Purpletop
Purpletop (Tridens flavus) is an attractive bunchgrass. Its late summer to early fall blooms create a striking magenta to burgundy display. Purpletop also offers significant wildlife value.
Pygmy pipes
Winter brings interesting blooms to North Central Florida’s hardwood hammocks, including the cryptic Pygmy pipes (Monotropsis reynoldsiae). With only around 10 populations currently known, this narrow range endemic species is listed as state-endangered.
Rabbitbells
Rabbitbells (Crotalaria rotundifolia) is a low-growing wildflower found in pinelands, sandhills and disturbed sandy areas throughout Florida. Its small yellow flowers bloom throughout the year, attracting mostly bees. The unassuming plant often goes unnoticed as its flowers do not open until the afternoon and remain open only for one day. Of the 15 species of Crotalaria that occur in Florida, only four are native. Rabbitbells is the most common and widespread of the native species.
Railroad vine
Railroad vine (Ipomoea pes-caprae) is a fast-growing, evergreen vine found on beach dunes. Its large showy flowers attract bees, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps and ants.
Rain lily
Rain lily (Zephyranthes atamasca) is a short-lived perennial wildflower that blooms late winter through early summer. Its showy, solitary flowers are white,sometimes tinged with pink).
Rayless sunflower
Rayless sunflower (Helianthus radula) is a unique member of the Helianthus genus—its ray florets are almost entirely absent. It blooms late spring through fall and attracts a variety of pollinators.
Red buckeye
Red buckeye (Aesculus pavia) is a deciduous understory shrub or small tree with showy clusters of red, tubular flowers that appear in late winter through spring.
Red chokeberry
Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) is a deciduous shrub found in moist to wet pine flatwoods and along wetland and swamp margins. In late winter and spring, the plant is covered in a profusion of showy, sweet-scented blooms.
Rice button aster
Rice button aster (Symphyotrichum dumosum) is a profuse bloomer with small flowers that attract a plethora of pollinators including butterflies and native bees.
Rose-rush
Rose-rush (Lygodesmia aphylla) is a striking perennial wildflower that occurs naturally in sandy flatwoods, scrub, sandhills and pine barrens throughout most of Florida.
Rosy camphorweed
Rosy camphorweed (Pluchea baccharis) is a summer-blooming wildflower found in wet habitats throughout Florida. Its pink flowers are particularly attractive to small butterflies, bees and other dainty pollinators.
Rubbervine
Rubbervine (Rhabdadenia biflora) is an evergreen flowering vine with white to pinkish-white flowers that bloom spring through fall, but may bloom year-round if temperatures remain warm.
Rue anemone
Rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides) is a state-listed endangered species. Its dainty white flowers bloom in early spring and are gone by mid-summer.
Rusty lyonia
Rusty lyonia ( Lyonia ferruginea) is a long-lived evergreen flowering shrub, so named for the many rust-colored hairs that cover the plant’s leaves, stems and trunk.
Sabal palm
As one of our most ubiquitous native plants, it is easy to see why Sabal palm (Sabal palmetto) is Florida’s state tree. Also known as Cabbage palm, Native Americans called it their “tree of life.”
Saltbush
Also known as Groundsel tree and Sea myrtle, Saltbush (Baccharis halimifolia) is a long-lived perennial shrub that typically blooms in fall. It occurs naturally in coastal uplands and dunes, along pond margins, and in ditches and disturbed areas. It is an evergreen in the southern part of the state, but can be deciduous in northern Florida.
Saltmarsh morning glory
Saltmarsh morning glory (Ipomoea sagittata) is a trailing perennial vine with showy pink blooms. The large nectaries and flowers attract many insects, but it is most visited by bees.
Sandbog deathcamas
Sandbog deathcamas (Zigadenus glaberrimus) is a poisonous wildflower found in the Panhandle. Its many star-shaped flowers are cream-colored with greenish-gold glands at the base of their petals. It
Sandhill wireweed
Also known as Largeflower jointweed, Sandhill wireweed (Polygonum nesomii) is a deciduous woody shrub that produces an abundance of spike-like flowering clusters. It is mostly a summer and fall bloomer, with October being its most abundant blooming time, but year-round blooms are not uncommon. Sandhill wireweed is endemic to Florida. It occurs nowhere else in the world.
Sandsquares
Sandsquares (Paronychia rugelii) is one of Florida’s most unique wildflowers because as its name implies, it has a square inflorescence! It blooms summer into early fall, attracting mostly small bees.
Savannah false pimpernel
Savannah false pimpernel (Lindernia grandiflora) is a low-growing, mat-forming wildflower found in moist pinelands, marshes and swamps. Its diminutive yet flamboyant flowers bloom year-round, peaking in spring. They attract small insects; however, they are primarily self-pollinated. The plant is also known as Blue moneywort and Angel’s tears.
Savannah meadowbeauty
Of Florida’s 10 native meadowbeauties (Rhexia genus), the Savannah meadowbeauty (Rhexia alifanus) stands among the tallest at around 4 feet. Its bright pink blooms can be seen rising up like flags from the shorter vegetation of the pine flatwoods, wet savannahs and roadside ditches. It is pollinated by bees through a unique strategy called buzz pollination!
Savannah milkweed
With its diminutive stature and greenish-yellow flowers, Savannah milkweed (Asclepias pedicellata) is oft overlooked in its native pineland and prairie habitats. It blooms late spring through fall, peaking in summer.
Saw palmetto
Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is an evergreen shrub found in scrub, pinelands, coastal hammocks, and dunes throughout Florida. Dr. Mark Deyrup of Archbold Biological Station calls it the “most amazing plant in Florida.”