Southwest Florida Plants

Counties: Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee

Highlighting the counties in the Southwest region. Specifically, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, and Manatee.

Click through the photographs below to see suitable plants for each marsh elevation in southwest Florida.

Disclaimer: This webpage is a general guide to marsh plants that may work in your area. Local conditions such as water levels, soil salt, terrain, and sunlight can affect which plants will grow best. Before planting, check with a local expert, your county extension office, or a contractor who knows your site conditions. Choosing the right plants is key for long-term success and for making your living shoreline most beneficial to the environment.

Low Marsh

A photo of a waterhyssop plant
Waterhyssop​​ (Florida Wildflower Foundation)
A photo of a saltwort plant
Saltwort (Liz Makings)
A photo of a red mangrove plant
Red mangrove (James St. John)
A photo of a perennial glasswort plant
Perennial glasswort (Ignacio Fernández Villar)
A photo of a gulf cordgrass plant
Gulf cordgrass​ (Tim Guida)
A photo of a smooth cordgrass plant
Smooth cordgrass​ (Maryland Biodiversity Project)

Details

Common Name Scientific Name Counties
Waterhyssop Bacopa monnieri All
Saltwort Batis maritima All
Red mangrove Rhizophora mangle All
Perennial glasswort Salicornia ambigua All
Smooth cordgrass Sporobolus alterniflorus All
Gulf cordgrass Sporobolus spartinae All

Mid Marsh

A photo of a black mangrove plant
Black mangrove (Chad Zuber)
A photo of a groundsel bush plant
Groundsel bush (Dakota Parish)
A photo of a sea ox-eye plant
Sea ox-eye (Florida Wildflower Foundation​)
A photo of a seagrape plant
Seagrape​​ (Delray Beach Historical Society)
A photo of a buttonwood plant
Buttonwood (Vivians Nursery)
A photo of a saltgrass plant
Saltgrass​ (Plant Lust​)
A photo of a gulf coast spikerush plant
Gulf coast spikerush (Lake Restoration)
A photo of an indian blanket plant
Indian blanket (Edisto Island Open Land Trust)
A photo of a west coast dune sunflower plant
West coast dune sunflower (Flickr)
A photo of a dollarweed plant
Dollarweed​ (The Spruce​)
A photo of a railroad vine plant
Railroad vine​ (iNaturalist​)
A photo of a big-leaf marsh elder plant
Big-leaf marsh elder (Jason Sharp)
A photo of a black needlerush plant
Black needlerush (Evan Grimes)
A photo of a white mangrove plant
White mangrove​ (Florida Native Plant Society​)
A photo of a buttonsage plant
Buttonsage (Martinique Le Diamant)
A photo of a southern wax myrtle plant
Southern wax myrtle (Georgia Native Plant Society)
A photo of a muhly grass plant
Muhly grass (Sylvan Gardens)
A photo of a seashore paspalum plant
Seashore paspalum (George D. Gann)
A photo of a red bay plant
Red bay (Carlos Velazco-Macias)
A photo of a black-eyed susan plant
Black-eyed susan​​ (Florida Wildflower Foundation)
A photo of a cabbage palm plant
Cabbage palm​ (Florida Native Plant Society)​
A photo of a sea purslane plant
Sea purslane (Kew)
A photo of a sand cordgrass plant
Sand cordgrass (Florida Native Plant Society)​
A photo of a saltmeadow cordgrass plant
Saltmeadow cordgrass (Native Plant Trust​)
A photo of a seashore dropseed plant
Seashore dropseed (Kew)
A photo of a perennial saltmarsh aster plant
Perennial saltmarsh aster​ (Florida Wildflower Foundation​)
A photo of a sweet acacia plant
Sweet acacia (Florida Wildflower Foundation)

Details

Common Name Scientific Name Counties
Black mangrove Avicennia germinans All
Groundsel bush Baccharis halimifolia All
Sea ox-eye Borrichia frutescens All
Seagrape Coccoloba uvifera All
Buttonwood Conocarpus erectus All
Saltgrass Distichlis spicata All
Gulf coast spikerush Eleocharis cellulosa All
Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella All
West coast dune sunflower Helianthus debilis subsp. vestitus All
Dollarweed Hydrocotyle umbellata All
Railroad vine Ipomoea pes-caprae All
Big-leaf marsh elder Iva frutescens All
Black needlerush Juncus roemerianus All
White mangrove Laguncularia racemosa All
Buttonsage Lantana involucrata All
Southern wax myrtle Morella cerifera All
Muhly grass Muhlenbergia capillaris All
Seashore paspalum Paspalum vaginatum All
Red bay Persea borbonia All
Black-eyed susan Rudbeckia spp. All
Cabbage palm Sabal palmetto All
Sea purslane Sesuvium portulacastrum All
Sand cordgrass Sporobolus bakeri All
Saltmeadow cordgrass Sporobolus pumilus All
Seashore dropseed Sporobolus virginicus All
Perennial saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum tenuifolium All
Sweet acacia Vachellia farnesiana All

