Florida Wildflower Identification - Field Guide

American Bluehearts – Buchnera americana, Florida wildflower grows with 5 heart-shaped petals, violet to blue with a few blossoms on each spindly stem

Tall Elephant’s Foot – Elephantopus elatus blooms blue-pink in autumn with tiny blossoms arranged to resemble an elephant’s footprint and is considered a “pushy plant.”

Common Blue Violet – Viola striata blooms in late winter and spring with five blue petals and dark landing stripes for pollinators.

Forked Blue Curls – Trichostema dichotomum, in the mint family, blue or purple speckled petals, long curled stamen in sandhills and flatwoods

Carolina Petunia – Ruellia caroliniensis, 5 blue or violet petals, white stamen, small with oblong leaves and white stamen in spring

Florida Paintbrush – Carphephorus corymbosus, purple flower clusters with long purple stamens, attracts butterflies

Hairy Chaffhead – Carphephorus paniculatus grows in full sunlight and blooms purple in autumn from tall stems

Giant Ironweed – Vernonia gigantea, tall, spindly stemmed Florida wildflower with purple clusters of flowers

Meadow Beauty – Rhexia mariana, four veined purple or blue petals, grows with a long yellow stamen and narrow, grass-like leaves

Pickerelweed – Pontederi cordata, wildflower has long, purple oblong clusters in marsh and swamp

Sunshine Powderpuff – Mimosa strigillosa, pink to lavender wildflower, made of many tiny flowers to make pompom shape

Southern Blue Flag Iris – Iris virginica, is marsh flower blooming in spring with 3 purple petals with yellow & orange signals

Spurred Butterfly Pea – Centrosema virginianum, butterfly shape purple bloom on vine

Tievine Morning Glory – Ipomoea cordatotriloba, purple bloom on vine, star pattern

Water Hyacinth – Eichhornia crassipes, aquatic, broad leaf, purple flower with orange  or yellow spot near center

Blue Wood Aster – Aster cordifolius, small wildflower with elongated, oval blue petals and purple or yellow center

Common Blue Violet – Viola sororia this small flower has five blue petals and a white, veined center

Lyreleaf Sage – Salvia lyrata has a stem filled with horn shaped blue flowers at the top and long stamen

Blue Toadflax – Linaria canadensis, a small blue or purple wildflower with a long stem often growing with sheep’s sorrel in open sun

Thistle – Cirsium horridulum blooms brilliantly in spring and summer – low lying, but stems may grow as tall as you in spring

Carolina Horsenettle – Solanum carolinense blooms in summer five blue star-shaped petals and yellow stamen

Blue Jacket, Ohio Spiderwort – Tradescantia ohiensis, Commelinaceae blooms in spring with three blue petals and yellow stamen

Chapman’s Blazing Star – Liatris chapmanii blossoms blue to  purple in autumn in shaded, wet area from a tall  stem

Smallhead Blazing Star – Liatris microcephala is a Southern US purple or pink wildflower with a tall stem and long stamen in Florida

Sandhill Dayflower – Commelina-erecta-L blooms with two round blue petals in summer with a yellow center

Blue False Gilia – Allophyllum-gilioides blooms in summer with tiny flower clusters with five petals each on a long stem

Alligatorflag – Thalia geniculata, Marantaceae grows in wetlands with arrow shaped leaves, tall with blue/purple flowers

Blue pigroot – Sisyrinchium micranthum blooms in summer with six tiny light blue petals and a yellow center in partial shade

Blue-Eyed Grass – Sisyrinchium idahoense blooms in Florida partial shade with six bright blue petals and yellow stamen

Coral Bean – Erythrina herbacea, tall stem, coral or pink bean shaped flowers, attracts hummingbirds

Sunshine Powderpuff – Mimosa strigillosa, pink to lavender wildflower, made of many tiny flowers to make pompom shape

Scarlet Swamp Hibiscus – Hibiscus coccineus found in wetlands, large and red, here at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Flaxleaf False Foxglove – Agalinis linifolia blooms with 5 pink petals and a white stamen in seasonally marshy Florida plains

Pink Woodsorrel – Oxalis debilis exotic from S. America, five pink petals with dark veins and green or yellow center blooming in spring

