Spartina bakeri thru Tillandsia variabilis

Species Name	Common Name
Spartina bakeri	Sand Cordgrass / Bunch Grass
Spermacoce verticillata	Shrubby False Buttonweed
Sphagneticola trilobata / Wedelia trilobata	Wedelia / Creeping Oxeye
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis	Blue Porterweed
Stachytarpheta cayennensis	Needleleaf Velvetberry
Stipulicida setacea	Pineland ScalyPink
Swietenia mahagoni	West Indian Mahogany
Symphyotrichum bahamense	Bahaman Aster
Symphyotrichum dumosum	Rice Button Aster / Bushy American-Aster
Symphyotrichum elliottii	Elliott's Aster
Thalia geniculata	Fire Flag / Alligator Flag
Tillandsia balbisiana	Wild Pine / Northern Needleleaf
Tillandsia fasciculata	Cardinal Airplant / Wild Pine
Tillandsia paucifolia	Potbelly Airplant
Tillandsia recurvata	Ballmoss
Tillandsia setacea	Southern Needleleaf
Tillandsia usneoides	Spanish Moss
Tillandsia utriculata	Giant Airplant
Tillandsia variabilis	Leatherleaf Airplant

 

 

 

Spartina bakeri Sand Cordgrass / Bunch Grass Spartina bakeri is a native, large, bunch-forming grass in Family Poaceae. It can grow to a height of 1.2 to 1.8 meters. The leaves are rolled, as shown in the 2nd photograph, and almost wire-like, with the upper surface dark green and the lower surface light green. leaves are rough to touch and feel like sandpaper. Venation is parallel as shown in the fourth photograph. Leaf length can be more than 91 centimeters. Stems and leaves grow in a dense cluster that curves out and down to reach a width equal to the height of the grass. Unlike most cordgrasses (15 species in all) that grow only in brackish or salt marshes, sand cordgrass grows in freshwater marshes and along the margins of lakes. Although it grows best in moist, sandy soils, it is drought tolerant. The cordgrass in these photographs was growing in the western marsh at the Smith Preserve. Sand Cordgrass flowers in fall; flowers are brown in color. Seeds are an important food for wildlife. In addition to seeds, the plant spreads with rhizomes. Return to top

 

 

 

Spermacoce verticillata Shrubby False Buttonweed Spermacoce verticillata is a non-native, perennial, subshrub member of Family Rubiaceae (The Madder Family). The species thrives in disturbed moist soils with full or partial sunlight. It sprawls to a few meters laterally and 1.2 m vertically. Stems are square, brown, and with a solid pith. Stems are thin, reaching a maximum diameter of only 8 mm, and as the plant ages, become woody and more rounded. They are covered with stiff hairs/bristles. As seen in the second photograph above, leaves are opposite along the stem, with smaller leaves clustered and whorled at the nodes. The species name verticillata is Latin for "having whorls." The leaves are sessile or nearly so, elongate, 2 to 6 cm long, and pointed at both ends. As can be seen in the first photograph above, flowers are at terminal and lateral positions on the stem. This arrangement is created by the stem growing through the center of the inflorescences so that the plant has flower heads separated by stem segments. The plant's tiny white flowers are in compact, spherical inflorescences, as shown above and in the enlargement at left. The flowers are pollinated by several species of bees and butterflies. Seeds are ellipsoidal, brown, and 1 mm long, Shrubby false buttonweed is used in herbal medicines to treat a variety of skin maladies.   Return to top

 

 

Sphagneticola trilobata / Wedelia trilobata Wedelia / Creeping Oxeye Sphagneticola trilobata, aka Wedelia trilobata, is a non-native, mat-forming perennial herb in Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family). It is native to the West Indies and was introduced to Florida some time prior to 1933. It has fleshy leaves that are 5 to 10 cm long and 2.5 to 12.7 cm wide. As shown in the first two photographs, leaves have three lobes, hence the species name trilobata. Leaves have irregularly toothed margins. Wedelia has yellow-orange flowers born singly at the end of each stem. Blossoms resemble marigolds or zinnias and are 2.54 cm in diameter. Plants spread from stem nodes that root and send out runners. A dense thicket of vegetation often forms and crowds out other plant species. The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) has classified wedelia as a Category II Invasive Species in central and southern Florida. A Category II Invasive is described by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FLEPPC) as a plant that "has increased in abundance or frequency but has not yet altered Florida plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species. Plants are called Category I invasives "when they are altering native plant communities by displacing native species, changing community structures or ecological functions, or hybridizing with natives." Return to top

