Persea borbonia thru Polygala violacea

Species Name	Common Name
Persea borbonia	Red Bay
Phyla nodiflora	Fog Fruit / Creeping Charlie
Physalis angustifolia	Coastal Groundcherry
Phytolacca americana	Pokeweed
Pityopsis gramnifolia	Narrowleaf Silk Grass
Pluchea odorata	Pluchea / Salt Marsh Fleabane
Poinsettia cyanthophora	Painted Leaf / Wild Poinsettia
Poinsettia heterophylla	Fiddler's Spurge / Mexican Fireplant
Polanisia tenuifolia	Pineland Catchfly / Slenderleaf Clammyweed
Polygala violacea	Showy Milkwort

 

Persea borbonia Red Bay Persea borbonia is a member of Family Lauraceae (The Laurels). It grows as a perennial tree (up to 20 m tall) or a large shrub. Found in hammocks, sandy hills, and scub areas in the Southern United States, it is drought tolerant. Red Bay has gently drooping branches. Leaves are lance-shaped, bright green, 10 to 15 cm long, evergreen, and arranged alternately on the stem. When the leaves are crushed, they emit a spicy fragrance.   Trees produce fruit that is a small, blue or black drupe. Propagation is by seeds. There have been many uses for this plant. Seminole Indians used it as an emetic, to induce vomiting. Dried leaves are used as a condiment, wood is used to build boats and cabinets, and trees are grown as ornamentals. Red Bay is a food source for a variety of wildlife. Xyleborus glabratus (Redbay Ambrosia Beetle) feeds on the plant and carries a laurel wilt fungal disease that kills red bays. Phyllocnistis spp. (Redbay Leaf Miner Moth) larvae are leaf miners of its leaves. Leaves and stems are often covered in galls, created by interactions between the red bay plant and Trioza magnoliae (Red Bay Psyllid). Deer and bears eat leaves and fruits and birds and turkey eat fruits. Return to top

 

 

Phyla nodiflora Fog Fruit / Creeping Charlie Phyla nodiflora is a native, mat-forming, perennial member of Family Verbenaceae (The Verbena Family). Its leaves are opposite and toothed. The leaves are 2.54 cm long and 1 cm wide. Each purple floral head is surrounded by tiny white to light purple flowers, each 2 mm wide. The flowers are a nectar source for butterflies and the leaves are food for the caterpillars of Junonia coenia (The Common Buckeye) and Phyciodes phaon (Phaon Crescent.) Return to top

 

 

Physalis angustifolia Coastal Groundcherry Physalis angustifolia is a native, perennial member of Family Solanaceae (The Nightshade Family). The plant has many branching stems and grows .4 to 3 m in height. As shown above in the last photograph, plants have hairs on the stems and leaves. Older plants are hairless. The leaves are simple, alternate, linear, longer than wide, and tapering at the petioles. The species name angustifolia is derived from the Latin word "angust(i)" meaning "narrow" and "foli(a)" meaning "a leaf." The yellow flowers are solitary, nodding, and bell-shaped. They often have thin purple stripes. As shown here, the fruit has an inflated calyx that looks like a bladder. In fact, the genus name Physalis is derived from the Greek word "physal(i) meaning "a bladder". The fruit is actually enclosed in a papery husk made from the calyx. The fruit is firm like a tomato and tastes like a mildly acidic fruit. It can be eaten raw, made into jellies, and dried. In Chinese medicine, members of the genus Physalis are used to remedy abscesses, coughs, fevers and sore throats. Coastal groundcherry is susceptible to many of the same diseases and pests that attack tomatoes. This photograph shows where insects have created holes in the calyx. Return to top

 

 

Phytolacca americana Pokeweed Phytolacca americana is a native, perennial member of Family Phytolaccaceae (The Pokeweed Family). It grows 3 m in height, has purplish-red stems, and leaves 10 to 41 cm long and 5 to 20 cm wide. The leaves are alternate. Lower surfaces of the leaves have prominent veins. Pokeweed's taproot is large and white. As shown in these photographs of a plant growing below the elevated Smith Preserve entrance road, flowers are pink, white, and greenish in color. They are 5 mm wide. As seen in the last photograph below, the fruits are green and ripen to purple. Fully developed, the fruits are about 1 cm in diameter. Fruits are used as a dye and to color wine. Young pokeweed shoots are edible, but only if properly prepared. Parts of the plant are highly toxic to livestock and humans. The fruits are a good source of food for songbirds. Return to top

 

 

Pityopsis gramnifolia Narrowleaf Silk Grass Pityopsis gramnifolia is a native perennial member of Phylum Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family). The species name (gramnifolia) means "grasslike leaves", and without flowers, the plant looks like a grass. Narrowleaf silk grass has alternate, mostly basal, narrow, elongated leaves, with the largest leaves at the bottom of the stem. Leaf veins are parallel. As shown below, silvery, silky hairs cover the leaves. Also shown below, flower heads are daisy-like with bright yellow ray and disk flowers. They are nearly 2 cm in diameter. Pityopsis gramnifolia lives in scrubs and pine flatwoods, often in colonies. Plants grow .9 m tall. Return to top