Fetterbush – Lyonia lucida, bell-shaped flowers on evergreen shrub – a beauty to find in spring and summer

Marsh Pink – Sabatia grandiflora, small, five petal flower with yellow center and red outline

Red Sorrel, Sheep’s Sorrel – Rumex acetosella blooms from a long stem of flower cluster and is often found in open fields

Wild Bush Bean Macroptilium lathyroides is an invasive species that blooms in sunny areas and resembles a sweet pea

Tropical Sage – Salvia coccinea, grows in sandy soil and has a tall stem, small flowers, red petals and long red stamen

Trumpet Creeper – Campsis radicans, long, horn shaped, five red petals on a vine creeping up large plants

Pinxter Azalea – Rhododendron canescens is a native, large bush that blooms in spring with five pink or white petals and very long stamen

Florida Tasselflower – Emilia fosbergii blooms in summer and fall with tiny red bulbous flowers

Fewflower Milkweed – Asclepias lanceolata blooms in red-orange clusters in sunny areas in spring from a long stem

Buttonbush – Cephalanthus occidentalis, globular white flower with long stamen like spikes on bush

Innocence – Houstonia procumbens – a tiny, white wildflower with a yellow center and long stamen

White Water Lily – nymphaea odorata grows in water, a small white lily with yellow stamen in marshlands, aquatic

Elderberry – Sambucus nigra, tiny white flower clusters on bush with elongated leaves, produce elderberries, of course!

Frog Fruit or Capeweed- Phyla nodiflora, tiny, five petal flowers growing in a cluster around a purple center or seed

Lanceleaf Arrowhead -Sagittaria latifolia, aquatic, three white leaves, yellow center, long, pointed leaf

Neches River Rosemallow – Hibiscus dasycalyx, large white flower with overlapping petals and purple center, long stamen

Starrush White-Top Sedge – Rhynchospora colorata, small white flower with green tips, blends with grass in spring

Summer Farewell – Dalea pinnata, has tiny, red buds that bloom into small white flower with long white stamen

Oakleaf Fleabane – Erigeron quercifolius has tall stems and many tiny white petals, may be tinted violet, yellow centers in daisy family

Branched Hedgehyssop – Gratiola Ramosa grows in clusters with four white petals and a yellow center

Flattened Pipewort – Eriocaulon compressum primarily blooms in winter and spring from a tall, spindly stem

Yellow Hatpins – Syngonanthus flavidulus tiny white flowers, may have a yellow center on long, spindly stems

Atamasco Rain-Lily – Zephyranthes atamasca grows in moist soil blooming in spring with six white petals, yellow stamen

Hedge False Bindweed – Calystegia sepium, native to Florida, trumpet shaped white or pink marsh flower, yellow center

Streambank Spider Lily – Hymenocallis rotata wildflower grows along north central Florida river banks and marshes.

Simpson’s Zephyr Lily – Zephyranthes-simpsonii emerges in spring in shady areas near water and has six white petals.

Redroot Carolina – Redroot Lachnanthes caroliniana is a white flower cluster on a long stem and poisonous to livestock.

Spurge Nettle – Cnidolscolus Stimulosus has white flowers with five petals and three-lobed leaves that may be spotted.

Bull Nettle – Cnidoscolus stimulosus is the same species as spurge nettle, reshown to show variety of leaves and flower shapes.

Tarflower – Bejaria racemosa isconsidered a shrub, wildflower has 7 white petals, long stamen, may be tinted pink, with long stems.

Costalplain Dawnflower – Stylisma patens vine creeps sunny ground, blooming with a 5-point, white, star-shaped flower.

Mock Bishops Weed – Ptilimnium capillaceum has a spindly stem with a cluster of sparse, tiny white flowers as it blooms.

Frostweed Verbesina virginica blooms in summer and fall with small blossoms of 3 petals or more and black anthers.

