Delonix regia thru Fraxinus caroliniana

Species Name	Common Name
Dactyloctenium aegyptium	Egyptian Grass / Durban Crowfootgrass
Delonix regia	Royal Poinciana
Desmodium incanum	Ticktrefoil/ Beggar Ticks
Diodia virginiana	Virginia Buttonweed
Dioscorea bulbifera	Air Potato
Eclipta prostrata	False Daisy / Yerba de Tago
Eleocharis equisetoides	Horsetail Spike Rush
Elephantopus elatus	Tall Elephant's Foot
Emilia fosbergii	Red Tasselflower
Emilia sonchifolia	Purple Tasselflower
Eragrostis elliotti	Elliott's Lovegrass
Eragrostis spectabilis	Purple Lovegrass
Eremochioa ophiurides	Centipedegrass
Eriobotrya japonica	Loquat / Japanese Plum
Ernodea littoralis	Golden Creeper/Beach Creeper
Eugenia axillaris	White Stopper
Eupatorium capillifolium	Dog Fennel
Ficus aurea	Strangler Fig
Forestiera segregata	Florida Privet
Fraxinus caroliniana	Pop Ash

 

 

Dactyloctenium aegyptium Egyptian Grass / Durban Crowfootgrass This grass is an annual member of Family Poaceae. It is not native; it originated in Africa. It was introduced by accident to the Americas and spread as a weed. Egyptian grass is considered a Category II Invasive Species in Florida. As such it has the potential to disrupt native plant communities. A Category II species may later become ranked as Category I, but it must demonstrate disruption of natural Florida communities. Egyptian grass is a creeping grass that grows in disturbed areas on damp, sandy soil. It has many branches. Stems are straight, slender, and grow to about 30 cm in height. Leaves are linear, 3 to 25 cm long and 3 to 15 mm wide. Roots are horizontal. Inflorescences are at the apex of the stem arranged with 2 to 6 horizontal spikes. As shown in the third and fourth photographs, a seed head looks like a crow’s foot. Seeds are white or brown and 1 mm long. Egyptian grass is still used as a traditional famine food plant in India and Africa, but the grain has an unpleasant taste and can cause internal disorders in humans. It is cut for feeding fresh to livestock or for making hay. Return to top

 

Delonix regia Royal Poinciana   Delonix regia is a non-native species of flowering tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It grows to be 9.1-12.2 m tall and its wide-spreading canopy can be wider that its height. As shown above, the bright green leaves are compound, doubly pinnate, and fern-like in appearance. May-June, the tree has large, flamboyant red/vermilion/orange/yellow flowers. Seed pods, like the open one shown at left, are brown and can be up to 60 cm long and 5 cm wide. The individual seeds are small. Royal poinciana has shallow, wide-spreading roots. Photograph below: courtesy of Sheri Arnold, Conservancy of Southwest Florida volunteer. Return to top

 

 

Desmodium incanum Ticktrefoil/ Beggar Ticks Desmodium incanum is a non-native, perennial member of the legume family, Fabaceae. Ticktrefoil has alternate, compound leaves with three elliptical leaflets. As shown in the first photograph above, the leaves are lighter green around the midvein. The bottom of the leaves and stems are covered by dense hairs. Branched runners root readily at the nodes, allowing the plant to spread. The pink/purple flowers are on a stalk (raceme). The plant blooms year round.   As shown at right, the seed pods are in three to nine segments. An individual segment houses one bean-shaped seed and is covered with hooked hairs that allow it to stick like Velcro to hair and clothing. The one shown here was stuck to a sock. Return to top

 

 

Diodia virginiana Virginia Buttonweed / Poor Joe Virginia buttonweed is a native, perennial member of Family Rubiaceae (The Madder Family). Although listed as threatened or endangered in Indiana and New Jersey, it is considered a weed in Florida. It is an immersed aquatic plant, common throughout Florida. Normally found in wet flatwoods, swamps, marshes and ditches. these photographs were taken at the edge of the filter marsh in the Smith Preserve. The plant produces deep taproots and rhizomes that begin at nodes. Rhizomes can be several feet below the soil surface. The stem is angular. Leaves are opposite, elongate, and may be green with a red edge. A plant flowers year round. It produces both above-and below-ground flowers that self-pollinate. Normally, the above-ground flowers are 4-petalled and white. Photograph 3 shows they may also be a pale lavender color. Fruits, shown in the 4th photograph are buoyant and produce many seeds. Return to top

 

 