 

 

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis Blue Porterweed Stachytarpheta jamaicensis is a native, perennial member of Family Verbena. It thrives in full sun and grows along the fence at the eastern edge of the Smith Preserve. Blue porterweed grows low to the ground and is usually broader than tall, reaching heights of 30 cm to 91 cm. Its branches are long and spreading. As shown in the photographs above, leaves are elongate with coarse teeth along the margins. The teeth generally point toward the tip of the leaf. They are 2.5 to 10 cm long and 1.9 to 4.4 cm wide. Shown at left, purplish-green quill-like spikes produce one to several flowers, each blue or purple in color with a white center. Each flower is approximately 19 mm wide and lasts only one day, but the plant blooms year round. Blue porterweed is the larval host of Junonia genoveva (Mangrove Buckeye Butterfly), and it provides nectar for many butterfly species. In the West Indians, a drink made from the leaves of this plant resembles porter (dark beer with a bitter taste). Stachytarpheta jamaicensis' common name "Blue porterweed" originated from the association with this drink. Return to top

 

 

Stachytarpheta cayennensis Needleleaf Velvetberry   Stachytarpheta cayennensis, aka Stachytarpheta urticifolia, is a non-native, perennial, subshrub member of Family Verbena. It grows to a height of 1.8 m. It is growing along the fence at the eastern edge of the Preserve. As shown in the photographs above, its leaves are elongate with a quilted appearance. A leaf is 2.5 to 15 cm long, 1.9 to 6.4 cm wide, and has many course teeth along its margin. The species name urticifolia means "nettle-like leaves" and refers to the similarity of its leaf to that of the genus Urtica (the true nettle). Shown at left, flowers are purple with a white center. Each is 8 mm in diameter and arranged with others on a long quill-like spike. Although it lasts for only one day, the plant blooms year round and attracts many butterfly species. This species can be confused with Stachytarpheta jamaicensis, but there are several distinguishing characteristics to look for. Stachytarpheta urticifolia has a more upright growth habit, its leaves are puckered and look quilted, its leaves have more teeth along the margins and the teeth point more outward, its flower spikes are narrower, the flowers are slightly smaller, and the flowers are darker in color. Return to top

 

Stipulicida setacea Pineland ScalyPink On February 25, 2014, this species was identified from these photographs by Richard Wunderlin (Professor Emeritus at the University of South Florida). Stipulicida setacea is a native member of Family Carophyllaceae (The Pink or Carnation Family). Pineland ScalyPinks are growing along the sandy edges of the hardwood hammock and in the lichen-covered sandy scrub areas of the Christopher B. Smith Preserve. An entire plant measures only about 15 cm in height. As shown in the second photograph, where stems branch, there are pointed, scalelike, minute leaves. The species name, setacea, is derived from the Latin word "set(a)" meaning "a bristle" and refers to these tiny leaves. Flowers are quite small, measuring only 2.5 mm across. Each flower has five petals, white stamens, a white pistil, a small bract (a specialized leaf that supports the flower), and is located at the terminal end of a narrow stem. Some plants have small leaves at the base near the roots (shown in photograph 6). All photographs shown here were taken in February, 2014 in the Preserve.   Return to top

 

 

Swietenia mahagoni West Indian Mahogany Swietenia mahagoni is a native tree in Family Meliaceae (The Mahogany Family). It grows in hammocks to a height of 18 m. Older trees have scaly, brown, deeply furrowed bark. Leaves are dark green above, yellowish-brown below, and pinnately compound with four to eight alternate leaflets and no terminal leaflet. The leaflets are lance-shaped, 7.6 cm long and 3 cm wide. The two sides of the leaf base are unequal and the middle vein is off-center. Leaf margins are entire. Flowers are tiny, five-petaled, greenish-yellow in color, fragrant, and arranged in axillary panicles. Fruits are woody, ovoid, 6.4 to 10.2 cm long, and 3.8 to 6.4 cm wide. Fruits split open to release winged seeds. The wood is used for furniture and shipbuilding and the bark has been used as a substitute for quinine. The tree is listed as "Threatened" in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act; Rule: 5B-40.0055. Return to top

 