Groundsel – Baccharis halimifolia is a flowering bush, pointy white flowers and floating seeds on fluffy pappus

Common Fanpetal Sida ulmifolia blooms in summer with white or pail yellow petals and a yellow center, has jagged leaves

Spanish Needle – Bidens-alba blooms with five white petals in summer with a yellow-orange center in dry areas and woodlands

Lizard Tail – Saururus cernuus grows in wet, shaded areas in clusters, blooming in spring, named for its curled flower cluster

Cherokee Rose – Rosa laevigata, is an invasive shrub that climbs trees, blooming with fragrant blossoms and 5 white petals

Blackberry – Rubus fruticosus blooms in early spring with five white petals and later produces edible blackberries

American Lotus – Nelumbo lutea, pale yellow, overlapping petals with bright yellow center in water

Bushy Seaside Oxeye – Borrichia frutescens, many yellow petals, yellow center, like a small daisy

Coastal Plain Honeycombhead – Balduina angustifolia, yellow flower with honeycomb center, long stem and spindly leaves

Carter’s Flax – Linum-carteri, tiny yellow flower with five overlapping petals, green star at center

Florida Tickseed – Coreopsis floridana, small, long stem, many yellow petals of different lengths, brown center

Blackeyed Susan – Rudbeckia hirta blooms fall, many yellow petals with simpler oval shape than Florida Tickseed, and a brown center

Orange Milkwort – Polygala lutea, small, low to ground, bright orange cylinder of clustered, tiny flower petals

Yellow Milkwort – Polygata rugelli blooms in spring like the orange milkwort in the moist woodlands of Florida.

Partridge Pea – Chamaecrista fasciculata, yellow or orange petals with long, curled stamen and dark spots, pea pod

Chapman’s Wild Sensitive Plant Senna mexicana var. chapmanii, five yellow petals, long pink or red stamen in clusters

Partridge Pea – Chamaecrista fasciculata has 5 yellow petals and about 10 long stamen growing from a fern-like plant

Wingleaf Primrose Willow – Ludwigia decurrens, five veined yellow petals may be heart shaped and a white center ovule

Yellow Carolina Jasmine -Gelsemium sempervirens, vine in trees, five yellow petals, yellow center, and long stamen

Carolina Rockrose – Helianthemum carolinianum, small, yellow, five petal flower with long yellow stamen, broad leaves

Florida Yellow Flax – Linum floridanum blooms in summer with 5 orange petals and long, narrow leaves on the stem

Common Goldstar / Yellow Star Grass – Hypoxis juncea grass whose flower has six yellow petals and yellow stamen

Southeastern Sneezeweed – Helenium pinnatifidum marsh flower, daisy family, yellow with many petals, large yellow center

Southeastern Sneezeweed – Helenium pinnatifidum – Yellow flower with multudinou, thin petals blooming in spring in bright sun

Primrose Willow – Ludwigia peruviana has four yellow petals that may be heart -shaped and yellow stamen in marshy areas

Zigzag bladderwort – Utricularia subulata is a carnivorous plant with a tiny yellow pea-shaped flowers

Florida Yellow Bladderwort – Utricularia floridana is a yellow, aquatic, carnivorous flower growing in swamps and may bloom most of year except winter

Carolina Desert-Chicory aka False Dandelion – Pyrrhopappus hypochoeris is small yellow wildflower and a great pollinator

Four Petal St. John’s-Wort – Hypericum tetrapetalum has four, squared petals and yellow stamen blooming in summer

Pencilflower, Stylosanthes biflora, is a small, orange Florida wildflower, low to the ground and pea shaped

Florida Alicia, Chapmmania floridana, has three yellow petals, or pea-shaped, and a long spindly stem a couple of feet tall

St Andrews Cross – Hypericum hypericoides small shrub with four, yellow petals in shape of a cross or an X

Narrowleaf Yellowtop – Flaveria linearis seen in fall in Florida, a long-stemmed yellow wildflower with narrow leaves

Chapmans Goldenrod – Solidago odara var chapmanii has a long stem filled with tiny yellow flower clusters in the fall

Yellow Flag, Water Flag – Iris pseudacorus grows in swampy areas and blooms in spring with long yellow petals

Coastalplain Hawkweed – Hieracium megacephalon has many pale yellow petals and grows on spindly stems to 3 feet high.

Yellow Water-Lily – Nuphar lutea is a yellow, aquatic lily similar to the white water-lily, the blossom here shown yet unopened.

Prickly Pear Cactus – Opuntia austrina grows natively in Florida and produces bright yellow flowers with layers of petals in the spring.