Dioscorea bulbifera Air Potato Dioscorea bulbifera is a non-native (from Asia), invasive, perennial member of the yam family, Dioscoreaceae. It is a vine with broad, heart-shaped leaves, shown above. The air potato vine grows up to 20 cm/day to a height of 46 m, and climbs trees, shading native species. It produces small white flowers, but these are rarely seen in Florida. Each plant forms two types of storage organs. One is a bulb-like organ called a bulbil that forms in the leaf axis of the twining leaves. The picture above on the right shows a bulbil. Once a bulbil falls to the ground, a new plant develops. This is the primary way the plants spread. The second storage organ is an underground tuber. If the plant is cut to the ground, the tubers survive and send up new shoots. The tubers are actually small, oblong potatoes. In West Africa, the plants are cultivated for the edible tubers. Although the air potato is one of the most widely-consumed yam species in the world, the uncultivated version that grows in Florida is poisonous. In some regions of the world, the air potato has been used as a folk remedy to treat conjunctivitis, diarrhea, and dysentery. As stated above, the air potato is an invasive species found throughout Florida. A beetle (Lilioceris cheni, also from Asia, was introduced in 2012 to help control the spread of this plant. This beetle is host specific and feeds only on air potato plants. Return to top

 

 

Eclipta prostrata False Daisy / Yerba de Tago Eclipta prostrata is a native member of Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family). It grows as a weed, prostrate along the ground in warm, temperate to tropical, moist locations around the world. In the Christopher B. Smith Preserve, it grows at the edge of the marsh. As shown in the first photograph, leaves are narrow, linear and pointed. As shown in the second photograph, both leaves and the reddish stems are covered with short, stiff hairs. Roots are cylindrical and gray. Plants have numerous flower heads, each 6 to 8 mm in diameter, with white florets. As a flower head matures, a green button (photograph 4) of achenes (simple dry fruits) appears. Achenes are compressed and narrowly winged. They become dark brown as the dry. Yerba de Tago is used as a traditional medicine in some countries and as an herbal supplement in others. In Chinese medicine, it is an antidote to rattlesnake venom. Other uses include treatments for: inflammations, gastric disorders, skin diseases, headaches, and hypertension. Seeds are purported to be an aphrodisiac, and extracts of the plant are used in hair tonic to improve hair growth. Return to top

 

 

Eleocharis equisetoides Horsetail Spike Rush Eleocharis equisetoides is a native, perennial member of the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The plants in these photographs are living in the shallow water of the Smith Preserve filter marsh. A horsetail spike rush is an erect plant, growing 51 to 91 cm tall. Its narrow leaves grow from its base. Leaves have papery sheaths that are often reddish brown. Leaves have pointed tips. The plants arise from rhizomes. As shown in the second photograph, horsetail spike rush has jointed stems marked by light horizontal lines. Stems are tipped with cylindrical spikelets shown in the third photograph. Each spikelet resembles a bud. In midsummer, the spikelets open to reveal tiny green flowers. Return to top

 

 

Elephantopus elatus Tall Elephant's Foot Elephantopus elatus is a native, perennial member of Family Asteraceae (The Daisy / Aster Family). The plant is best recognized by its basal rosette of leaves that are 10 to 25.4 cm long and 7.6 cm wide. As seen in the first photograph, leaves are elliptical and scalloped and/or serrated along the margins. Blooming occurs April through November. Flower spikes are branched. Stems are hairy. Flowers are white and lavender and attract pollinators. The plant with stem and flowers is tall, 61 to 122 cm. Image 3 shows several flowers on a spike in November. Image 4 shows several dry seed heads.   Return to top

 

 

Emilia fosbergii Red Tasselflower Emilia fosbergii is a non-native, annual member of Family Asteraceae. As shown above, green bracts surround the flower heads, giving them the appearance of old fashioned shaving brushes. Interestingly, one of Emilia fosbergii's common names is "Cupid's-Shaving Brush." The flower is red, but when it is in full bloom, the yellow pollen makes it look reddish-orange. Red tassel flowers bloom year round. Its stems and leaves are covered in white hairs and the leaves are toothed. The photograph on the right shows its seeds. The flowers are used as a nectar source by a variety of butterflies. In China, India, and Europe people use Emilia fosbergii to treat a wide variety of maladies, including snakebite. Return to top

 

 

