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Editor: Marjorie Shropshire ● Visual Key Creative, Inc. ● palmetto@fnps.org ● (772) 285-4286
(ISSN 0276-4164) Copyright 2023, Florida Native Plant Society, all rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without written consent of the editor. Palmetto is published four times a year by the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) as a benefit to members. The observations and opinions expressed in attributed columns and articles are those of the respective authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official views of the Florida Native Plant Society or the editor, except where otherwise stated.
Editorial Content
We welcome articles on native plant species and related conservation topics, as well as high-quality botanical illustrations and photographs. Contact the editor for guidelines, deadlines and other information.
4 Saving One of the Rarest Plants
of Florida's Ancient Islands
Article by Andee Naccarato and Dr. Aaron S. David
9 Ludwigia Living Large Under the Ospreys
Article by George Rogers
12 Florida's Native Hibiscus
Article by Roger L. Hammer
ON THE COVER:
Avon Park harebells occurs in sandy gaps within scrubby flatwoods and oak-rosemary scrub habitats. Research assistant Jeffrey Dosdall marks individual plants with pink flags. See article on page 4. Photo by Andee Naccarato.
Article by Andee Naccarato and Dr. Aaron S. David
Photos by Andee Naccarato
This is a conservation success story about Avon Park harebells (Crotalaria avonensis), one of the rarest plants found on Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge. To set the stage, let’s learn why the Lake Wales Ridge is a hotspot of rare, endemic plants.
The Lake Wales Ridge is a relic sand dune running down the middle of the Florida peninsula, from Lake County through Highlands County. Millions of years ago, when most of Florida’s land mass was underwater, the Lake Wales Ridge was an isolated island. If the current habitat is any indication, the plants isolated on that island must have adapted to very harsh growing conditions, including intense sun, nutrient-poor sands, long periods of drought, and natural fires ignited by lightning strikes. Individual plants with certain traits, such as deep taproots and smaller leaves coated with hairs, survived these environmental extremes and reproduced successfully. Over countless generations, the successful, isolated plants evolved into unique species. Today, the Lake Wales Ridge stretches 116 miles north to south, up to 10 miles east to west, and 100-300 feet above sea level. This ancient geological feature is home to unique upland scrub habitats and roughly two dozen endemic plant species found nowhere else in the world (Swain and Martin 2014, 63).
Avon Park harebells (Crotalaria avonensis, Fabaceae, DeLaney & Wunderlin) is one of the rarest endemic plants of the Lake Wales Ridge. This species is considered critically imperiled (G1, S1) by NatureServe and is recognized as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of Florida. This herbaceous, perennial legume is known to occur in three wild populations between southern Polk County and northern Highlands County, including a population in the city of Avon Park (Figure 1). The other two populations are found within preserves (Carter Creek Unit of Lake Wales Ridge Wildlife and Environmental Area [LWRWEA] in Highlands County and The Nature Conservancy’s Saddle Blanket Scrub Preserve in Polk County). C. avonensis grows from the deep,
white sands of two types of fire-adapted scrub habitats (scrubby flatwoods and oak-rosemary scrub).
The mature, diminutive plants are often less than 15 cm (6 inches) tall and have an upright, bushy growth habit (Figure 2). Small clusters of plants, many produced by clonal stem offshoots, often grow in open, sandy gaps with full sun or limited low canopy cover (Figure 3) provided by shrubby oaks and short palms (e.g. Sabal etonia). Avon Park harebells may be found in bare sand, within leaf litter, or among groundcover species, such as lichens (Cladonia sp.), sandlace (Polygonum dentoceras), or gopher apple (Geobalanus oblongifolius).
Two traits that are consistent with Avon Park harebells’ adaptability to scrub habitats are its silvery leaf hairs that reduce sun exposure and its deep taproot that helps the plant reach water and enable seasonal dormancy. In late fall, the aboveground portion of the plant may disappear and reemerge a couple of months to years later. During dormancy, the plant
3 (left). Avon Park harebells occurs in sandy gaps within scrubby flatwoods and oak-rosemary scrub habitats. Research Assistant Jeffrey Dosdall marks individual plants with pink flags.
survives belowground and presumably persists on stored carbohydrates. Resprouting stems may start pushing out of the sand as early as February.