Symphyotrichum bahamense Bahaman Aster On January 11, 2014, this species was identified from the photograph below by Roger Hammer, author of Everglades Wildflowers and Florida Keys Wildflowers. Symphyotrichum bahamense is a tall (up to 1.5 m), lanky, weed-like, delicate member of Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family). It is a native annual or biennial that grows almost always in wetlands. These photographs were taken November 14, 2012 near the filter marsh at the Smith Preserve. Bahaman Aster flowers are tiny and born on the ends of long, thin, wispy stems. The ray florets can be violet or white. Disk florets are golden-yellow. Mammals and birds use this aster for food and cover. Return to top

 

 

Symphyotrichum dumosum Rice Button Aster / Bushy American-Aster On January 11, 2014, Roger Hammer, author of Everglades Wildflowers and Florida Keys Wildflowers, identified this species from the first photograph. Symphyotrichum dumosum is a native, bushy/shrubby, herbaceous, perennial member of Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family). It grows to a height of 30 to 90 mm in grasslands, meadows and fields, and woodlands. Lower leaves have a broad, flat end and taper into a narrow base. Margins of these leaves are entire or slightly toothed. Stem leaves are alternate, simple, linear and sessile; they do not clasp the stem. Flower heads, about 9.5 mm in diameter, are solitary at the tips of very thin branchlets. Disk florets are tubular and golden-yellow. Ray flowers are pale violet, light blue, or white. Rice Button Asters bloom year round in Florida; these photographs were taken on March 6, 2012. Butterflies feed on nectar from the disk florets. Return to top

 

 

Symphyotrichum elliottii Elliott's Aster Symphyotrichum elliottii is a native, perennial member of Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family) that can grow to more than 1.2 m in height and blooms in late fall. In the Smith Preserve, this aster is growing in full sun on the upper edge of the filter marsh at the base of a Sabal palmetto (cabbage palm). Leaves are elliptical to lance-shaped with serrated edges. They clasp nearly around the stem as shown below. Animals known to eat aster leaves include deer, rabbits, leafhoppers, and the caterpillars of some butterflies (Phyciodes tharos--Pearly Crescent spot, and Vanessa cardui--Painted Lady). This aster is very leafy and may be used by small animals for cover and possibly as a nesting site. Asters, in general, attract many insect predators (mantids and spiders). The flower head of Elliott's aster is fairly large, as shown below of the one that measured more than 2.5 cm in diameter. Flower heads are daisy-like with lavender petals radiating from a yellow center. As labeled in the last photograph below, the flower is really a composite of petals (ray flowers) and the yellow center (disk flowers.) Asters depend on bees, butterflies, and flies for pollination, and spread by both seeds and rhizomes (underground stems that grow sideways and send up new plants). The seeds are small achenes that look like parachutes and spread by wind. Animals known to eat aster seeds include wild turkeys, American goldfinches, sparrows, Eastern Chipmunks, and some mice. Return to top

 

 

