Native South Florida flowers have everything in their favor to be the most beautiful in North America. And the weather helps a lot.
Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon led the first European expedition to Florida in 1513. He named the state as a tribute to Spain’s Easter celebration known as “Pascua Florida,” or Feast of Flowers. And in this post, we are going to show some of the South Florida Flowers we really like.
And the state motto now is “The Sunshine State”.
This is the perfect combination to have the most beautiful flowers in the world.
Flowers can come in many shapes, sizes, and colors. But they all have the same function.
Most importantly, the plant uses flowers so it can reproduce and form new plants.
And these are 20 native South Florida flowers that we really like.
1 – Black-Eyed Susan
Firstly, Rudbeckia hirta is commonly called black-eyed Susan. Secondly, it is a North American flowering plant in the family Asteraceae.
Consequently, this plant is native to Eastern and Central North America and naturalized in the Western part of the continent.
Therefore, you can find it in all 10 Canadian Provinces and all 48 of the states in the contiguous United States.
Finally, Rudbeckia hirta is the state flower of Maryland.
2 – Carolina Jessamine
Gelsemium sempervirens is a twining vine in the family Gelsemiaceae.
This plant is native to subtropical and tropical America.
However, people know it as yellow jessamine or jasmine, evening trumpet flower, gelsemium, and woodbine.
As a result, the yellow jessamine is the state flower of South Carolina.
3 – Curtiss´s Milkweed | One of our favorite South Florida flowers
Firstly, Asclepias curtissii, or Curtiss’s milkweed, is a rare species of flowering milkweed that is endemic to Florida’s sandy areas.
Furthermore, Curtiss’s milkweed belongs to the subfamily Asclepiadoideae and the genus Asclepias.
Most importantly, the State of Florida placed the dicotyledonous perennial plant on the endangered species list.
Although you can find Curtiss milkweed all over Florida, the populations are very isolated and concentrated.
4 – Columbine
Firstly, Aquilegia, also known as granny’s bonnet and columbine, is a genus of about 60–70 species of perennial plants.
Secondly, you can find it in meadows, woodlands, and at higher altitudes throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Furthermore, it is famous for the spurred petals of its flowers.
5 – Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens is commonly known as coral honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle, or scarlet honeysuckle.
It is a species of honeysuckle vine native to the eastern United States.
However, people know this plant better thanks to its reddish flowers.
6 – Coreopsis
The flowers are usually yellow with a toothed tip, but may also be yellow-and-red bicolor.
The flat fruits are small and dry and look like insects.
There are 75–80 species of Coreopsis, all of which are native to North, Central, and South America.
7 – Firebush | One of the nicest South Florida flowers
Firstly. Hamelia patens is a large perennial shrub or small tree in the coffee family Rubiaceae.
Secondly, it is native to the American subtropics and tropics.
For that reason, its range extends from Florida in the southern United States to as far south as Argentina.
Common names include firebush, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush, and redhead.
8 – Gaillardia
Gaillardia, common name blanket flower, is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family, Asteraceae.
It is native to North and South America.
Additionally, its name comes from Maître Gaillard de Charentonneau, an 18th-century French magistrate who was an enthusiastic botanist.
The common name may refer to the resemblance of the inflorescence to the brightly patterned blankets made by Native Americans.
9 – Liatris
Liatris is a genus of flowering plants in the boneset tribe within the sunflower family.
It is native to North America (Canada, United States, Mexico, and the Bahamas). Its most common name is the blazing star.
As a result, some species are used as ornamental plants, sometimes in flower bouquets.
Some Lepidoptera species use Liatris as food for their larvae.
10 – Purple coneflower
People know Echinacea purpurea as the eastern purple coneflower, purple coneflower, hedgehog coneflower, or echinacea.
It is a North American species of flowering plant in the sunflower family.
This plant is native to parts of eastern North America.
As a result, it is present to some extent in the wild in much of the eastern, southeastern, and midwestern United States.
Its habitats include dry open woods, prairies, and barrens.
11 – Mangrove spider-lily | One of the strangest South Florida flowers
Hymenocallis latifolia is known as the mangrove spider-lily or perfumed spider-lily.
It is a bulb-forming perennial that grows on beaches, sand dunes, mangrove swamps, and other wetlands.
For example, along the coasts of Florida, Mexico, and the West Indies.
It has showy white flowers and large green seeds up to 2.5 cm in diam.
12 – Spiderwort
Tradescantia is a genus of 75 species of herbaceous perennial wildflowers in the family Commelinaceae.
They are native to the New World from southern Canada to northern Argentina, including the West Indies.
The common name wandering Jew is controversial for its antisemitic origin.
Consequently, some vendors and bloggers have chosen to refer to it as wandering dude.
13 – Swamp Lily
Firstly, Crinum americanum is an aquatic angiosperm native to North America from Texas to South Carolina.
Additionally, common names for this species include Florida swamp-lily, string lily, and southern swamp crinum.
The species grows in small groups in still water habitats.
They are monocots with six flower petals in white at approximately 10 cm across.
14 – Swamp Mallow
Hibiscus moscheutos is known as the rose mallow, swamp rose-mallow, crimson-eyed rosemallow, or eastern rosemallow.
It is a cold-hardy perennial wetland plant that can grow in large colonies.
The hirsute leaves are of variable morphology but are commonly deltoidal in shape with up to three lobes.
Petal colors range from pure white to deep rose, and most have an eye of deep maroon.
15 – Swamp Sunflower
Helianthus angustifolius is a species of sunflower known by the common name narrow-leaf sunflower or swamp sunflower.
And it is native to the south-central and eastern United States.
Therefore, you can find it in all the coastal states from Texas to Long Island, and inland as far as Missouri.
People cultivate this plant for its bright, showy yellow flowers. Also, leaves are long and narrow, up to 15 cm (6 inches) long.
Finally, it is a perennial herb that sometimes grows as much as 150 cm (5 feet) tall.
16 – Yucca | One of the most unique South Florida flowers
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae.
They are native to the hot and dry (arid) parts of the Americas and the Caribbean.
Early reports of the species. mistakenly confused this plant with the cassava (Manihot esculenta).
Consequently, Linnaeus mistakenly derived the generic name from the Taíno word for the latter, yuca.
17 – Wax Myrtle | One of the oddest looking South Florida flowers
Myrica is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales.
The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. However, it is missing only from Australia.
Common names include bayberry, bay-rum tree, candleberry, sweet gale, and wax-myrtle.
18 – Beach Sunflower
Firstly, Helianthus debilis is a species of sunflower known by the common names cucumber leaf sunflower, beach sunflower, and weak sunflower.
Secondly, it is native to the United States, where you can find it along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts.
And it can reach a height of 2 meters.
Additionally, it can also spread along the ground, becoming a dense ground cover.
19 – Sunshine Mimosa | One of our favorite South Florida flowers
Firstly, people know this plant as sunshine mimosa and powderpuff. And it is a perennial ground cover in the family Fabaceae.
Secondly, it is native to nearly all US states bordering the Gulf of Mexico. It grows north into Georgia and Arkansas as well.
On the other hand, the name powderpuff refers to the small spherical flowers that rise above the plant’s creeping vines.
Finally, sunshine mimosa has sensitive leaves that can fold in a matter of seconds after being disturbed.
20 – Blue Mistflower
Firstly, Conoclinium coelestinum, the blue mistflower, is a North American species of the herbaceous perennial flowering plant.
Furthermore, it was classified in the genus Eupatorium.
However, phylogenetic analyses in the late 20th-century research indicated the genus should be split.
As a result, the species was reclassified in Conoclinium.