Besides regrowth after seasonal dormancy, plants burned by fire in the landscape may resprout exceptionally vigorously. For example, a prescribed fire in December 2022 overlapped with a long-term monitoring plot of Avon Park harebells. Researchers, including the lead author of this article, visually confirmed a few days later that the aboveground stems of all plants were completely consumed by the fire and reduced to ash (Figure 4). By early February, the researchers revisiting the burned plot discovered that many of the plants had resprouted, grown several inches, and started to flower (while many plants in unburned plots were in the early resprouting phase).
As a member of the pea family, Avon Park harebells produces yellow flowers that consist of banner, wing, and keel petals (Figure 5). Flowering may begin in early February and continue into June. After pollination, the flower ovaries develop into inflated seed pods (Figure 6). The sound made by mature seeds clattering inside dried pods, like the namesake warning of most rattlesnakes (Crotalus sp.), inspired the genus name, Crotalaria
This Lake Wales Ridge endemic species looks like the more widespread rabbitbells (Crotalaria rotundifolia). According to well-known Florida naturalist, Roger Hammer, the word “rabbit” in some plant common names originates from an Old English word meaning “wild”. The “bells” portion of both
common names refers to the seedpods (Roger Hammer, pers. comm.), which hang conspicuously from the upper stems of both species. The easiest way to tell the two species apart is to look for silvery leaf hairs (present on C. avonensis) and stipules at the base of leaves (present on C. rotundifolia). There are also subtle differences in floral morphology (DeLaney and Wunderlin 1989, 321) that are best scrutinized with a magnifying lens.
Even though Avon Park harebells is related to some non-native, aggressively spreading rattleboxes, this rare plant faces several challenges that limit its reproductive potential.
First, among all the plant species endemic to the Lake Wales Ridge, the geographic range of Avon Park harebells may be the smallest. All known plants of this species are within 20 miles of each other, and the three populations occur as discontinuous “islands” within a modern landscape of agricultural, commercial, and residential developments. Because the natural range and suitable habitats are so constrained, there are few sites available to conduct conservation efforts, such as introductions of new populations.
Second, habitat destruction is an issue, even at “protected” sites. The Carter Creek site was platted for development before the state began acquisition in 1994; today, the state owns roughly 2/3 of the total area, but the site remains a patchwork of state, non-profit, and privately owned 0.5-1.5-acre parcels. The private parcels are being developed, despite occurring along sandy fire lanes within the preserve’s perimeter fences. Development of these parcels not only destroys the underlying habitat, but the new safety concerns that accompany the developed property may lead land managers to be apprehensive about applying prescribed fire to the adjacent, state-owned scrub where Avon Park harebells occurs. In addition to the concerns for the Carter Creek population, another one of the three known populations is quickly declining in a residential development in Avon Park.
Third, Avon Park harebells has been referred to as “demographically challenged” (Menges et al. 2016, 561), meaning it has a slow pace of growth and low reproductive success. This challenge applies to most parts of the plant’s lifecycle, including flowering and seed production. Avon Park harebells typically does not flower until it reaches four years old. A very low percentage of flowers develop seedpods, with as few as four seeds per pod. At least part of the issue seems to be infrequent pollinator visits, which are necessary for cross-pollination and eventual seeds. Once the occasional seed does germinate, seedling survival is low. Fewer than 50 seedlings have ever been discovered in wild populations (Figure 7).
Fourth, wildlife pose a threat to the survival of Avon Park harebells. Rabbits, white-tailed deer, and gopher tortoises nibble stems or clip off entire plants to the ground. Compared to other scrub plants with painful spines or hardened, waxy leaves, the hairy, slightly succulent leaves of C. avonensis may be relatively palatable for herbivores. Additionally, larger wildlife that follow paths of least resistance through open gaps within the densely-woven shrubland may trample delicate seedlings, likely already stressed by drought and high sun exposure. Although these wildlife interactions do not necessarily kill the plants, they limit the opportunity for flowering and subsequent seedling recruitment, and ultimately slow population growth.