Thalia geniculata Fire Flag / Alligator Flag Thalia geniculata is a native, colonial, perennial, upright member of Family Marantaceae (The Arrowroot Family). It lives in freshwater and spreads by short thick underground stems (rhizomes) to form large clumps. A healthy colony lives in the filter marsh at the Smith Preserve. Fire flag grows 1.8 to 2.7 m tall. Its leaves are simple, broadly lance-shaped, and reach a length of 90 cm and a width of 30 cm. The leaves have entire margins and pointed tips. Each leaf has a broadly rounded base and is attached at an angle to its long, thick petiole. The species name geniculata means "with a knee like end". This is a reference to the leaf angle on the petiole. Sheathes at the base of the plant enclose the leaf petioles and the flowering stems. Fire flag flowers are paired on purple and green, hairy floral bracts on top of a tall flower stalk. Bracts are modified leaflike structures beneath the flowers. Each flower is small and has three purple petals and three sepals. As shown in the third photograph, the paired flowers are mirror images of one another. Fire flag blooms in warmer months, during which insects pollinate the flowers. The fruits are small (9-12 mm long) and are shed along with the floral bracts, leaving behind a zigzag-shaped stem. When alligators move through thick colonies of Thalia geniculata, the leaves wave back and forth. These moving leaves are the origin of one of the plant's common names "Alligator Flag." Thalia geniculata is a host plant for larva of the Calopodes ethlius (Brazilian Skipper Butterfly), Automeris io (IO moth) and Sibine stimulea (Saddleback Moth).   Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia balbisiana Wild Pine / Northern Needleleaf Tillandsia balbisiana is a native, erect, herbaceous, perennial, epiphytic member of Family Bromeliaceae (The Pineapple Family). The genus name Tillandsia is a tribute to a Swedish botanist, Elias Tillands (1640-1693) and the species name balbisiana is a tribute to an Italian botanist, Giovanni-Batista Balbis (1765-1831). Wild pine lives in tropical hammocks, pinelands, cypress swamps, and scrubs. The plant stands 10 to 20 cm tall and grows on trees, shrubs, and directly on the ground as shown in the first photograph. It has gray-green leaves that are wide at the base and narrow to pointed tips. Near the top of the plant, the leaves droop downward and the edges are involuted (rolled inward). Flowers are in a spike-like inflorescence. The flower stem is long and narrow and emerges from the center of the plant. Both the stem and floral bracts are red and lack hairs. The tiny bluish-purple flowers emerge from behind the bracts. Like all bromeliads, the plant dies after flowering. The seeds are transported by wind. Tillandsia balbisiana is considered to be a threatened species in Florida. As this classification implies, it will likely become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. One of the reasons this species is threatened is because of the accidental introduction from Mexico sometime prior to 1989 of Metamasius callizona (no official common name, but referred to as the "Evil Weevil"). The larvae of this weevil can decimate bromeliads.   Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia fasciculata Cardinal Airplant / Wild Pine Tillandsia fasciculata is a native, clustering, epiphytic, perennial member of Family Bromeliaceae (The Pineapple Family). It lives in hardwood hammocks and cypress swamps and grows to a height of 24 inches. The plant has gray-green stiff leaves that are recurved and form a rosette. The species name fasciculata means "formed into a bundle" and refers to the dense rosette of leaves. Each leaf is narrow, triangular, tapers to a pointed tip, and averages 20 to 30 cm in length. The floral bracts vary in color, but as shown in the first photograph above, the lower bracts are usually red and the upper bracts are usually yellow. Some plants have bracts of uniform colors as shown in the middle photograph above. The flowers are narrow, tubular spikes. As shown in the third photograph, the flower is purple and emerges from behind the bract. Each flower has three petals and three stamens. In the photograph, you can see the yellow pollen grains. Hummingbirds visit the flowers to suck the sweet nectar. Cardinal airplant is endangered in Florida because of the introduction of Metamasius callizona ("The Evil Weevil"). The larvae of this weevil decimate the plants. An endangered species is defined as a species native to the state that is in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of species continue.   Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia paucifolia Potbelly Airplant Tillandsia paucifolia is a native member of Family Bromeliaceae. It is a tank epiphyte that grows to a height of 10 to 36 cm. It grows singly or in clusters with five to ten long, twisted, fuzzy, tapering light green/ gray leaves. Overtime, the plant turns red. Potbelly airplants grow in hammocks and cypress swamps. The one shown here is on an oak growing in one of the hammock areas in the Smith Preserve. These airplants flower spring to summer with a simple spike 5 to 8 cm long that may have two to four branches supporting two to fifteen lavender flowers, each 2.5 cm in diameter. Flowers have leathery, pale pink floral bracts. Seed capsules are brown, pointed, and 3.8 cm. long. Flowers attract bees, butterflies and birds. An individual potbelly airplant flowers only once. Then it produces young sprout "pups" that stay attached to the mother plant until they drop off. Metamasius callizona (Mexican Bromeliad Weevil / aka The Evil Weevil) Threatens the existence of these epiphytes in Florida. The larvae of the weevil feeds on the plant.   Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia recurvata Ballmoss Tillandsia recurvata is a native, epiphytic, perennial member of Family Bromeliaceae (The Pineapple Family). Commonly called "Ballmoss", because of its spherical appearance, Tillandsia recurvatais is a flowering plant that grows on larger host plants, particularly Quercus virginiana (Southern Live Oak). It also grows on power lines. Ballmoss grows well in low light and high humidity. It derives only physical support from its host. It photosynthesizes its own food, receives water vapor from the air, and obtains nitrogen from Pseudomonas stutzer, a nitrogen-fixing bacteria that lives in its blade surfaces. Tillandsia recurvata ranges in size from the size of a golf ball to the size of a soccer ball. It is gray-green with scaly, recurved, linear leaves 5 to 15 cm long. The second photograph above shows a close-up of blades. In autumn, the plant produces 15 cm erect spikes with 1 to 7 funnel-shaped, half-inch long flowers with pale blue or violet petals and gray, scaly bracts at their bases. The first and last photographs above show these spikes. Seeds are transported by wind and bird droppings. Tillandsia recurvata has been shown to have significant anti-tumor and HIV/AIDS applications in experimental research studies.   Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia setacea Southern Needleleaf Tillandsia setacea is a native, perennial, epiphytic member of Family Bromeliaceae (The Pineapple Family). The species name setacea means "bristle or stiff hair of an animal" and relates to its stiff, slender, needle-like leaves. The plant forms reddish clumps on tree trunks and branches. As shown in the second photograph above, the leaves are reddish-green and broaden at their bases. Flower spikes consist of reddish bracts and purple flowers. The plant shown in these photographs had already bloomed. The third photograph above is a close-up of one of its seed capsules. At right, a Stagmomantis carolina (Carolina mantid) waits patiently among the leaves of a southern needleaf to capture other small visitors to the plant.   Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia usneoides Spanish Moss Tillandsia usneoides is a native, perennial member of Family Bromeliaceae (The Pineapple Family). Although its common name is Spanish moss, it is not a moss; it's an epiphyte that hangs for more than 6 m from large trees, primarily Quercus virginiana (Southern Live Oak) and Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress). While Spanish moss is not a parasite and rarely kills its host, it can lower the tree's growth rate by reducing the amount of light that reaches the tree's leaves. As shown in the photographs above, Spanish moss stems are slender, thread-like, elongated, intertwined and completely covered in silver-gray scales. The leaves are alternate, thin, curved or curly, covered in silver-gray scales, 2 to 6 cm long, and 1 mm wide. The species name usneoides was chosen when the species was first described because of the similarity of its leaves to those of the lichen genus Usnea (Beard Lichen). As shown in the photograph at left, a Spanish moss flower is green and three-petaled. The flowers are tiny and fragrant, and produced singly from a leaf axil. The plant propagates by seeds, and vegetatively by fragments blow by the wind and carried by birds in their nesting material. Spanish moss provides shelter for many organisms including snakes, bats, spiders and mites. One jumping spider, Pelegrina tillandsiae, lives exclusively in Spanish moss. In the early 1900s Tillandsia usneoides was used commercially in the padding of car seats. For many years it was used for bedding and packing materials. In 1939 over 10,000 tons of processed Spanish moss was produced. It is still collected today for use in arts and crafts, building insulation, and mulch. Since the "moss" contain spider mites and chiggers, it is treated before use. Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia utriculata Giant Airplant Tillandsia utriculata is native to Georgia and Florida and is an epiphytic, perennial member of Family Bromeliaceae (The Pineapple Family). It has large linear, parallel-veined leaves 7 cm wide at the base that narrow to the tips. Leaves are pale green and can be 1 m long. As shown in the first photograph, a green flower spike with branches can reach nearly 2 meters in height and dwarf the 5 ft 4 inch person shown in photograph two. Flowers are white and tubular. The genus name "Tillandia" honors Elias Tillands, a Swedish botanist. The species name "utriculata" means "bladder-like" and describes the swollen sheaths of the leaves. This species is always solitary and dies after seeding. Its many seeds have tufts of hair-like structures that help in dispersal. This species is considered endangered in the state of Florida and is in imminent danger of extinction within the state because of Metamasius callizona, (Mexican Bromeliad Weevil / aka The Evil Weevil). The larvae of the weevil feeds on the plant. Return to top

 

 

Tillandsia variabilis Leatherleaf Airplant Tillandsia variabilis is a native epiphyte in Florida. It grows on branches of a variety of trees in moist forests. Leaves are narrow, triangular, soft and brittle, and grow up to 30 cm in length. The plant, including the inflorescence, can be 40 cm tall. The inflorescence (cluster of flowers) is usually simple, sometimes with 2-3 branches, but never palmately branched. Bracts (specialized leaves on the inflorescence) are red, green or purple (as shown in the fourth photograph). Bracts are less than 1 cm wide and cover and obscure the rachis. The rachis is the main stem that supports the flowers. Flowers are lavender to blue and up to 3 cm long. Leatherleaf airplant is a threatened species because the larvae of a Mexican bromeliad weevil (Metamasius callizona), known as the "Evil Weevil," are known to decimate the plants. By definition, a threatened species is a "species of plant native to the state that is in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which has not so decreased in number as to cause it to be endangered."         Return to top

 

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

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