Emilia sonchifolia Purple Tasselflower Emilia sonchifolia is a non-native, annual member of Family Asteraceae. This species resembles Emilia fosbergii except this plant is usually more slender and branched. The stems are smooth or have only a few hairs. Also, the flowers are lilac instead of red. Like, Emilia fosbergii, the flower head is a composite of numerous florets. The flower heads are narrow and cylindrical, about three times longer than they are broad. It is a medicinal herb in China. Return to top

 

 

Eragrostis elliotti Elliott's Lovegrass Eragrostis elliotti is a native, perennial member of Family Poaceae. The genus name Eragrostis is derived from the Greek word "eros," which means "love", and "agrostis," which means "grass." This compact, fine-textured bunchgrass reaches a height of .9 m. The leaf blades are sprawling, fine, blue-green, and up to 6 mm wide. Elliott's lovegrass tolerates dry conditions and lives in sandy soil in full sun. Fluffy white to lavender-beige flowers appear in panicles in the summer. By late summer, the seed pods ripen and turn tan. By autumn, the seed pods have a straw hue as shown in these photographs.   Return to top

 

 

Eragrostis spectabilis Purple Lovegrass Eragrostis spectabilis is a native, perennial member of Family Poaceae. The genus name Eragrostis is derived from the Greek word "eros," which means "love", and "agrostis," which means "grass." Purple lovegrass grows in sandy soil in full sun. This grass grows 25 to 61 cm in height and is a rounded clump of soft, light-green leaves. It is a coarse grass, mostly basal, with leaves up to 25 cm long and 1 cm wide. The summer's light green foliage turns to a bronze-red in the fall. Flowers that appear in August are tiny and reddish-purple in panicles above the foliage. The flowers lose color and turn brown by October. As shown in these photographs taken in December, the seed pods become a pale beige as they age. The grass spreads slowly by rhizomes and seeds. As the seeds mature, the inflorescence usually detaches from the plant and blows along the ground like a tumbleweed distributing seed as it goes. Return to top

 

 

Eremochloa ophiurides Centipedegrass This non-native grass member of Family Poacea is native to China. Introduced to the United States in 1916, it has become a common grass in the southeastern states and Hawaii. This is a warm season grass that is sod forming. Leaves are medium to light green and have a coarse texture. The stems are short and grow upright to about 7.6 to 12.7 cm. The grass spreads by seeds and stolons; roots are shallow. Centipedegrass does well in sandy, acidic soils. It is a low maintenance grass used in lawns, but it can be aggressive enough to choke out other plants and be considered a weed. Return to top

 

 

Eriobotrya japonica Loquat / Japanese Plum Loquat is a tree, native to southeastern and central China. It has been cultivated in Asia for at least 1000 years and was introduced to the United States before 1879 and to Florida before 1887. Loquat is grown commercially throughout the subtropical and Mediterranean areas of the world, as well in small commercial areas in California. The tree shown here is growing in the Smith Preserve, adjacent to the gopher tortoise fence behind the Conservancy's maintenance building. The photographs were taken April 4, 2019. A loquat tree is an evergreen with a short trunk. It can reach 3 to 10.7 meters in height and has a rounded to upright canopy. As shown in these photographs, the leaves are usually in terminal whorls. They are lanceolate, 12 to 30 cm long and 3 to 10 cm wide. The surface of the leaves is dark green and glossy on the upper surface, with a whitish to rusty tomentose on the lower surface. Tomentose means covered in hairs. These tiny hairs can be seen in the third photograph. Individual flowers of 30 to 100 are on 10 to 20 cm long terminal panicles. Each flower is 1.25 to 2 cm in diameter and has 5 petals with 20 stamens. The fruits are pomes in clusters of 4 to 30. The loquat fruit is high in sugar, acid and pectin and is eaten as fresh fruit and made into jam, jelly, and syrup. Loquat is pollinated by bees, syrphids, and houseflies. Return to top

 

 

Ernodea littoralis Golden Creeper/Beach Creeper This plant is native to Florida, Caribbean regions, and Central America south to Honduras. It grows in sunny open areas with sandy soil like in coastal thickets. It is often planted for beach dune stabilization. Golden creeper is normally not found in a scrub like the Smith Preserve. It was planted by Conservancy Wildlife Rehabilitation staff at the entrance of Smith Preserve Way and along 14th Avenue. The plant grows one to 3 foot in height and is a vine-like, prostrate ground cover with small succulent leaves and pinkish-white tubular flowers and golden berries (as shown at left). The plant provides food for birds. Return to top

 

 

