The Flora along Florida’s Waterways Florida’s waterways have unique characteristics among them being the diverse flora. So often we paddle the waterways and see this diversity of beauty throughout the year without recognizing the species we are admiring. Florida Paddle Notes introduces this online guide to help identify the numerous flowers, plants, and trees we so often enjoy on Florida’s waterways.
Flowering Plants, Vines, and Trees White, Cream ~ Yellow ~ Orange, Pink, Red ~ Violet, Purple, Blue
Air Plants ~ Additional Aquatic Plants ~ Ferns – Trees ~ Resources
White Flowering Plants, Vines, and Trees Alligator Lily ~ Spider Lily ~ Swamp Lily ~ Fragrant Water Lily ~ American Rattan ~ Climbing Hemp Vine, Hedge Bindweed ~ Hairy Bittercress ~ Late Boneset ~ Lizard’s Tail ~ Sandswamp White Top Sedge ~ American Elderberry ~ Broadleaf Arrowroot ~ Mock Bishop’s Weed ~ Water Hemlock ~ White Swamp Milkweed ~ Wild Rice ~ Buttonbush ~ Halberd leaf Rose Mallow ~ Sea Myrtle ~ Swamp Azalea ~ False Willow ~ False Willow ~ Virginia Willow ~ Swamp Dogwood ~ Walter’s Viburnum ~ Wax Myrtle ~ Hawthorne ~ Loblolly Bay ~ Pipewort ~ Mangrove ~ Ogeechee Tupelo ~ Swamp Bay
Alligator Lily – Hymenocallis palmeri Swamp Lily – Crinum americanum Spider Lily – Hymenocallis latifolia Fragrant Water Lily – Nymphaea odorata Rain Lily – Zephyranthes spp American Rattan – Berchemia scandens Climbing Hemp Vine Hedge Bindweed – Calystegia sepium Hairy Bittercress – Cardamine hirsuta Late Boneset – Eupatorium serotinum Lizards Tail – Saururus cernuus Sandswamp Whitetop Sedge – Rhynchospora latifolia American Elderberry – Sambucus canadensis Broadleaf-Arrowroot-Sagittaria-latifolia Mock Bishop’s Weed – Ptilimnium-capillaceum Water Hemlock – Cicuta Mexicana White Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias perennis Wild Rice – Zizania aquatica Buttonbush – Salt Springs Halberd-leaf Rose Mallow – Hibiscus laevis Sea Myrtle – Baccharis halimifolia Swamp Azalea 0 Rhododendron viscosum False Willow – baccharis angustifolia Virginia Willow Sweetspire – Itea virginica Swamp Dogwood – Cornus foemina Walter’s Viburnum – Viburnum obovatum Wax Myrtle – Myrica cerifera Hawthorne – Crataegus spp. Loblolly Bay – Gordonia lasianthus Pipewort – Eriocaulon decangulare Mangrove Ogeeche Tupelo – Nyssa-ogeche Swamp Bay Blossom – Persea palustris
Yellow Flowering Plants, Vines, and Trees Bald Cypress ~ Bearded Beggaticks ~ Burr Marigold ~ Butterweed ~ Carolina Yellow Jasmine ~ Coastal Plain Willow ~ Golden Club ~ Golden Ragwort ~ Hairy Cowpea ~ Love Vine ~ Marsh Beggartick ~ Primrose Willow ~ Sandweed ~ Scrub St. Johns Wort ~ Sea Oxeye Daisy ~ Spadderdock ~ Swamp TiTi ~ Tickseed Sunflower ~ Mexican Primrose Willow ~ Woodland Sunflower
Bald Cypress – Taxodium distichum Bearded Beggarticks – Bidens aristosa Burr Marigold – Bidens laevis Butterweed – Packera glabella Carolina Yellow Jasmine – Gelsimium sempervirens Coastal Plain Willow – Salix caroliniana Golden Club – Orontium aquaticum Golden ragwort – Packera aurea Hairy Cowpea – Vigna luteola Love Vine – Cassytha filiformis Marsh Beggartick – Bidens mitis Primrose Willow – Ludwigia peruviana Sandweed – Hypericum fasciculatum Scrub St. John’s Wort – Hypericum tenuifolium Sea Oxeye Daisy – Borrichia frutescens Spadderdock – Nuphar advena Swamp TiTi – Cyrilla racemiflora Tickseed Sunflower – Bidens polylepis Mexican Primrose Willow – Ludwigia octovalvis Woodland Sunflower – Helianthus strumosus
Pink, Red & Orange Flowering Plants, Vines, and Trees Cardinal Flower ~ Crimson Eyed Rose Mallow ~ Obedient Plant ~ Purple Sesban ~ Red Maple ~ Salt Marsh Fleabane ~ Salt Marsh Mallow ~ Sensitive Brier ~ Shinning Fetterbush ~ Small American Aster ~ Smartweed ~ Sundew ~ Swamp Marsh Pink ~ Swamp Rose ~ Swamp Rose Mallow ~ Trumpet Creeper
