fruiting. Myrsine can be used in the landscape as an accent plant in a shaded or partially sunny landscape. It is excellent when used in shrub groupings. It is a good background plant in a shrub border, forming a fairly dense screen. Plant about 6 to 8 feet apart for a quick-forming screen. It is also useful as an understory plant and lends itself well to dune conditions. Myrsine guianensis will adapt to variable soil conditions including poor drainage. This makes it especially useful near foundations or water retention basins, since water often sits here after a rainfall. Regular clipping will be required if it is used as a foundation planting because of the plant’s tendancy to grow 20 feet tall. This shrub grows best in a partial to full shade location in the landscape, and it has a good salt spray tolerance. Native habitat includes the lee side of coastal upland plant communities where soil is sandy with shell fragments. Soil pH is neutral to slightly alkaline and may be poorly drained. It can also be found in baldcypress swamps among other wet-site-tolerant plants.
Psychotria nervosa (wild coffee)
Psychotria nervosa is a Florida native shrub that gets its common name from the small, red, ellipsoid fruit it produces (Fig. 1). Fruit resembles the true coffee bean. The leaves of this plant are generally 6 inches long and are narrowly obovate in shape. These glossy green leaves are puckered with impressed veins on the upper surfaces of the leaf blades, and there is pubescence along the veins on the leaf undersides. The shiny, dark green foliage gives a rich texture to any landscape. The small, white inflorescence occurs terminally on the branchlets during the warm months of the year. Each flower is a sessile or stalked, open, short cyme. This 4- to 10-foot-tall plant may be used in the landscape as a specimen or foundation plant and is very effective when planted in mass. It stays relatively small in the sun and takes to clipping quite nicely. It makes a nice base or background plant for a shrub border. Birds and other wildlife are often associated with this plant for the fruit it produces. Wild coffee is a moderately drought tolerant plant that will perform well in a partial shade or full shade location in the landscape. Plants in the full sun often have chlorotic foliage. A plant in the full shade can grow into a small tree with an open canopy. It is very cold tender and should be protected if grown north of hardiness zone 10b. This plant will grow on any well-drained soil. Find out more about wild coffee here.
Randia aculeata (white indigoberry)
Randia aculeata has been rated by some as one of the best shrubs for the south Florida area, but it is little known. This 6- to 10-foot-tall, evergreen shrub has small, spiny, leathery leaves that are clustered toward the tips of the branches. These leaves and the stiff branching habit of this plant give it a sort of geometric look. The small, white, axillary flowers produced by this plant are fragrant and occur throughout the year. The white indigoberry also has showy white fruits that give this plant a certain appeal. In the landscape this plant could be commonly used as a specimen. The white indigoberry will flourish on well-drained sandy or rocky soils. It is quite drought tolerant and prefers to be planted in full sun. Its habit is open in the shade. This plant has a very high salt spray tolerance and is a great shrub for coastal landscapes. Read this article for more info.
Sabal palmetto (palmetto)
The sabal palm, or cabbage palm, is native to Florida and coastal regions of North and South Carolina and Georgia, and is the state tree of both South Carolina and Florida. The name “cabbage palm” comes from its edible immature leaves, or “heart,” which has a cabbage-like flavor. Sabal palms have curved, costapalmate, fan-shaped leaves with blades 3–4 feet long and petioles 3–6 feet long. When free of nutrient deficiencies, this species has a full, round canopy atop a trunk 10–16 inches in diameter and up to 40 feet in height. Branched inflorescences produced during the late spring months usually extend beyond the leaves in the canopy and contain thousands of tiny, creamy-white, fragrant flowers that attract bees. The palm produces black fruits of about ¼ inch in diameter in late summer. Although the fruits contain little flesh, they are often consumed by raccoons and other animals that disperse the seeds. Sabal palms are considered cold hardy to about 15°F, or about USDA Zone 8b. They are fairly tolerant of salt spray on their foliage, but intolerant of salt in their root zone. The University of Florida has a very informative article here.
Scaevola plumieri (inkberry)
Inkberry is a 2- to 3-foot-tall shrub with succulent stems that spread to form dense clumps. Stems root as they touch the ground. The foliage is clustered toward the tips of the branches and is thick, fleshy, and a glossy, medium green color. The flowers are 3/4 to 1 inch in length, five- to six-lobed, and found in small clusters among the foliage. They are barely noticeable. The lobes of the flowers are split vertically and spread out like a fan to suggest a half flower instead of a whole flower. The fruits are black, glossy, smooth, and fairly prominent among the foliage. They are bitter to taste but are harmless if only one is eaten. Inkberry can be used as a seaside ornamental, specimen, or ground cover. They grow nearly to the high tide mark on the ocean side of the dunes among the sea oats and other highly salt tolerant plants. They are most effective when massed together as a low ground cover or low shrub. They catch sand and help stabilize the dunes. Inkberry is not harmed by salt spray and is found on sand dunes in southern Florida and the Florida Keys. It is drought tolerant and requires full sun. Plantings inland should be located in a well-drained landscape setting. You can find out more here.
