Mimosa quadrivalvis thru Pentalinon luteum

Species Name	Common Name
Mimosa strigillosa	Sunshine Mimosa / Powderpuff
Momordica charantia	Balsam Apple / Bitter Melon
Morus rubra	Red Mulberry
Muhlenbergia capillaris	Muhly Grass
Myrica cerifera	Wax Myrtle
Myrsine floridana	Myrsine
Nuphar advena	Spatterdock/ Cow Lily
Oeceoclades maculata	Monk Orchid / African Spotted Orchid
Oldenlandria corymosa	Diamond Flower / Flattop Mille Grained
Opuntia humifusa	Prickly Pear
Palafoxia integrifolia	Coastal-Plain Palafox
Panicum repens	Torpedo Grass
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Virginia Creeper
Paspalum setaceum	Thin Paspalum Grass
Passiflora subrosa	Corkystem Passionflower
Passiflora vitafolia	Scarlet Flame Passionflower
Peltandra virginica	Green Arrow Arum / Tuckahoe
Pentalinon luteum	Wild Alamanda

 

 

 

Mimosa strigillosa Sunshine Mimosa / Powderpuff Mimosa stigillosa is a native, perennial member of the pea family, Family Fabaceae. It grows at the edge of pine flatwoods in well-drained sandy soils. At the Smith Preserve it is growing along the southern berm of the filter marsh. Sunshine mimosa is a thornless, mat-forming, trailing or creeping vine with small, alternate, compound, fern-like leaflets that close when touched. It spreads by rhizomes. The second photograph above shows a developing inflorescence of flowers. As shown in these photographs, magenta flowers are clustered together in an inflorescence on long stalks arranged in globular to slightly cylindrical heads. Each floret has ten or fewer magenta stamens tipped with gold-colored pollen. Flowers bloom spring through summer. They are fragrant and attract bees, butterflies and birds. After blooming, oblong pods form, adorned with tiny bristles. Mature pods are brown. Sunshine mimosa is the host plant for the larva of Eurema lisa (Little Sulphur Butterfly).   Return to top

 

 

Momordica charantia Balsam Apple / Bitter Melon Momordica charantia is a non-native annual vine that can grow to 5 m. It is a member of Family Cucurbitaceae (The Gourd Family). The leaves are alternate and palmate with five to seven deeply separated lobes. The stem is ridged and covered with small hairs. As shown above in the third photograph, flowers are yellow, solitary and 1.9 cm in diameter. The fruit is orange with a warty skin. Although the fruit is edible if correctly prepared, the skin of the ripe fruit is poisonous. The last two photographs below show a fully ripe fruit that split open to reveal red arils. These are specialized outgrowths from the point of seed attachment that enclose the seeds. The actual seeds are elliptical and flat. Balsam apple is used in Asian and African herbal medicines as well as in traditional medicine. Photographs 2, 3, 5 and 6: Courtesy of Roz Katz, Conservancy of Southwest Florida volunteer. Return to top

 

 

Morus rubra Red Mulberry Morus rubra is a native, deciduous, shrub or tree that grows to 12 meters in height. It is a member of Family Moraceae (The Mulberry Family or Fig Family). Bark is grey-brown in mature trees and orange-brown in young trees. Red mulberry leaves are alternate, 7 to 14 cm long and 6 to 12 cm wide, simple, and broadly heart-shaped with a shallow notch at the base. As shown in the first photograph, there are often 2 to 3 lobes in the leaves of young trees. Older trees have unlobed leaves. Leaves have finely serrated margins, upper surfaces with a texture like rough sandpaper, and bottom surfaces covered with soft hairs. The leaf petiole extrudes a milky sap when the leaf is pulled off the tree. Flowers are tiny, whitish, and bloom in spring. Male and female flowers are usually on separate trees, but may occur on the same tree. Fruit is a cylindrical cluster of red drupes that turn black as they ripen to resemble blackberries. Red mulberries are used in pies, tarts, and cobblers, as well as eaten raw. Fruits are also eaten by birds and other wildlife. Return to top

 

 

Muhlenbergia capillaris Muhly Grass Muhlenbergia capillaris is a native, herbaceous, perennial ornamental grass in Family Poaceae (The True Grass Family.) It is multi-trunked and grows in clumps .9 to 1.8 m tall and .3 to .9 m wide. Muhly grass is stiff with upright growth. Its leaves are linear with parallel veins and entire margins. Blades are 45.7 to 91 cm long. The green blades turn to a copper color in the fall. Its delicate, purple/pink flowers emerge in the fall on 1.2 m stems above the foliage as is shown in the first photograph. The third photograph shows muhly grass in its fruiting stage. Each fruit is brown, oval, less than 1.3 cm long, and has a hard cover. Although literature states there are no known pests, in the Smith Preserve, aphids have been seen on some muhly grass blades. Return to top