How to Save the Rarest of the Rare
What can be done to help bolster a species facing so many challenges? According to the recovery plan by the U.S. Fish
Vaughn-Jordan Foundation intern Eric Liu inspects Avon Park harebells inside the cage during a monitoring visit.
and Wildlife Service (2019), Avon Park harebells requires 20 stable, protected populations within its known native range to be considered for delisting. To that end, Archbold Biological Station, which has monitored wild populations of Avon Park harebells since the late 1990s, coordinated with Bok Tower Gardens and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden to create a new population. The Silver Lake Unit of the LWRWEA was chosen as a suitable location for a new population because it protects continuous scrubby flatwoods and rosemary scrub habitats without any private parcels scattered within the site.
I n 2012, Archbold’s Plant Ecology Program, then led by former director Dr. Eric Menges, conducted an introduction of Avon Park harebells to the Silver Lake Unit using sowed seeds and propagated transplants*. Every planting site was protected by a wire-mesh cage (Figure 8) to prevent larger herbivores from eating the plants. Seed germination, transplant survival, growth, and reproduction for nearly 900 individual planting sites have been monitored at least three times per year ever since.
O ver a decade later, we started crunching the numbers to evaluate the introduction’s success. From the data, it was apparent that the transplant strategy was much more successful than introducing a new population as seeds. One third of original transplants^ survived since their 2012 planting, compared to 12 percent of seeds that germinated and survived the same time span. Even better, the transplant population was expanding via clonal offshoots and recruiting their second generation via new seedlings.
The big headline? There are now four populations of Avon Park harebells. The new population is reproducing and well-protected from human-caused destruction.
Do you want to help protect rare plant species of scrub habitats? Support the protection and restoration of these habitats by responding to related eco-action alerts or vote for natural lands conservation in your area. If you live in or near Highlands County, consider volunteering for Archbold’s Plant Ecology Program or other scrub-related research near you. Something everyone can do is talk to friends and family about why Florida’s plants and ecosystems are important to you. The more people who care, the more plants we can save!
*Seeds and stem cuttings of C. avonensis were harvested from the residential development in Avon Park. The transplants were composed of a mix of wild cuttings, tissue culture cuttings, and tissue culture plants. Wild cuttings were grown out by Bok Tower Gardens and tissue cultured individuals were propagated by Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.
^There was no significant difference in survival among transplant propagation types.
For an introduction to more rare plants of the Lake Wales Ridge, read “Jewels of the Ridge: 20 Imperiled Plants of the Lake Wales Ridge” by Carl Weekley. Online at: https://www.fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto/vol24_no1_weekley.pdf
References
DeLaney, Kris R. and Richard P. Wunderlin. 1989. “A new species of Crotalaria (Fabaceae) from the Florida central ridge.” SIDA 13, (3): 315-324.
Menges, Eric S., Beatriz Pace-Aldana, Sarah J. Haller, and Stacy A. Smith. 2016. “Ecology and conservation of the endangered legume Crotalaria avonensis in the Florida scrub.” Southeastern Naturalist 15, (3): 549-574.
NatureServe. 2023. Last modified August 4, 2023. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.148066/Crotalaria_avonensis Swain, Hilary M. and Martin, Patricia A. 2014. “Saving the Florida Scrub Ecosystem: Translating Science into Conservation Action.” In Conservation Catalysts: The Academy as Nature’s Agent, edited by James N. Levitt, 63–96. Cambridge: Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Lake Wales Ridge Plants Recovery Plan Amendment. 2019. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. South Florida Multi-species Recovery Plan. 1999.
About the
Dr. Aaron S. David is the Program Director of Plant Ecology at Archbold Biological Station in Venus, Florida.