Eugenia axillaris White Stopper White stopper is a native, evergreen tree that belongs to Family Myrtaceae (The Myrtle Family). It is a small tree or large shrub that grows 4.6 m to 7.6 m in height, and typically grows in sandy coastal areas. The common name "white" comes from the color of its mottled white bark. It is recognizable from its pungent, earthy, skunk-like smell. The fragrance is produced by the evaporation of volatile oils from the leaves. Leaves are opposite; the tree can be recognized from its two, pointed, terminal leaves. New leaves begin bright red, and turn green in several weeks. Trees have axillary clusters of flowers during warm months. Flowers are white or cream-yellow with yellow stamens. Globose or pear-shaped fruits are drupe-like and edible. Flowers are a nectar source for insects; fruits are food for many birds and mammals. Seminoles historically used white stopper stems to construct bows. The wood is hard, resists rot, and is used in fence construction and carpentry. An extraction of boiled plant material is used to treat colds and for increasing a man's virility. Historically, a tea has been made from the leaves to stop diarrhea... thus the common name "stopper." Return to top

 

 

Eupatorium capillifolium Dog Fennel Eupatorium capillifolium is a native, perennial, herbaceous plant in the family Asteraceae. It grows up to 2 meters tall, has several forked, erect stems extending from its thick, woody base, and thin and threadlike leaves. The plant contains alkaloids that can cause liver damage if consumed. Its odor deters rodents and many insects. But, it is attractive to bees, birds, and some butterflies and moths. In fact, it is the larval host plant for Papilo polyxenes, the eastern black swallowtail. It is also eaten by adult males of Cosmosoma myrodora, a scarlet-bodied wasp moth. These moths store its toxins to ward off predators. Dog fennel is pollinated by the wind, not by insects, and it spreads by both seeds and rootstocks. It can become invasive. In the Smith Preserve, where it grows adjacent to the filter marsh, its invasive growth is controlled by removal. Return to top

 

 

Ficus aurea Strangler Fig Ficus aurea is a native tree that often begins its life after a bird eats a fig and excretes a seed into the top of a tree. The seed germinates and the plant begins its life as an epiphyte. Roots develop and grow to the ground. Leaves vary in size and shape. As shown in the second and third photographs, the strangler fig tree enlarges, fuses to, and wraps around the host tree. Ficus aurea gets no nutrition from the host, but it can harm the host by growing to a height that blocks sunlight. The fig tree also competes with its host for water. Eventually, the host tree may die and the fig tree will become a free-standing tree. Each tree has male and female flowers that are inside the fig. A fig is actually the stem of an inflorescence. Because of this arrangement, flowers require a tiny pollinator. Like all figs, a strangler fig has an obligate mutualistic relationship with a particular species of fig wasp. The figs are pollinated by the wasp, and the wasp can reproduce only in the fig's flower. This wasp is Pegoscapus mexicanus. The fig fruit is edible to humans and the plant has been used in the production of dye and medicines. Latex was once used to make chewing gum. As shown in the photograph below, when broken, the leaf petiole extrudes latex. In addition to human uses, strangler fig plants provide habitat and food for epiphytes, birds, mammals, reptiles and invertebrates.   Return to top

 

 

Forestiera segregata Florida Privet Forestiera segregata is a native member of the olive family Oleaceae. It grows to become a 3 to 6 m tall shrub with dense foliation that is used by a variety of animals for cover. The leaves are small, glossy, dark green, and oblong to elliptical in shape. Young plants have light brown or gray bark, while older ones have a light yellow bark mottled with green and light brown. In addition to being a different color, old tree bark has a rough surface caused by small, raised lenticels.   The flowers are in small clusters along the branches. Male and female flowers appear on different plants, or in a few cases with a few flowers of the opposite sex on the same plant. They boom all year and peak in the spring. Bees and flies are attracted to the flowers. As shown below, the fruits are green drupes that ripen to purplish or dark blue berries in the spring and summer. Birds eat the fruit.   Return to top

 

 

Fraxinus caroliniana Pop Ash Fraxinus caroliniana is a native, perennial tree/shrub that belongs to the olive family Oleaceae. The bark is scaly gray with splotches of other colors. The leaves are compound and opposite, with 5-7 oval to oblong leaflets with serrated edges. Normally found in coastal swamps and pond margins, pop ashes have been planted along the margins of the Smith Preserve filter marsh. Green to purple flowers appear in spring. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. The fruit is elliptic to oblong-ovate and frequently has three wings surrounding the seed. Return to top

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

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