 

 

Myrica cerifera Wax Myrtle Myrica cerifera is a native shrub/tree that can grow to a height of 7.6 m or greater. It's a member of Family Myricaceae (The Myrsine Family). Wax myrtle usually has multiple trunks like the one shown in the first photograph. This photograph was taken near the Smith Preserve elevated entrance. Wax myrtle leaves are alternate and each blade is narrow, leathery, and aromatic when crushed. The leaf margin is entire or toothed beyond the middle. The leaf tip is sharp to slightly rounded. The entire leaf is covered with yellow to orange glands as show in photograph four. Branches are reddish brown, and when young, densely covered with yellow glands (see photograph five). Male and female flowers are on separate plants and the flowers are small and located in the leaf axils. They appear as the larger yellow structures in the fifth and sixth photographs. The fruits (berries) that develop on the female plants are spherical, gray and coated with wax. The roots of wax myrtle have nodules that surround a type of fungus that fixes nitrogen even faster than the bacteria fixes nitrogen in legumes. Myrica cerifera berries are used to make fragrant bayberry candles. The root bark is used to make herbal teas to treat stomachaches, colds, fevers, diarrhea, ulcers and many other ailments. The berries and seeds are eaten and dispersed by birds. Return to top

 

 

Myrsine floridana Myrsine Myrsine floridana is a native, evergreen shrub/tree member of Family Myrsinacea (The Myrsine Family) that can grow to become 7.6 m tall. It is a common hammock tree. Its dark green, smooth, leathery leaves are clustered at the ends of branches. Leaves are oblong and curled under at the edges. Small white and purple male and female flowers are on separate plants. Flowers and fruits are clustered directly on the stems between the trunk and the leaves. In the first three photographs above, the flowers are not fully open. As shown in photographs four and five, the fruits (drupes) are green. As they age, they will become dark blue or black. Return to top

 

 

Nuphar advena Spatterdock/ Cow Lily Nuphar advena is a native, perennial, large aquatic member of Family Nymphaeaceae (The Water Lily Family). It is an aggressive colonizer with its submerged, floating, and emergent heart-shaped shiny leaves that often have wavy edges. Each leaf is 20 to 30 cm long and 15 to 20 cm wide, and it is deeply notched at the base. Floating leaves are attached to long stems that arise from large spongy rhizomes. Spatterdock is usually found in deeper water than other water lilies.   Flowers are yellow, spheroid, solitary and at or above the water surface. Six to nine sepals form a cup around the rest of the flower. The petals inside are small and scalelike. Each flower stem is round and can be up to 1.8 m long. Flowers are frequented by bees, seeds are eaten by birds, and leaves provide cover for aquatic creatures.   Return to top

 

 

Oeceoclades maculata Monk Orchid / African Spotted Orchid   Oeceoclades maculata is a non-native, medium sized, erect member of Family Orchidaceae (The Orchid Family). As shown in these photographs, this terrestrial orchid grows in leaf litter. This group is growing in the hammock in the northeastern corner of the Smith Preserve. Plants are a cluster of small, dark green pseudobulbs which give rise to one or two leaves. Leaves are oblong to elliptical and green, mottled with dark green. Leaves are hard, thick, and succulent. The thick leaf cuticle reduces moisture loss. Leaves resemble Sansevieria (Mother-in-Law's Tongue/ Snake Plant). Flowers are 2 cm, have no fragrance, and appear September through December. They have green petals and sepals with lips that are white, blushed with rose. They are pollinated by rain and ants. This orchid is classified by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council as a Category II invasive weed in Florida. This category means it has increased in abundance but has not yet altered Florida's plant communities to the extent shown by Category I species. Return to top

 

Oldenlandia corymbosa Diamond Flower / Flattop Mille Graines On January 13, 2014, this plant was identified from these photographs by Roger Hammer, author of Everglades Wildflowers and Florida Keys Wildflowers. Oldenlandia corymbosa is a non-native, annual, erect or prostrate plant that grows in sunny sites and belongs to Family Rubiaceae (The Coffee Family, Madder Family, Bedstraw Family). The plant's roots are fibrous and stems are quadrangular, solid, and without hairs. Leaves have one vein and are not lobed. They are entire, opposite, stalked, and linear. This specimen, found in the Smith Preserve, has 4-petalled solitary flowers, each about 2 mm in diameter. The species is also known to have flowers in groups that form axillary cymes. A plant flowers and fruits year round. Reproduction is with seeds. Diamond flower is used in traditional medicine in India and China to treat a variety of liver conditions. Return to top