Andee Naccarato is a former Research Assistant at Archbold Biological Station who monitored Avon Park harebells and other rare plants, as well as a former President of the FNPS Naples Chapter. She recently relocated to Virginia, and is now employed by Virginia's Department of Wildlife Resources.
The authors would like to thank previous Archbold Director of Plant Ecology Dr. Eric Menges (retired), former project managers Stacy Smith, Sarah Haller Crate, Haley Dole, and Stephanie Koontz, current research assistant Jeffrey Dosdall, and dozens of interns who were involved in this long-term endeavor. Many partners contributed to the success of this rare plant introduction, including Cheryl Peterson (Bok Tower Gardens), Valerie Pence (Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden), and Matt Vance and Elysia Dytrych (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). Dr. Menges also provided helpful feedback for this article. This project was funded with support from the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Division of Plant Industry, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Article by George Rogers
Natural South Florida marshes before pollution were mostly nutrient-poor with nitrogen and phosphorus limiting plant growth. Now most Florida waters are variably nutrient-enhanced (eutrophic), making it challenging to imagine original nutritional patterns. There must have been broad low-nutrient marshlands studded with small enriched patches. The latter would largely be places with accumulated bird guano: rookeries, large raptor nests, and favored perch sites. What plants lived there? A special assemblage of bird-loving species? Or the usual marsh dwellers, perhaps enlarged? We will peek at one example.
In recent years I’ve been working in beautiful seasonal depression marshes dominated by corkwood (Stillingia aquatica) and peelbark St. Johns-wort (Hypericum fasciculatum). These marshes have a diverse herbaceous ground layer consisting largely of grasses, sedges, eriocaulons, and xyrises. Woody species are listed in Table 1. An old abandoned osprey nest platform is decaying on a tall pole in one of my study marshes, allowing a look into the relationship of a long-standing former osprey nest to the plant life below, without disturbing nesting birds (Figure 1).
Before we look at the under-the-osprey plants, what do we know about bird guano in general? Published studies of rookeries and similar sites offer hints, although the linkage of plant life to bird deposition is remarkably undocumented. Birds excrete nitrogen largely as uric acid. Soil microbes convert the uric acid to other nitrogenous compounds, mostly ammonium, a natural fertilizer, which in excess can poison plants. A study in Australia found rookery deposition to be
Species located under the osprey nest
Carolina willow ...............................................................Salix caroliniana
Climbing hempvine ......................................................Mikania scandens
Small leaf climbing fern .............................................Lygodium microphyllum
Peruvian primrosewillow ..........................................Ludwigia peruviana
Swamp fern .......................................................................Telmatoblechnum serrulatum
Wax myrtle Morella cerifera
Species located in marsh hummocks (unassociated with the nest)
Cocoplum............................................................................ Chrysobalanus icaco
Dahoon holly..................................................................... Ilex cassine var. cassine
Myrsine ................................................................................Myrsine cubana
Poison ivy ...........................................................................Toxicodendron radicans
Saw palmetto ...................................................................Serenoa repens
Slash pine Pinus elliottii
Smilax Smilax auriculata
Wax myrtle Morella cerifera
Numerous herbaceous species Grasses, sedges, small dicots, etc.
Species located in marsh bottom (unassociated with the nest)
Cocoplum............................................................................ Chrysobalanus icaco
Corkwood............................................................................ Stillingia aquatica
Dahoon holly Ilex cassine var. cassine
Lindenleaf rosemallow Hibiscus furcellatus
Peelbark St. Johns-wort Hypericum fasciculatum
Pond apple Annona glabra
Saw palmetto ...................................................................Serenoa repens
Numerous herbaceous species............................... Grasses, sedges, Xyris, ................................................................................................... Eriocaulaceae, small dicots etc.
Table 1. Plant species list for the Jupiter, Florida study site.