Cardinal Flower – Lobelia cardinalis Crimson Eyed Rose Mallow – Hibiscus moscheutos Obedient Plant – Physostegia-virginiana Purple Sesban – Sesbania punicea Winged Sumaras – Red Maple – Acer rubrum Redbud – Cercis canadensis Salt Marsh Fleabane – Pulchea odorata Salt Marsh Mallow – Kosteletzkya pentacarpos Salt Marsh Morning Glory – Ipomoea sagittata, Scarlet Rose Mallow – Hibiscus coccineus Sensitive Brier – Mimosa nuttallii Shinning Fetterbush – Lyonia lucida Small American Aster – Symphyotrichum racemosum Smartweed – Polygonum punctatum Sundew – Drosera Rotundifolia Swamp Marsh Pink – Sabatia calycina Swamp Rose – Rosa palustris Swamp Rose Mallow – Hibiscus grandiflorus Trumpet Creeper – Campsis radicans
Violet, Purple & Blue Flowering Plants, Vines, and Trees Blue-Eyed Grass ~ Blue Flag Iris ~ Climbing Aster ~ Elliot’s Aster ~ False Indigo ~ Giant Ironweed ~ Pickerel Weed ~ Violet Wood Sorrel ~ Water Hyacynth
Blue-eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium albidum Blue Flag Iris – Iris viginica Climbing Aster – Ampelaster carolinianus Elliott’s Aster – Symphyotrichum elliottii False Indigo Bush – Amorpha fruticosa Giant Ironweed – Vernonia fasciculata Pickerel Weed – Pontederia cordata Water Hyacinth – Eichhornia crassipes
Air Plants Bartram’s Airplant – Tillandsia bartramii Tisslandia spp Tillandsia spp Bartram’s Airplant
Additional Aquatic Flora Broadleaf Arrowroot ~ Cattail ~ Dollarweed ~ Duckweed ~ Harsetail ~ Hydrilla ~ Lake Sedge ~ Maiden Cane ~ Needle Rush ~ Pickerel Weed ~ Sawgrass ~ Smartweed ~ Spadderdock ~ Water Hyacinth ~Water Lettuce ~ Wild Rice
Broadleaf Arrowhead – Sagittaria latifolia Cattail – Typha latifolia Dollarweed – Hydrocotyle umbellata Duckweed – Lemnoideae spp. Horsetail – Equisetum hyemale Hydrilla – Hydrilla verticillata Lake Sedge – Carex lacustris Maiden Cane – Panicum hemitomon Needle Rush – Juncus roemerianus Pickerel Weed – Pontederia cordata Sawgrass – Cladium jamaicense Smartweed – Polygonum punctatum Spadderdock – Nuphar advena Water Hyacinth – Eichhornia crassipes Water Lettuce – Pistia stratiotes Wild Rice – Zizania aquatica
Ferns Giant Leather Fern ~ Resurrection Fern ~ Sword Fern ~ Royal Fern ~ Southern Shield Fern ~ Cabbage Palm Fern
Giant Leather Fern – Acrostichum danaeifolium Resurrection Fern – Pleopeltis polypodioides Sword Fern – Nephrolepis exaltata Royal Fern – Osmunda regalis Southern Shield Ferns – Lower Juniper Creek Cabbage Palm Fern – Phlebodium aureum
Trees American Holly ~ Carolina Ash ~ Bald Cypress ~ Dahoon Holly ~ Florida Elm ~ Live Oak ~ Loblolly Bay ~ Mangrove ~ Pignut Hickory ~ Red Maple ~ Redbud ~ Sabal Palmetto ~ Swamp Bay ~ Swamp Dogwood ~ Swamp Locust ~ Sweet Bay ~ Swamp TiTi ~ Sweet Gum ~ Water Tupelo ~ Black Tupelo ~ Ogeechee Tupelo ~ River Birch ~ Water Hickory
American Holly – Ilex opaca Carolina Ash – Fraxinus caroliniana Bald Cypress – Taxodium distichum Dahoon Holly – Ilex cassine Florida Elm – Ulmus americana var. floridana Live Oak – Quercus virginiana Loblolly Bay – Gordonia lasianthus Mangrove Pignut Hickory – Carya glabra Red Maple Samaras – Acer Rubrum Redbud – Cercis canadensis Sabal Palmetto Flowering Sabal Palmetto – Tomoka River Swamp Bay Blossom – Persea palustris Swamp Dogwood – Cornus foemina Swamp Locust – Gleditsia aquatica Sweet Bay – Magnolia virginiana – Juniper Creek Swamp Cyrilla – Titi-Cyrilla racemiflora Sweet Gum Water Tupelo – Nyssa aquatica Black Tupelo – Nyssa sylvatica Ogeeche Tupelo – Nyssa ogeche River Birch – Betula Nigra – North Fork Black Creek Water Hickory – Carya aquatica
Additional Resources… Florida Plant Identification Help Atlas of Florida Plants Southern Wetland Flora Guide Native Wetland Plants Aquatic and Wetland Plants in Florida Field Identification Guide to Plants Used in the Wetland Assessment Procedure Florida’s Nature – Flora Aquaplant
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This guide is prepared to be a simple, quick reference to identify the diverse flora we encounter on our paddles. Some are familiar sights on many waterways, others are unique to one or two particular areas. The guide is not meant to be an exhaustive identification reference but a quick visual guide of the trees and plants I enjoyed while paddling the waterways…James
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