 

 

Pluchea odorata Pluchea / Salt Marsh Fleabane Pluchea odorata is a native, perennial, shrub member of Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family). This plant lives in moist inland areas. At the Smith Preserve, it grows along the northeastern edge of the filter marsh. Pluchea can grow 1.2 m tall. Leaves are alternate, oval to lance-shaped, and toothed. The lower surfaces of the leaves are covered with glandular hairs. Both the leaves and flowers are aromatic. Flower heads are pink, less than 1 cm in diameter, and flat-topped clusters of florets. Each fruit is tiny and contains one seed tipped with a bristly modified calyx that functions as a parachute to enable it to be carried in the wind. Shown at left is a photo enlargement of many modified calyx "parachutes." In the Caribbean, leaves are used to make an herbal tea to relieve colds. Pluchea odorata flowers attract butterflies, bees, flies, and wasps. Return to top

 

 

Poinsettia cyanthophora Painted Leaf / Wild Poinsettia Poinsettia cyanthophorais a native, erect, member of Family Euphorbiaceae (The Spurge Family). It has smooth stems, milky sap, and smooth leaves that are usually opposite. As shown above, there are many leaf shapes (linear to fiddle-shaped.) The plant grows 30 to 91 cm tall. Some individuals have red blotches at the base of each bract, while others have white blotches. The 3 to 5 mm wide yellow flowers are terminal with one or two nectaries. The nectar attracts insects, including butterflies. Fruit is 4.5-5 mm in diameter. The photograph at left shows both flowers and fruits. Painted leaf is the host plant of Erinnyis ello (Ello Sphinx) moth caterpillars. Return to top

 

Poinsettia heterophylla Fiddler's Spurge / Mexican Fireplant On January 13, 2014, this plant's identity was confirmed from these photographs by Roger Hammer, author of Everglades Wildflowers and Florida Keys Wildflowers. Poinsettia heterophylla is a native, hardy, annual member of Family Euphorbiacea (The Spurge Family). It grows in an upright position, and can grow to a height of 20 to 80 cm wherever there is disturbed land. As shown in these photographs, the leaves are generally green. They are 2 to 12 cm long and 0.8 to 5 cm wide with pointed tips. Leaf shape is variable (oval, egg-shaped, or elongated). Leaves are usually oppositely arranged on the lower parts of the stem, alternately arranged along most of the stem, and oppositely arranged just below the cyathia. Cyathia (false flowers) are greenish-yellow and clustered at the tips of the branches. They are tiny cup-like structures which each contain several tiny male flowers and one female flower. Cyathia have no petals. As shown in the fourth photograph, fruits are small, three-lobed capsules (3-4 mm long and 5-6 mm across); each capsule contains three seeds. When broken or damaged, all parts of the plant exude a milky, latex sap. People sensitive to latex should avoid contact with the sap as the reaction can produce dermatitis and anaphylaxis. Return to top

 

 

Polanisia tenuifolia Pineland Catchfly / Slenderleaf Clammyweed Polanisia tenuifolia is a native annual member of Family Capparaceae (The Caper Family). It has alternate leaves with one to three threadlike leaflets. The reddish purple stems are alternately branched and the plant grows to .9 m in height. The pineland catchfly is glandular and sticky. This common name refers to insects sticking to its sticky secretions. As shown at left, the tiny flowers have a unique shape with 4 white petals of unequal size. There are nine to twelve stamens. On December 12, 2022 the plant below was identified by Roger Hammer, author of numerous Florida wildflower books,as a catchfly that had not begun to flower. Return to top

 

 

Polygala violacea Showy Milkwort Showy milkwort is a native, annual/perennial member of Family Polygalaceae (The Millkwort Family). In the United States, it grows throughout the Southeast, from the Carolinas to Louisiana in upland areas with well-drained, low-organic soils. As shown in these photographs, it is a small plant that is rarely more than 30 cm tall. It has thin stems; alternate, narrow, elliptical leaves; and tiny purplish-pink, orchid-like flowers. It extrudes milky sap when the stem is broken. When not in bloom, it is difficult to identify. In southern Florida, it blooms nearly any month. Farther north, it blooms early to late summer. As seen in this photograph, flowers have a very conspicuous yellow spot on the upper petal. Flowers are pollinated mostly by small bees. After they flower, small brown seed capsules form.   As shown above, a leaf is approximately 25 mm long. The top and bottom of the leaves, as well as the stems, are very hairy. Milkworts have been used medicinally to treat snakebite, depression, and other maladies.   Return to top

© Photographs and text by Susan Leach Snyder (Conservancy of Southwest Florida Volunteer), unless otherwise credited above.

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