20 times the acceptable nitrogen threshold for South Florida St. Augustine turf. Phosphorus is arguably even more limiting than nitrogen in local marshes. Fish-eating birds are especially productive contributors (Marion et al. 1994). A rookery can receive 3,000 times the annual atmospheric phosphorus deposition. The upstream end of an Everglades tree island where phosphorus accumulates from roosting birds and from additional sources can hold over 70 times the phosphorus concentration than the surrounding marsh (Wetzel et al. 2008).
Bird guano can be high in dissolved salts. For that and additional reasons, such as that concentrated ammonium, bird droppings can be toxic to many plants, filtering the flora under a rookery (Bernard et al. 1971). Apparent requirements to thrive in the concentrated droppings would include some combination of salt-tolerance, resistance to additional toxicities, and assertiveness among hyper-fertilized competitors. In short, the upside to growing beneath birds is extreme fertilization and reduced competition. The downside is the possibility of being poisoned out, crowded out, or shaded out. How does that play out in the present case?
The area under the osprey nest I studied differs from the surrounding marsh by having plants many times taller, as well as thick and dark green (Figure 2). Despite the exuberance, the under-nest zone has far fewer species than its biodiverse surroundings (Figure 3). The under-nest species are, in decreasing order of size: Carolina willow (Salix caroliniana), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera), Peruvian primrosewillow (Ludwigia peruviana), swamp fern (Telmatoblechnum serrulatum), climbing hempvine (Mikania scandens), and small leaf climbing fern (Lygodium microphyllum). Setting aside the ubiquitous and non-native climbing fern, let’s look at each of these with respect to their unique habitat. Wax myrtle is the only nest-zone species also nearby in the marsh, and is much larger near the nest.
Swamp fern is common and abundant locally. Its monopoly as the lone groundcover in the nest zone seems likely to be in part salt tolerance, as it also occurs in salty coastal marshes.
Additionally, it is healthy in the shade under the tall thick woody species. Climbing hempvine may help filter out competitors from the thicket by producing natural herbicides (Nelum et al. 2012).
Willows take up nitrogen and phosphorous abundantly. A study in Finland determined Salix schwerinii to increase its biomass 6,510% growing in wastewater (Mohsin et al. 2021). Florida herbarium specimens reveal some Carolina willows in
salty habitats. Showing an affinity for phosphorus, Carolina willow and another of today’s species, Peruvian primrosewillow, dominate constructed wetlands on old phosphate mine sites (Brown et al. 2002).
A lthough Peruvian primrosewillow is generally regarded as an invasive exotic in Florida, its exotic status is not 100% certain (Ward 2008), as is often the case with widespread tropical weeds potentially dispersed by migrating birds. This may be especially true as global warming facilitates tropical species to migrate northward. Like Carolina willow, Peruvian primrosewillow thrives under high nutrition. As an example, it is dominant in the Lake Apopka Flow Way, a series of water treatment cells designed to snag excess nutrients from polluted waters flowing to the lake.
The most intriguing aspect of the under-osprey association is how the Peruvian primrosewillow may arrive. Arrival of the other species is easy to explain: the ferns with dustlike windblown spores, willow and climbing hemp vine both with parachute seeds, and wax myrtle “berries” brought by birds. But how does Peruvian primrosewillow end up in a tiny thicket under a bird nest far from others of its species? Sure, some of its small seeds might blow in the wind, but they show no specialization for that. They float, and some may cling to the osprey’s plumage when bathing (McCormick-Goodhart, 1932). But there’s a compelling though unproven circumstantial case for a precision-targeted two-species delivery service. Step 1: Silveira et al (2019) found Ludwigia dispersing seeds through the digestive systems of fish. Step 2: Known as far back as Charles Darwin, and as Pérez-Méndez et al. (2018) demonstrated recently, raptors disperse seeds through their digestive systems from the fish they eat. Given that fish eat and disperse Ludwigia seeds, that the osprey diet is over 95% fish, and that fish-borne seeds pass through raptors, a double-vertebrate supply chain seems likely. If true, Ludwigia seeds spill from the nest pre-mixed with their own “weed and feed” fertilizer (Figures 4-5).