 

 

Opuntia humifusa Prickly Pear Opuntia humifusa is a native, perennial member of Family Cactaceae (The Cactus Family). These cactus thrive in dry, sandy areas of the Smith Preserve and can grow to become 40.6 cm tall. As shown above, Opuntia humifusa is branching and has round to oblong fleshy stems of flattened pads. The pads are from 5.1 to 15.2 cm long. The bright yellow flowers are solitary and from 7.6 to 10.2 cm across. The photographs above were taken one morning over a two-hour period of time and show the gradual transformation from bud to bloom. Opuntia humifusa has two types of gray to whitish spines. Its tiny spines are hairlike, barbed bristles arranged in tufts. Its long, smooth spines (shown above at left) can be 1.3 to 3.2 cm long. Some prickly pear cactus lack spines. The fruit, shown below in the first photograph, is a pear-shaped, reddish-green berry called a tunas. When ripe, this fruit is eaten raw and made into jellies and marmalades. The pulp is red and tastes something like watermelon. The pads are a popular vegetable in Mexico and Central America. Besides its use by people for food, this is a favorite food of Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise). As seen in the second photograph below, this pad has been chewed by one of the Smith Preserve tortoises. Another organism that uses the cactus for food is Dactylopius spp. (Cochineal Scales). As seen in the third photograph below, the cochineal scale produces a white, sticky, soft, waxy substance that looks like mold. The scales feed almost exclusively with their sucking mouth parts on the pads of prickly pear cactus.     Many pollinators are attracted to the prickly pear flowers.   Return to top

 

 

Palafoxia integrifolia Coastal-Plain Palafox Parafoxia integrifolia is a native, annual member of Family Asteraceae (The Aster, Daisy, and Sunflower Family). It grows in well-drained sandy uplands throughout Florida (except in the western panhandle) and in parts of Georgia. Stems are woody, hairy, and branching. As shown in the first photograph, the plant grows upright with stems reaching .9 m or taller. Leaves are alternate and narrow and reduced near the top of the stem. There are no true ray flowers; disk flowers are frilly and pink. Anthers are purple. Although Walter Kingsley Taylor in his book Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities, published in 1998, p. 117 states blooming occurs September to November, these photographs were taken in the Smith Preserve on April 28, 2012. On March 17, 2014, this plant was identified from these photographs by Roger Hammer, author of Everglades Wildflowers, 2002 and Florida Keys Wildflowers, 2004 The genus name and common names "Palafoxia" and "Palafox" honor Jose Palafox, a Spanish general who fought against Napoleon Bonaparte's armies. Return to top

 

 

Panicum repens Torpedo Grass Panicum repens is a non-native perennial member of Family Poaceae (The Grass Family). It was introduced to Florida in the 1920s as pasture food for cattle. This grass thrives in moist to wet sandy soil. Torpedo grass grows to a height of 1 m. Its aerial stems are erect or leaning with the lower portions usually wrapped in sheaths. As shown in the photographs at left and below, leaf blades are stiff, linear, flat and about 5 mm wide. Blades grow to a length of 26 cm. Upper leaf surfaces are usually hairy. The grass flowers most of the year. Its rhizomes are creeping or floating with overlapping brown to white scales and stiff, sharply-pointed (torpedo-like) growing tips. Panicum repens is considered one of the most serious weeds in Florida because it displaces native vegetation, particularly in or near shallow water. As shown in the first photograph, this grass has covered the western portion of the filter marsh in the Smith Preserve. Although torpedo grass is extremely invasive, it has not yet been listed on the Federal or State Noxious Weed List. Return to top

 

 

Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia Creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia is a native, perennial member of Family Vitaceae (Grapes). It is a woody vine with green palmately compound leaves. There are usually five leaflets, but young vines may have three. Young vines can be misidentified as Toxicodendron radicans (Poison Ivy) because of the three-leaflet similarity. Virginia creeper leaflets are toothed, 3.8 to 6.4 cm long, and 1.3 to 2.5 cm wide. Like Toxicodendron radicans, its foliage turns red in the fall. The vine climbs trees and buildings using forked tendrils tipped with adhesive pads. It can grow 20 to 30 meters in length. Flowers are brown to green with reddish highlights. They grow in panicles. The .25 inch fruits (berries) are dark blue to black. Native Americans used the plant as an herbal remedy for diarrhea, swelling, lockjaw and other maladies, but the berries can be harmful if ingested. The berries contain oxalic acid, which is mildly toxic to humans and other mammals. Berries are food for birds. Virginia creeper can kill vegetation it covers by shading it and reducing its ability to photosynthesize. Return to top