High Marsh

A photo of a false indigo bush plant
False indigo bush​ (Florida Wildflower Foundation​)
A photo of a milkweed plant
Milkweed​ (Sustainable Ag Research and Education​)
A photo of a gumbo limbo plant
Gumbo limbo (Ricard Reverte)
A photo of an American beautyberry plant
American beautyberry (Ancient Roots Native Nursery​)
A photo of a coastal sandbur plant
Coastal sandbur​ (Plants of the World Online)​
A photo of a snowberry plant
Snowberry (Mike Breiner)
A photo of an oblongleaf twinflower plant
Oblongleaf twinflower (Naturescapes of Beaufort, SC)
A photo of a Florida privet plant
Florida privet​ (iNaturalist​)
A photo of a firebush plant
Firebush (Cindy Chrisler)
A photo of an inkberry plant
Inkberry (Mt. Cuba Center)
A photo of a yaupon holly plant
Yaupon holly (Jacquelyn Boyt)
A photo of a seacoast marshelder plant
Seacoast marshelder​ (Florida of the Southeastern US​)
A photo of an eastern red cedar plant
Eastern red cedar (The Spruce​)
A photo of a christmasberry plant
Christmasberry (Florida Native Plants Nursery & Landscaping)
A photo of a sweetbay magnolia plant
Sweetbay magnolia​ (Arboretum Foundation​)
A photo of a black medick plant
Black medick (Francois Lebas​)
A photo of a sunshine mimosa plant
Sunshine mimosa​ (Florida Wildflower Foundation​)
A photo of a myrsine plant
Myrsine (Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve)
A photo of a virginia plantain plant
Virginia plantain (Douglas Goldman)
A photo of a sand live oak plant
Sand live oak (Florida Native Plant Society)​
A photo of a water live oak plant
Water oak​​ (iNaturalist​)
A photo of a live oak plant
Live oak (Dusty)
A photo of a white indigoberry plant
White indigoberry (Friends of the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens)
A photo of a saw palmetto plant
Saw palmetto​ (Florida Native Plant Society)​
A photo of a starry rosinweed plant
Starry rosinweed (Flora of the Southeastern US)
A photo of a seaside goldenrod plant
Seaside goldenrod​ (USFWS​)
A photo of a yellow necklacepod plant
Yellow necklacepod (Harry P. Leu Gardens)
A photo of a blue porterweed plant
Blue porterweed (LSU Ag Center)
A photo of a white clover plant
White clover​ (Florida Museum of Natural History​)
A photo of a fakahatchee grass plant
Fakahatchee grass (Eco Blossom Nursery)

Details

Common Name Scientific Name Counties
False indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa All
Milkweed Asclepias spp. Varies with species
Gumbo limbo Bursera simaruba All
American beautyberry Callicarpa americana All
Coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex All
Snowberry Chiococca alba All
Oblongleaf twinflower Dyschoriste oblongifolia All
Florida privet Forestiera segregata All
Firebush Hamelia patens All
Inkberry Ilex glabra All
Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria All
Seacoast marshelder Iva imbricata All
Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana All
Christmasberry Lycium carolinianum All
Sweetbay magnolia Magnolia virginiana All
Black medick Medicago lupulina All
Sunshine mimosa Mimosa strigillosa All
Myrsine Myrsine cubana All
Virginia plantain Plantago virginica All
Sand live oak Quercus geminata All
Water oak Quercus nigra All
Live oak Quercus virginiana All
White indigoberry Randia aculeata All
Saw palmetto Serenoa repens All
Starry rosinweed Silphium asteriscus All
Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens All
Yellow necklacepod Sophora tomentosa var. truncata All
Blue porterweed Stachytarpheta jamaicensis All
White clover Trifolium repens All
Fakahatchee grass Tripsacum dactyloides All