Ludwigia
Seeds
Seeds inside fish
Far away
Seeds Guano Fish bits Fish
Ludwigia
Barua, I., and several collaborators. 2017. Weeds as emerging threat to biodiversity: a consequence of spread of Ludwigia peruviana in Dhansiri and Kopili catchment areas of Assam, North East India. Current Science 117:1904-1914.
Bernard, J, D. Davidson, and R. Koch. 1971. Ecology and floristics of Knife Island, a gull rookery on Lake Superior. Jour. Minn. Acad. Sci. 37:101-103.
Bowner, K. 1992. Aquatic plant management in Australia (not necessarily weed control). CSIRO Division of Water Resources. Proceedings of the 1st International Weed Control Congress. 2: 95-98.
Brown, M. and several collaborators. 2002. Successional development of forested wetlands on reclaimed phosphate mined lands in Florida. Vol. 2. Final Report. Univ. Fl. Center for Wetlands. Publication 03-131-193.
Givnish, T., and several collaborators. 2008. Vegetation differentiation in the patterned landscape of the central Everglades: importance of local and landscape drivers. Global Ecol. Biogeography 17:384–402.
Marion, L., and collaborators. 1994. The importance of avian-contributed nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to Lake Grand-Lieu, France. Hydrobiologia 279/280:133-147.
McCormick-Goodhart, L. 1932. Ospreys bathing. The Auk 49:464.
Mohsin, M., and numerous collaborators. 2021. Biomass production and removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from processed municipal wastewater by Salix schwerinii : a field trial. Water 13(16):2298https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162298.
Nelum, K., P. Piyasena, H. Ranjith, and W. Dharmaratne. 2012. Allelopathic activity studies of Mikania scandens. Natural Product Research https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2012.656110. Pérez-Méndez, N., and A. Rodríguez. 2018. Raptors as seed dispersers. P. 139-158 in: J. Sarsola et al. (editors), Birds of Prey: DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-73745-4_6.
Schmidt, S., W. Dennison, G. Moss, and G. Stewart. 2004. Nitrogen ecophysiology of Heron Island, a subtropical coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Functional Plant Biology 31:517–528.
Silveira, R., and collaborators. 2019. Small-sized fish as possible seed dispersers: disclosing novel fish and plant species interactions in the Pantanal wetland. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 55:https://doi.org/10.1080/01650521.2019.1669422.
Ward, D. 2008. Primrose willow (Onagraceae). The Palmetto 25(2):14-15.
Wetzel, P., and several collaborators. 2008. Heterogeneity of phosphorus distribution in a patterned landscape, the Florida Everglades. Plant Ecology 200:83-90.
George Rogers received his Ph.D. in botany from the University of Michigan and did postdoctoral work at Harvard. Now retired, he served as chairman of the Horticulture Department at Palm Beach State College and continues research on plants around Palm Beach County, Florida. Photographer John Bradford is an avid naturalist and amateur taxonomist. Find them online at the Treasure Coast Natives blog which features flora (and occasionally fauna) found in Palm Beach and Martin Counties. https://treasurecoastnatives.wordpress.com
One of the most well-known shrubs planted throughout Florida is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, with numerous named cultivars in the nursery trade to choose from, and with large, beautiful, showy blossoms in every color of the rainbow. This species is native to China and it much prefers the acidic soils of northern and central Florida than the alkaline soils of the southern counties, where it requires supplemental fertilizers to acidify the soil and avoid nutrient deficiencies.
What many gardeners don’t realize is that there are seven (or possibly eight) hibiscus species native to Florida, and this is basically due to them being mostly absent from the mainstream Florida nursery trade, although some are occasionally offered in nurseries that specialize in Florida native plants. One issue with Florida’s native hibiscus is that most all of them are freshwater wetland species, requiring special conditions to succeed in home landscapes, but this can easily be overcome by growing them where there is reliably wet soil, with drip irrigation, in water gardens, or in large pots either placed in water or where they can be watered regularly. Besides the fact that they all have attractive flowers, they also attract butterflies and even hummingbirds.
