Plants

Beach Sunflowers
Beach sunflowers line the berm at De Soto National Memorial.

Anne St. Charles

 

The park consists of about 26 acres of which approximately 80% is coastal wetland. This wetland area is dominated by intertidal mangrove forest with associated shoreline along the Manatee River. The remaining area is mostly upland pine flatlands and mixed hardwood forest. An area of approximately 11 acres adjacent to the park known as Riverview Pointe is managed by Manatee County and consists primarily of upland sand pine scrub.

The mangrove forest is generally dominated by black mangroves, a tree that is usually found away from high energy shorelines or large tidal variations, and buttonwoods, a tree often found along the edges of mangroves. Red mangroves, typically associated with the edge of the forest adjacent to open water, occur here, but are not overly abundant. White mangroves also are not common, but are found in the somewhat higher elevation mangrove areas.

The coastal strand occurs as a narrow strip of vegetation between the mangrove forest and the open sandy beach along the Manatee River shoreline. The strand community is shrubby with buttonwood as the dominant shrub, while the ground cover is made up of salt-tolerant herbs, such as yellow joyweed, sea oxeye and sea purslane.

The central area of the park, in the vicinity of the visitor center and parking, is primarily a cleared and landscaped space that is maintained for aesthetics and visitor use. The area is surrounded on three sides by mangroves and on the north by the Manatee River. As you enter the park live oak trees line the driveway and parking area, while several large gumbo limbo trees form a canopy adjacent to the visitor center. The large grassy mall within the parking area is planted with St. Augustine grass, as is the grassy area around the visitor center.

Cumulative list of native plants noted at De Soto National Memorial.

Plant

Common Name

Common Habitat

Acrostichum danaeifolium

leather fern

coastal wetlands

Alternanthera flavescens

yellow joyweed

strand

Ampelopsis arborea

pepper vine

hammock

Annona glabra

pond apple

freshwater wetland

Atriplex pentandra

crested saltbush

strand

Avicennia germinans

black mangrove

coastal wetlands

Baccharis halimifolia

saltbush

coastal wetlands

Bacopa monieri

hyssop

freshwater wetland

Batis maritima

salt wort

coastal wetlands

Blechnum serrulatum

blechnum fern

freshwater wetland

Borrichia frutescens

sea oxeye

coastal wetlands

Bumelia celastrina

buckthorn

coastal wetlands

Bursera simaruba

gumbo limbo

hammock

Caesalpinnia bonduc

gray nickerbean

strand

Callicarpa americana

beauty berry

pine flatwoods

Canavalia maritima

beach bean

strand

Canna flaccida.

yellow canna

freshwater wetland

Carya sp.

hickory

hammock

Cephalanthus occidentalis

buttonbush

freshwater wetland

Chamaesyce hirta

spurge

strand

Cissus trifoliata

marine vine

hammock

Coccoloba uvifera

sea grape

strand

Commelina diffusa

day flower

hammock

Conocarpus erectus

buttonwood

coastal wetlands

Dalbergia ecastophyllum

coin vine

strand

Desmodium incanum

--

disturbed

Dichondra caroliniana

pony foot

disturbed

Dichondra caroliniana

pony foot

disturbed

Drymaria cordata

West Indian chickweed

disturbed

Eclipta prostrata

false daisy

disturbed

Eupatorium capillifolium

dog fennel

disturbed

Eustachys petraea

grass

disturbed

Ficus aurea

strangler fig

hammock

Fimbrystilis castanaea

sedge

pine flatwoods

Fimbrystilis spathacea

hurricane grass

strand

Forsetiera segregata

Florida privet

hammock

Hydrocotyle umbellata

dollar weed

disturbed

Ipomoea alba

morning glory

hammock

Ipomoea indica

morning glory

hammock

Ipomoea pes-caprae

railroad vine

strand

Juniperus virginiana

red cedar

hammock

Laguncularia racemosa

white mangrove

coastal wetlands

Lepidium virginicum

pepperweed

disturbed

Ludwigia sp.

--

Freshwater wetland

Melothria pendula

creeping cucumber

disturbed

Myrica cerifera

wax myrtle

disturbed

Opuntia humifusa

prickly pear

strand

Parietaria floridana

Florida pellitory

freshwater wetland

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Virginia creeper

hammock

Persea borbonia

red bay

hammock

Phragmites australis

reed

freshwater wetland

Physalis arenicola

ground cherry

disturbed

Phytolacca americana

pokeweed

disturbed

Pluchea odorata

fleabane

freshwater wetland

Polypremum procumbens

rustweed

disturbed

Portulaca pilosa

purslane

disturbed

Psychotria nervosa

wild coffee

hammock

Psychotria sulzneri

wild coffee

hammock

Pteridium aquilinum

bracken

hammock

Quercus laurifolia

laurel oak

freshwater wetland

Quercus virginiana

live oak

hammock

Rapanea punctata

myrsine

hammock

Rhizophora mangle

red mangrove

coastal wetlands

Rivina humilis

blood berry

hammock

Sabal palmetto

sabal palm

hammock

Sambucus canadensis

elder

freshwater wetland

Samolus valerandi

pineland pimpernel

pine flatwoods

Saururus cernuus

lizard tail

freshwater wetland

Sesuvium portulacastrum

sea purslane

strand

Sida acuta

Indian mallow

disturbed

Smilax auriculata

greenbriar

pine flatwoods

Solidago semperviriens

goldenrod

disturbed

Sophora tomentosa

necklace-pod

strand

Stenotaphrum secundatum

St. Augustine grass

disturbed

Suaeda maritima

sea blite

strand

Tillandsia fasciculata

air plant

hammock

Tillandsia recurvata

ball moss

hammock

Tillandsia usneoides

Spanish moss

hammock

Tillandsia utriculata

air plant

hammock

Toxicodendron radicans

poison ivy

hammock

Triglochin striata

arrowgrass

coastal wetlands

Vitis shuttleworthii

Calusa grape

hammock

Ximenia americana

hog plum

hammock



Cumulative list of exotic plants noted at De Soto National Memorial.

Plant

Common Name

Common Habitat

Aloe vera

aloe

disturbed

Amaranthus spinosus

amaranth

disturbed

Asparagus densiflorus

--

disturbed

Asparagus springeri

--

disturbed

Bischofia javanica

bishop wood

disturbed

Citrus sp.

citrus

disturbed

Cupaniopsis anacardioides

carrot wood

disturbed

Cycas revoluta

sago palm

disturbed

Dioscorea bulbifera

air potato

disturbed

Eugenia uniflora

Surinam cherry

disturbed

Ficus benjamina.

Benjamin fig

disturbed

Jacaranda acutifolia(?)

jacaranda

disturbed

Ficus microcarpa

fig

disturbed

Mangifera indica

mango

disturbed

Melia azedarach

China berry

disturbed

Musa paradisica

banana

disturbed

Phoenix reclinata

phoenix palm

disturbed

Pilea sp.

artillary fern

disturbed

Rhaphiolepis indica

--

disturbed

Ruellia brittoniana

wild petunia

disturbed

Sansevieria hyacinthoides

snake plant

disturbed

Schefflera actinophylla

schefflera

disturbed

Schinus terebinthifolius

Brazilian pepper

disturbed

Thespesia populnea

Portia tree

disturbed

Yucca aloifolia

Spanish dagger

disturbed



Last updated: April 14, 2015

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8300 De Soto Memorial Hwy
Bradenton, FL 34209

Phone:

941 792-0458 x105

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