Sophora tomentosa (necklace pod)
Sophora tomentosa var truncata is native to Florida and can be found growing on the edges of coastal forests and on the inland side of dunes along the beach. The necklace pod native to Texas, S. tomentosa var. occidentalis is commonly confused with the Florida native. It is found worldwide on tropical beaches. Necklace pod provides food and shelter for wildlife and the flowers attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and warblers. Necklace pod is a moderately fast grower to about 6 to 10 feet tall and 8 to 12 feet. It is commonly a thicket-forming shrub. Grown alone it forms a naturally symmetrical evergreen shrub. It has many arching irregular branches which are densely foliated. Older plants often become leafless nearest to the ground eventually exposing shrubby stems. The bark is yellowish brown, roughened by many raised whitish, corky lenticles. The leaves are alternate and odd-pinnate. They are up to 12 inches long and 3 inches wide. The leaves consist of as many as 23 irregularly opposite leaflets. The leaflets are typically 1 2/16 to 1 8/16 inches long. They are broadly ovate (egg-shaped) to obovate (inversely ovate). Variety truncata is the Florida native. It has dark green leaves that are shiny above and slightly hairy underneath when young, then becoming glabrous (smooth). The other variety, occidentalis, is covered with a dense- silky tomentose (matted hairs) that gives the plant its silvery cast. In other respects, both varieties are identical. Most necklace pod sold in the landscape trade is the non-native, S. tomentosa var. occidentalis. Both varieties are extremely showy in full bloom. The bright yellow flowers are held on 4 to 16 inches long terminal racemes. The corolla is papillionaceous or pea-like. The raceme begins flowering from the base upward. Both flowers and immature pods appear simultaneously on the lengthening raceme. The pods start as slender, silvery, dangling threads, which quickly lengthen and become strongly constricted between seeds. Constricted pods appear as beads on a necklace. The indehiscent (not splitting open) pods are 2 to 8 inches long. Necklace pod can be propagated by seeds or cuttings. No stratification is necessary for seeds to germinate. Large numbers of seedlings can be found in the vicinity of the parent plant. Flowers are borne on plants barely older than seedlings. Read this article for more information.
Suriana maritima (bay cedar)
The bay cedar is endemic to south Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and the Bahamas. It was commonly found growing in thickets, on sand dunes and rocky shores, often just back of the high tide line, but is now on the endangered plants list. This 5- to 20-foot-tall plant has a sturdy, branched trunk that has beautiful, dark brown, rough, flaky bark; the wood of this tree is very hard and heavy. Branches arch gracefully and hold the evergreen leaves on short, upturned twigs. The tiny, gray-green leaves are fleshy and minutely downy; the new leaves and twigs are particularly downy. Yellow, cup-shaped flowers may occur singly or in clusters that are inconspicuously set among the leaves. These small flowers occur consistently throughout the year. The seeds of the bay cedar are held in a small, brown, five-pointed calyx. Bay cedar is not commonly used in the landscape but could function as a specimen or border plant in beach locations. It has been used as a hedge because it responds well to clipping. Left to grow on its own, bay cedar can be trained into a small tree for a specimen planting in the landscape or in a container. Planted in a row on 5- to 6-foot centers, it functions as a screen. Bay cedar has a high tolerance for salt and wind and is ideal for coastal landscapes. It will grow well in well-drained, sandy soils without irrigation once established and needs to be placed in a mostly sunny location. This page has more information.
Yucca filamentosa (Adam’s needle)
Adam’s needle is a slow-growing native plant found scattered through the woods in the southeastern United States (Fig. 1). Leaves appear as though they have been shaved because leaf margins bear curved, filamentous threads of leaf tissue. The leaf terminates in a sharp spine. Plants stay small, growing no more than about 3 feet tall. In summer a tall, showy flower spike emerges from the center of the plant and displays prominently for several weeks. Adam’s needle can be used as a specimen to accent an area in the landscape. Its striking texture will draw attention. It has also been planted in mass on 3- to 4-foot centers to form a ground cover effect. Locate the plant 3 to 4 feet back from the edge of a walk or patio to prevent getting injured from the spine at the tip of the leaves. Adam’s needle grows in its native habitat in well drained soils in mostly sunny locations. It tolerates partial shade well, provided enough air circulates to keep the plant on the dry side. There is a variegated cultivar called ‘Variegata’ that has light yellow stripes along the margins.
Zamia pumila (coontie)
This native of Florida is also known erroneously as Zamia pumila. The feather-like, light green, leathery foliage of coontie emerges from a large underground storage root in the early years before a trunk develops. Providing a tropical landscape effect, coontie’s unique growth habit is ideally suited for use as a specimen or container planting. It looks particularly attractive when plants of differing sizes are planted together to form a clumping, specimen-like effect. Planted on 3- to 5-foot centers for a massing effect, it forms a 3-foot-tall, medium-green ground cover. Coontie are rarely used in this manner because of the high cost of plants, but it is well worth the effort. This plant should be used more in the landscape. Growing best with some shade, coontie can tolerate full sun and grows on a variety of soils as long as it is well-drained. Watering should be done with moderation, if at all, once established. But like any plant, plenty of water is needed following transplanting. This article contains more information about this plant.
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