The genus name, Hibiscus, is said to come from the Greek ibiscum or ibiskos, for growing in habitats where ibis occur, although some say it is simply Greek for “mallow,” referring to the Malvaceae, or Mallow Family.
A common native species often found growing in roadside ditches is swamp rosemallow (Hibiscus grandiflorus). This species may reach up to ten feet tall, produces spectacular pale pink to white flowers with a dark pink or red center, and ranges discontinuously throughout much of mainland Florida. The species name, grandiflorus, refers to its large, or “grand,” flowers. This is one of the native species that dies back in winter, resprouting in spring.
A nyone who has ever walked the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Lee County has likely seen the native scarlet rosemallow (Hibiscus coccineus). The species name means “red” and refers to the striking bright red blossoms but, when not in flower, the plant can easily be mistaken for marijuana (Cannabis sativa) — from what I’m told! In fact, teenagers have been caught at Corkscrew Swamp trying to run off with what they mistakenly believed was wild marijuana.
Years ago, I attended a plant sale at Mounts Botanical Garden in Palm Beach County where I purchased two large plants of scarlet rosemallow and laid them down in the bed of my truck for the ride home. But when I was about to get on the turnpike, I thought it best to pull over and cover them with a tarp because I was afraid the toll booth attendants would think they were marijuana plants and call the cops! “But officer, it’s a hibiscus!!” This freshwater wetland species ranges from the Panhandle south into Collier and Broward counties but only where there is suitable wetland habitat. It, too, dies back in winter.
Another extraordinarily attractive species is crimsoneyed rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos), with stunning white flowers sporting a crimson center. The first time I saw this species in flower was when I was driving on I-10 in the Florida Panhandle and immediately went careening off the highway and then backed up to photograph the eye-catching blossoms. The name moscheutos means “mush scented” but I never thought to smell the flowers. I have seen this species sold in wholesale and retail plant nurseries in Florida, and it ranges from Ontario and Massachusetts south to Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, and Florida, which clearly demonstrates its cold tolerance. Botanically, some taxonomists recognize Hibiscus moscheutos (with glabrous capsules) and Hibiscus
lasiocarpos (with pubescent capsules) as separate species in Florida, while others refer to the latter as Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. lasiocarpos. There is a very similar-looking species called Hibiscus laevis from the Florida Panhandle but it has narrow, serrate leaves with a pair of lobes at the base, while the leaves on Hibiscus moscheutos are unlobed and much wider.
One day I was hiking in Jonathan Dickinson State Park up in Martin County when I came upon a hibiscus growing in a flooded ditch, which turned out to be lindenleaf rosemallow (Hibiscus furcellatus). This species occurs in Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Palm Beach, and Broward Counties along Florida’s east coast, with a disjunct population in Highlands County. The beautiful flowers are pink with a darker center. The name furcellatus means “forked” and references the forked “antlers” at the flower base.
Back in the summer of 2015, when I was working as a survivalist instructor on a 9,000-acre ranch in Lake County for the Discovery Channel’s reality TV show Naked and Afraid, I came upon a species with 5-lobed leaves and small, prickly thorns on the trunk and stems. This species is known as comfortroot (Hibiscus aculeatus). The gaudy flowers were creamy white with a red center and I later learned that this species ranges through the Florida Panhandle, but with a disjunct population in Lake County. The male contestant on
that episode tapped out on Day 5 but the female contestant survived the entire 21 days. One day I explained to her off-camera that hibiscus flowers are edible, so she ran over and ate every comfortroot flower she could find! This species ranges across the southeastern United States to Texas where the roots have been used in folk medicine and for herbal tea. The flowers range from cream-colored to pure white.