 

 

Paspalum setaceum Thin Paspalum Grass Paspalum setaceum is a native, perennial member of the grass family (Family Poaceae). It has erect or prostrate stems that can exceed one meter in length. Flat leaf blades are hairless to slightly hairy. As shown in the third photograph above, Paspalum setaceum, like other grasses, have panicles (branched clusters of seeds). Earlier, these panicles were covered with small oval to rounded spikelets. As shown below, each spikelet is a unit of a inflorescence of flowers.     Thin paspalum is a short-lived, tufted, grass that grows to a height of .8 cm .9 m. The grass grows well in sandy soils and is considered a weed in lawns and turf. Birds eat the seeds.   Return to top

 

 

Passiflora suberosa Corkystem Passionflower Passiflora suberosa is a native member of Family Passifloraceae. It is a small vine that grows to 6 m in length. Old stems have corky bark. The plant in these photographs was growing in a grassy area adjacent to the hammock in the northeast corner of the Smith Preserve. Leaves of corkystem passionflower are alternate and extremely variable in both size (3 to 11 cm long and 4 to 12 cm wide) and shape (linear, lanceolate, or lobed). As shown in the photograph below, A tendril opposite the leaves is used for climbing and there are 2 glands on the petiole. Greenish-white flowers are 15 to 25 mm across and bloom all year. Flowers lack petals, but they have 6 sepals that may be confused for petals. Fruits start green, change to purple, and ripen to black. Corkystem passionflower is the preferred host for the larval stages of Heliconius charithonius (Zebra Longwing), Dryas iulia (Julia), and Agraulis vanillae (Gulf Fritillary) butterflies.   Return to top

 

 

Passiflora vitafolia Scarlet Flame Passionflower Growing in the treetop, over the trail in the Smith Preserve that borders the gopher tortoise fence, next to the home at the southeast corner of the preserve, is this perfumed passionflower vine. Look up to see it. It appears to begin somewhere in the bush in the yard of the home. From there, the vine grows up and over other plants, crosses over the fence, and intertwines with grape vines in the preserve trees above. Scarlet flame passionflower vines can grow 6 to 9 meters in length. The large serrate leaves of this passionflower are very distinctive with three pointed lobes. Leaves can be 15 cm long and 18 cm wide. The lobed leaves resemble grape leaves. In fact, the species name "vitifolia" means "grape leaves". Flowers are bright red, up to 9 cm in diameter, and attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The fruit is a berry 5 cm long and 3 cm wide, green in color, speckled with white, and filled with many seeds. Passiflora vitifolia is native to southern Central America and northwestern South America   Return to top

 

 

 

Peltandra virginica Green Arrow Arum / Tuckahoe Peltandra virginica is a native member of Family Araceae (The Arum Family). Common to wetlands in eastern North American, green arrow arum grows in the seasonal (western) marsh in the Christopher B. Smith Preserve. The species is a perennial that grows from a large rhizome (subterranean root) and produces many leaves. The petiole of a leaf can be almost one meter long, and a leaf blade can reach 50 cm in length. Leaves vary in shape and size, but are usually shaped like arrowheads. An inflorescence consists of male, female, and sterile flowers that are white, green, or yellow. The fruit, a brown berry, has a few seeds. Although the plant contains crystals of calcium oxalate, which make it unpalatable, Native Americans made it safe to eat by boiling it for many hours. Return to top

 

 

Pentalinon luteum Wild Alamanda Pentalinon luteum is a native, woody, twining climber with glossy opposite leaves that curl under at the margins. The stems are 3 m or greater in length. This vine is in Family Apocynaceae (The Dogbane Family) and lives in sunny exposures of pinelands and hammocks. Its leaves are 2.5 to 7.6 cm long and 1.3 to 2.54 cm wide. Its yellow flowers are trumpet-shaped, 5 cm across, and 5-lobed. The photograph above was taken near the northeastern edge of the Smith Preserve elevated entrance road. Wild alamanda is associated with some human health issues. Its sap irritates eyes and can blister skin. Consumption of the poisonous flowers and leaves can in extreme cases result in death. It is the larval host for Syntomeida epilais (polka-dot wasp moth). Return to top

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

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