A nd finally, we come to the oddball of the group, called fairy hibiscus or Poeppig’s rosemallow (Hibiscus poeppigii), named to commemorate German zoologist and botanist Eduard Friedrich Poeppig (1798–1868). The small, bright red flowers of this species are pendulous and I love watching hummingbirds performing aerial acrobatics as they try to access the nectar. It is a subshrub to about four feet tall and, in Florida, is restricted to Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, both mainland and the Florida Keys (see photo on page 12).
A tea from the flowers is brewed in the West Indies to treat colds, and a skin wash is prepared from crushed leaves.
So, check your local nurseries that specialize in Florida native plants and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find Florida’s native hibiscus and be able to admire their show-stopping flowers in your own garden. If you decide to grow scarlet rosemallow, plant it out of sight so the neighbors don’t report you to the authorities for cultivating marijuana!
References
Atlas of Florida Plants, Institute for Systematic Botany. https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu
Flora of North America. http://floranorthamerica.org
Roger L. Hammer is an award-winning professional naturalist, author, botanist and photographer. His most recent books are Paddling Everglades and Biscayne National Parks and Foraging Florida – Finding, Identifiying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods in Florida. Find him online at www.rogerlhammer.com.
1. Broward Stephanie Dunn browardchapterfnps@gmail.com
2. Citrus Jeffrey Bippert jeffreythorne@outlook.com
3. Coccoloba Ben Johnson bcjohnson0831@gmail.com
4. Conradina Martha Steuart mwsteuart@bellsouth.net
5. Cuplet Fern............................................. Alan Squires .................................................. asquires@cupletfern.org
6. Dade .......................................................... Lydia Cuni ....................................................... lydiamariecuni@gmail.com
7. Eugenia ................................................... David L. Martin ............................................. cymopterus@icloud.com
8. Heartland ............................................... Gregory L. Thomas .................................... enviroscidad@yahoo.com
9. Hernando ............................................... Heather Sharkey ......................................... chbrady@tampabay.rr.com
10. Ixia .............................................................. Cate Hurlbut .................................................. catehurlbutixia@yahoo.com
11. Lake Beautyberry ............................. Grace Mertz ................................................... gmer98@yahoo.com
12. Longleaf Pine ........................................ Kimberly Bremner...................................... kimee@mchsi.com
13 Magnolia Maddie Snuggs msnuggs1@gmail.com
14. Mangrove Laura Soule ldsoule@snet.net
15. Marion Big Scrub Deborah Lynn Curry marionbigscrub@fnps.org
16. Martin County Dianna Wentink dw18hpc@gmail.com
17. Naples Sara Dust saraedust@gmail.com
18. Nature Coast Diane Hayes Caruso dhayescaruso@hotmail.com
19. Palm Beach County Amanda Pike amandaalders@yahoo.com
20. Passionflower Melanie Simon msimon@fnps.org
21. Pawpaw Sande Habali sndhbl49@gmail.com
22 Paynes Prairie Sandi Saurers sandisaurers@yahoo.com
23. Pine Lily Jennifer Adams pinelily@fnps.org
24. Pinellas David Perkey dperkey@hotmail.com
25. Sarracenia Lynn Artz lynn artz@hotmail.com
26. Sea Oats ................................................. Judith D. Zinn................................................. jeryjudy@valinet.com
27. Sea Rocket ........................................... Elizabeth Bishop ......................................... izbet@aol.com
28. Serenoa ................................................... Pamela Callender ....................................... callenderpamela@gmail.com
29. Sparkleberry ......................................... Carol Sullivan ................................................ csullivan12@windstream.net
30. Suncoast ............................................... Virginia Overstreet .................................... vaoverstreet@gmail.com
31. Sweetbay .............................................. Jonnie Smallman ........................................ jsmallman2@gmail.com
32. Tarflower ................................................ Jennifer Ferngren ....................................... jennfern fnps@outlook.com
33. The Villages ........................................... Bob Keyes ....................................................... bob.keyes@qcspurchasing.com
Contact the Florida Native Plant Society: PO Box 278, Melbourne, FL 32902-0278. Phone: (321) 271-6702. Email: info@fnps.org Online: https://fnps.org
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